Canada’s Royal Air Force has deployed multiple aircraft to search for debris from an object shot down over the Yukon Territory on February 11, Canada’s Defense Minister Anita Anand said.
CC-130H Hercules, two CC-138 Twin Otters, one CH-148 Cyclone and one CH-149 Cormorant have been deployed by the Royal Canadian Air Force to help collect debris, Anand said on Twitter on Monday. .
“Additional support is coming from forces forward-deployed in Whitehorse and the Yukon city of Dawson,” she said. Said“The debris is located in a remote area northeast of Dawson City, in a complex alpine area with severe weather conditions to the north.”
Dawson is a small town about 40 miles east of the Canadian-Alaskan border.
Anand Said Earlier in the day, CNN cited “footage” she and other officials had seen, saying the object was “cylindrical” and “smaller than the one shot down on the East Coast of the United States” the day before. He said.
“But it would be unwise to speculate at this point until we collect the rubble and do an analysis. The FBI is involved in that analysis, as is the RCMP[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]here in Canada,” the minister said. Added.
The defense minister also told the publication that debris from the object was located in a “very remote part of Canada” with rugged terrain.
Anand declined to say whether the object was linked to China, citing the need for further analysis.
Find remaining objects
The object crash over the Yukon Territory, one of three northern Canadian territories, is the first US fighter jet in recent weeks to shoot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina. It was the third incident in which an object was shot down from the sky. February 4th.
Another unidentified object was shot down in northeastern Alaska on February 10th, and an “octagonal object” was shot down in Lake Huron on February 12th.
Authorities have yet to confirm whether all four incidents are related as further analysis is required. Meanwhile, work is underway on the three recovered objects.
The commander of NORAD and the U.S. Northern Command, Gen. Glenn Vanhak, told reporters on February 12 that the military is still “actively searching” for objects shot down over Alaska. rice field.
“I have a Navy P-8, and I monitor it with a helicopter. Do not have.”
A third object over the Yukon was shot down by a US F-22 Raptor using an AIM 9X missile on February 11, following communications between US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. it was done.
“Following a phone call between the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of the United States, President Biden ordered U.S. fighter jets assigned to the North American Aerospace Defense Force (NORAD) to work with Canada to detect high-altitude airborne objects in northern Canada. “Today,” Pentagon Press Secretary Brig.General Pat Ryder Said.
According to Lidar, the object was first detected by NORAD over Alaska late on February 10 when two F-22 aircraft flew from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska with assistance from the Alaska Air National Guard to refuel. monitored the object and flew over the United States. aircraft.
The two teams tracked the object closely and “took time to characterize the nature of the object,” according to a statement. His surveillance continued until February 11, when an unidentified object entered Canadian airspace and Canadian Her CF-18 and Her CP-140 aircraft joined the operation to further assess the object.
A sensor recovered from a spy balloon
On Monday, the U.S. Northern Command said key electronic equipment was recovered from a Chinese surveillance balloon, including sensors believed to have been used to gather intelligence.
“The crew was able to recover significant debris from the site, including all identified priority sensors and electronic components, as well as most of the structure,” U.S. Northern Command said in a statement.
No further details were provided.