Washington D.C. – The Pentagon press secretary, Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, held a press conference today regarding the shooting down of an object that was traveling at 40,000 feet in US airspace over Alaska.
According to Gen. Ryder, the object was detected by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) on February 9th and was determined to pose a reasonable threat to civilian air traffic. The president gave authorization to shoot down the object, and it was successfully intercepted and shot down by a F-22 using an AIM-9X missile over an ice-covered area in Alaska.
The AIM-9X is a highly maneuverable, air-to-air missile developed for the US military. It has a distinctive, forward-mounted fins and a seeker head capable of all-aspect attack, allowing it to engage targets from any direction.
Gen. Ryder would not comment on the shape of the object, but stated that it was not similar to the Chinese spy balloon that was shot down earlier this week. The origin of the object has not been identified, but it was estimated to be roughly the size of a small car.
The object was shot down at 1:45 PM EST today, and recovery efforts are currently underway. Although the object was not manned, it was determined to pose a reasonable threat to civilian air traffic in the area of Alaska.
The incident has raised questions about the presence of unidentified flying objects and their potential threat to air traffic, especially in US airspace. The Pentagon has assured the public that they are closely monitoring the situation and taking necessary measures to ensure the safety of air travel, both in Alaska and nationwide.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.