Recovery efforts utilizing military planes and helicopters in the far northeast arctic region of Alaska continue, where on Friday an unidentified object was shot down by F-22 jets.
Still, little definitive is known, including who owns the object or where it came from; however, in media and US official reports the ‘high-altitude’ object is increasingly being referenced as a another balloon.
Biden called the operation a “success” – and yet didn’t engage reporters’ questions directly when asked about follow-up details.
What has become clear is that Biden gave the order to shoot it down before knowing who owned it or where it came from, or whether it was state-owned or perhaps owned by a corporation. And of course the question remains: was this another Chinese spy balloon? Or was it a weather research balloon just downed over Alaska?
According to details from White House and Pentagon briefings on Friday, including descriptions from senior officials, here’s what’s known at this point:
- It flew at 40,000 feet
- Deemed a safety threat to civilian aircraft
- Unknown origin or ownership
- Cylindrical and silverish gray
- Roughly the size of a car
- Smaller than the Chinese ‘spy’ balloon shot down last Satursday
- Object not maneuverable or propelled
- Shot down by US F-22 with sidewinder missile
In the meantime the media is only hyping the rampant online speculation into overdrive…
Hellbound and Down 