Several US media reported on Sunday evening about another flying object that was shot down in the United States.
The news ticker.
Suspicion of
balloon
espionage :
USA
blacklists six Chinese companies
Global Times
report
: China also reports UFO
sighting
Mysterious flying object sighted
: USA again report shooting down near the border with Canada
This
news ticker
about the
shooting down of another flying object over the USA
is constantly updated.
Update from February 13, 3:28 p.m
.: The three flying objects shot down since Friday (February 10) (over Alaska, the Yukon Territory and Lake Huron) were discovered by US Deputy Secretary of Defense Melissa Dalton, because after the Balloon Launch Modified radar settings to look for smaller and slower objects.
Since the balloon was launched on February 4th, US airspace at the altitude in question had been checked more closely.
That could "at least partially explain the increase in objects that we have discovered in the past week".
US rejects accusations from Beijing: "Do not let balloons fly over China"
Update from February 13, 3:01 p.m
.: The US government rejects allegations from China that American balloons have repeatedly flown over China at high altitude.
"That's absolutely not true," National Security Council communications director John Kirby told MSNBC.
"We don't fly balloons over China."
Update from February 13, 2:07 p.m .
: The balloon shot down a few days ago was used for espionage purposes – the USA is certain about this.
But Deputy Secretary of Defense Melissa Dalton has been cautious about the three other flying objects that have been discovered since then.
On Sunday (February 12), she only said that it was known that public and private research institutions also launch their own research vehicles into the atmosphere at these heights.
After flying object incidents: Republicans hand out against Biden
Update from February 13, 1:21 p.m
.: The Republicans sharply criticize US President Joe Biden after the flying object incidents.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner has accused Biden of border security failures.
Senior US officials appeared "trigger-happy," he said on CNN's State of the Union Sunday (February 12).
At least that's better than the "compliance they showed when the Chinese spy balloon flew over sensitive locations in our country," Turner said.
He had already accused Biden that the alleged spy balloon had only been shot down when it had “long since fulfilled its mission”.
The object should never have entered US airspace.
connection with aliens?
US Northern Command commander 'doesn't rule anything out'
Update from February 13, 12:38 p.m
.: Since Friday (February 10), three unknown flying objects have been sighted over North America: over the US state of Alaska, over the Canadian Yukon Territory and – most recently – over Lake Huron.
US Northern Command commander Glen VanHerck said all three were "very small" and moving very slowly, about the speed of the wind.
When asked by the Reuters news agency whether he ruled out an extraterrestrial connection, he replied: "I'm not ruling out anything."
After balloon incident: USA blacklists six Chinese companies
Update from February 13, 12:06 p.m
.: The US Department of Commerce has blacklisted six Chinese aviation and technology companies in response to the suspected spy balloon in US airspace.
The Chinese newspaper
Global Times
, citing Chinese experts, writes of an "escalation of the balloon incident" fueled by "malicious political manipulation by certain forces in Washington".
The US Department of Commerce, however, wants to reserve the right to take such steps in the future.
Secretary-General Don Graves tweeted on Friday (February 10) that they would "not hesitate" to protect national security and sovereignty:
The Commerce Department will not hesitate to continue to use the Entity List and our other
regulatory and enforcement tools to protect US national security and sovereignty.
More from @BISgov: https://t.co/9hl5quQMxP https://t.co/7AL0AtqwKa
— Deputy Secretary Don Graves (@DepSecGraves) February 10, 2023
USA and China communicate for the first time via suspected spy balloon
Update from February 13, 11:50 a.m
.: The United States communicated with China about the case for the first time almost ten days ago after the launch of a suspected spy balloon.
There were "contacts with the People's Republic of China because of the high-altitude balloon," Deputy Secretary of Defense Melissa Dalton told journalists on Sunday (February 12).
She did not provide any information on who was involved in the contact or what it contained.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had initially unsuccessfully requested a meeting with his Chinese counterpart.
On Thursday (February 9), Beijing confirmed that it had declined a phone call with him after the balloon launch because "the irresponsible and seriously erroneous approach taken by the US" for dialogue was "not a suitable atmosphere".
After shooting down unknown flying objects - London checks airspace security
Update from February 13, 11:39 a.m .
: After shooting down several unknown flying objects over the USA and Canada, Great Britain wants to check the security of its airspace.
"The UK and its allies will assess what these airspace intrusions mean for our security," Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on Sunday evening (February 12).
"This development is another sign of how the global threat picture is changing for the worse."
China calls US 'the world's leading spy empire'
Update from February 13, 11:06 a.m
.: China raises further allegations after the United States shot down several flying objects.
"It's pretty clear which country is the leading spy empire in the world," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a news conference.
He also referred to wiretapping and the vast network of United States agents.
The US intercepted foreign government leaders' conversations and messages from Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and other European countries.
Global Times report: Chinese Navy also reports UFO sighting
Update from February 13, 10:28 a.m.:
China also reports the sighting of an unidentified flying object (unidentified flying object, abbreviation: UFO).
This is reported by the Chinese state newspaper
Global Times
, citing information from the Navy in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong on Sunday evening (February 12).
According to authorities, the UFO was seen off the coast near the city of Rizhao.
Preparations are being made for the launch, the report said.
China raises allegations against USA: Balloons "illegal" in Chinese airspace
Update from February 13, 10:13 a.m
.: Is it possibly a counterattack due to the latest reports of another unknown flying object?
Since January 2022 alone, US balloons have illegally entered Chinese airspace "more than 10 times," according to China's Foreign Ministry.
China responded "responsibly and professionally," said a spokesman in Beijing.
He urged the US to "change course and examine itself instead of slandering and blaming China."
The day-long overflight of a Chinese balloon over the United States had led to a scandal between Washington and Beijing.
Washington said the balloon that was shot down was one of a fleet of spy balloons that flew across five continents.
China denied the allegation.
Shooting down of an unidentified flying object (UFO): Official statement from China
Update from February 13, 9:39 a.m .:
China does not want to know anything about the further launch of a missile by the USA.
According to the Chinese
Global Times
, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said in Beijing.
The fact that the United States "frequently" took unidentified flying objects out of the sky was an "overreaction".
Update from February 13, 8:55 a.m .:
After US fighter jets shot down a fourth object over Lake Huron in the north of the country on the border with Canada, the Pentagon informed the current situation with both a message and a press conference via Zoom.
US officials told
CNN
that the object was an octagonal structure with loosely attached ropes and no visible cargo.
The Pentagon said in a statement it is now recovering parts of the object shot down at 20,000 feet to gather more information.
The statement also said that the object did not pose a "kinetic threat" to targets on the ground.
However, it was a danger to civil aviation.
In addition, it was also a threat due to possible espionage capabilities, which is why the object was shot down by an F-22 fighter jet with an AIM-9X missile.
At the subsequent press conference via Zoom, Assistant Secretary of Defense Melissa Dalton and US Northern Command Commander Glen VanHerck addressed the press.
United States shoot down flying object over Lake Huror
First report from February 12:
Washington – The sightings of mysterious flying objects over the USA seem to be slowly rolling over.
As several US media reported on Sunday, the US military shot down another missile.
The process apparently took place over Lake Huron, which lies in the border area between the USA and Canada.
The broadcasters CNN and ABC initially reported the shooting down of the flying object, citing security circles.
There was initially no official information about what happened.
However, shooting down a flying object over Lake Huror would be the fourth sighting in a very short space of time.
+
With fighter jets like the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, the USA takes unknown missiles out of the sky.
© IMAGO/Andrzej Wanda / Eastnews
For an overview: A week ago, the USA took a Chinese balloon out of the sky off the coast of the state of South Carolina.
The incident caused a stir.
While the US says the balloon may have been used for espionage purposes, China's government denies the allegations, claiming the balloon just went off course.
A short time later, US fighter jets shot down two unidentified flying objects on Friday and Saturday: one off the coast of the US state of Alaska, the other over northern Canada.
With the latter two, however, much is still unclear - including the questions of who the flying objects come from, what exactly they were and what purpose they were supposed to serve.
(nz with dpa)
List of rubrics: © IMAGO/Andrzej Wanda / Eastnews
