Time.news – An ‘unidentified object’ was shot down in Canada, over the Yukon. The operation was completed by a US F-22 which received a direct order from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In the early afternoon, local time and evening in Italy, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) identified the object, almost certainly a balloon, flying over northern Canada.
The procedure saw US fighters take off from Alaska, which implemented the premier’s order in coordination with US leaders through NORAD. Prior to the downing, a NOTAM had been issued to close off the sky above Mayo, Yukon, Canada’s northernmost province, to civilian flights.
I ordered the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. @NORADCommand shot down the object over the Yukon. Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled, and a U.S. F-22 successfully fired at the object.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 11, 2023
This is the third slaughter in a week. First the Chinese balloon that flew over the US to be shot down in the sea off the east coast. Then another object, smaller, off Alaska and today the third shooting down.
Last week, another Chinese weather balloon also flew over Latin America. According to Beijing, both the latter and the first shot down by the US were weather balloons that got out of control. The search for the downed objects is underway. The one on the Yukon, a semi-desert region, it might be relatively easier to spot by the Canadian military ashore.
US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a phone call to talk about the downed “flying object”. “The object – reads a note from the White House – has been closely tracked and monitored by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) over the past twenty-four hours”.
“President Biden – he continues – and Prime Minister Trudeau authorized the shooting after having received reassurances on the safety of the operation”. The mission was entrusted to an American F-22 jet. “The two leaders – continues the White House – they talked about the importance of recovering the object in order to have more details and understand what was its origin”. The monitoring service of the skies of North America, concludes the note, will continue in “close coordination” between the United States and Canada.
The operation involved two United States Air Force F-22 fighter jets departing from Elmendorf-Richardson Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska, an Alaska Air National Guard aircraft, a Canadian Air Force CF-18 and a CP- 140 typically used for patrolling. The Pentagon said so.
The “object” was followed closely for hours, in order to identify its structure and every detail useful for understanding its nature, then, after the go-ahead given by US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, was hit with an Aim 9X air-to-air missile, short range, equipped with an infrared system, fired in Canadian territory. The missile is one of those supplied, among others, to NATO member countries. The operation was coordinated by the American and Canadian defense leaders.