2023 Alaska high-altitude object
U.S. military shot down unidentified object over Alaska in 2023.
Last updated
In February 2023, the U.S. Air Force destroyed a high-altitude object over Alaska after it entered American airspace. The object, roughly the size of a small car and traveling northeast at 40,000 feet, was shot down into the Beaufort Sea due to risks to civilian aircraft. President Joe Biden later said it was likely a civilian balloon from a private company, recreation group, or research institution.
Background
The Alaska object was detected less than a week after a Chinese balloon was shot down over the Atlantic. John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator, said the Alaska object was much smaller than that balloon, about the size of a small car. The Chinese balloon flew at 60,000 ft, while the Alaska object was at 40,000 ft, posing a greater threat to commercial aircraft. Another high-altitude object was shot down in Yukon on February 11.
Detection, description, and flight path
The object was detected by U.S. radar at 9 p.m. AKST on February 9. U.S. Northern Command sent an E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft to track it, supported by inflight refueling. Two flypasts were conducted. F-35 and F-22 fighter jets made visual inspections and found the object uncrewed.
Pilots gave differing accounts: some reported sensor interference, others did not; some could not identify any means of propulsion. One U.S. official said the object did not appear to have surveillance equipment. It traveled over Alaska before heading northward to sea at 20 to 40 mph.
Recovery operations
The object landed on the frozen sea off Deadhorse, near the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field, in U.S. territorial waters. A Department of Defense official said it broke into pieces. The U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and FBI participated in recovery.
Search aircraft included CH-47 Chinook, HC-130, and HH-60 Pave Hawk. Recovery teams collected debris on top of the ice, and divers and unmanned underwater vehicles retrieved additional debris. On February 18, 2023, the search was abandoned.
Reactions
The White House said the object was likely from a commercial or research source and harmless. Biden confirmed the shootdown succeeded. Trudeau backed the decision after being briefed. Alaska's governor called it a serious national security issue and a reminder of the state's strategic role, with the National Guard assisting.
Did You Know?
- The object was shot down by an AIM-9X Sidewinder fired by an F-22 Raptor from Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, marking the model's second air-to-air kill.
- President Joe Biden ordered the shootdown out of an 'abundance of caution'.
- Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder called the object 'a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight'.
More in UFO Sightings in the United States
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: 2023 Alaska high-altitude object (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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