United States News: The US military shot down another high-altitude object over Lake Huron on Sunday (February 12), a US official and a congressional source briefed on the matter reported CNN.
Meanwhile, Democratic-Republican Alyssa Slotkin of Michigan tweeted that she had received a call from the Department of Defense saying the US military was “looking very closely” at an object over Lake Huron.
“Just got a call from the Department of Defense – our military is closely monitoring the object over Lake Huron,” Slotkin said in a tweet on Sunday.
“We’ll learn more about what it was in the coming days, but for now, rest assured that all parties have been laser-focused from the moment it crossed our waters.”
The operation marks the third consecutive day that an unidentified object was shot down in North American airspace. An unidentified object was shot down in northern Canada on Saturday. On Friday, an unidentified object was shot down by a US F-22 in Alaskan airspace. And last weekend, a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down by an F-22 off the coast of South Carolina.
In addition, there were reports of the closure of Canadian airspace near Tobermory in Ontario, with NOTAM or Notice to Airmen stating “Active Air Defense Operations.
“Earlier, the temporary flight restriction over Lake Michigan was lifted on Sunday (local time) to ensure the safety of air traffic in the area during North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) operations, according to a NORAD press release.
“In cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) implemented a temporary flight restriction over Lake Michigan at approximately 12 a.m. EST on February 12, 2023, to ensure the safety of air traffic. area during NORAD operations. Temporary flight restrictions have been lifted,” added the release. According to a US Federal Aviation Administration notice, the airspace over Lake Michigan was temporarily restricted for national defense reasons.
Read also: Balloon row: US blacklists 6 Chinese entities linked to Beijing’s aerospace programs
The notice states that the airspace is being restricted for “national defense” reasons. There was no immediate comment from the Pentagon or FAA. Meanwhile, Canadian investigators are hunting for the wreckage of a mysterious flying object shot down by a US fighter jet in the Yukon Territory, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Sunday, as a top US Senate lawmaker said it – and another flying object was shot down. Coast of Alaska – Both appeared to be balloons.
“Recovery teams are on the ground, looking to locate and analyze the object,” Trudeau told reporters. He gave no indication of what it was but said it “represents a justifiable threat to the safety of civil flight.”
“Safety of the citizens is our top priority and hence I have decided to shoot down the unidentified object,” he said. US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer provided little more detail to US broadcaster ABC, saying US national security officials believe the object destroyed in Canada – as well as near Deadhorse, Alaska – on Friday Another flying object over sea ice – both were balloons.
“They believed they were (balloons), yes, but much smaller than the first one,” Schumer said. The trip into US airspace at the beginning of the month sparked an international incident. The White House said only that the recently dropped objects “did not closely resemble” Chinese balloons, calling Schumer’s description “too short”.
US officials have accused the Chinese of using a 200-foot-tall (60 m high) balloon for surveillance. The Chinese government has said it was a civilian research vessel that veered off course and condemned its destruction. US officials have been scouring the seas to recover debris and electronic equipment since the destruction of the original balloon. Schumer said he was confident that US investigators would get to the bottom of what it was being used for.
(with inputs from agencies)