Ottawa: The second such shootdown in as many days occurred over Canada on Saturday, as North America appeared on high alert following a week-long Chinese spying balloon saga that captured the world's attention. The cylindrical object was brought down by a US F-22 fighter jet.

The shootdown was first reported by Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who also promised that Canadian forces would recover and examine the debris.

Anita Anand, the minister of defense for Canada, refrained from making any assumptions about the origin of the cylindrical object. She refrained from using the word "balloon," but noted that it was smaller than the Chinese balloon that had been shot down off the coast of South Carolina a week earlier and otherwise similar.

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When it was shot down at 3:41 EST, she claimed it was flying at 40,000 feet and posed a threat to civilian air traffic (2041 GMT). Anand stated at a news conference that "there is no reason to believe that the impact of the object on Canadian territory is of any public concern."

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), according to the Pentagon, discovered the object late on Friday night over Alaska. As the object entered Canadian airspace, Canadian CF-18 and CP-140 aircraft joined the formation. US fighter jets from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, kept an eye on the object.

Following close coordination between US and Canadian authorities, a US F-22 used an AIM 9X missile to shoot down the object in Canadian territory, according to a statement from Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder.

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Following a phone call between Biden and Trudeau, US President Joe Biden gave the go-ahead for the US military to collaborate with Canada to shoot down the high-altitude craft, according to the Pentagon. According to the White House, Biden and Trudeau decided to keep working closely together to "defend our airspace."

The importance of recovering the object was discussed by the leaders in order to learn more about its use or history, according to a statement from the White House.

The previous day, Biden gave the order to shoot down another unidentified flying object close to Deadhorse, Alaska. On Saturday, the US military kept quiet about what, if anything, it had discovered as recovery efforts were being made on the Alaskan sea ice.

Only a few details were provided by the Pentagon on Friday, including the fact that the object was about the size of a small car, that it was flying at a height of 40,000 feet, that it was immobile, and that it appeared to be unmanned. Since the object was first spotted on Thursday, US authorities have been attempting to learn more about it.

The capabilities, purpose, and origin of the object are unknown at this time, according to Northern Command, which released a statement on Saturday.
It mentioned the challenging arctic weather conditions that can obstruct search and recovery operations, including wind chill, snow, and little daylight. Personnel will modify recovery efforts to maintain safety, according to Northern Command.

After a week-long journey across the United States and some of Canada, a US F-22 fighter jet shot down what the US government called a Chinese surveillance balloon on February 4 off the coast of South Carolina. According to the Chinese government, it was a civilian research vessel.

Biden received criticism from some US lawmakers for not bringing the Chinese balloon down sooner. Out of concern for injuries from falling debris, the US military had advised waiting until it was over the ocean. Since the shootdown of the 200-foot-tall (60-meter-high) Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon, US personnel have been scouring the ocean to recover debris and the undercarriage of electronic equipment.

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According to the Pentagon, a sizable portion of the balloon has already been found or recovered, which suggests that American authorities may soon have more knowledge about any Chinese espionage capabilities on board the ship.
According to Northern Command, sea conditions on February 10 "permitted dive and underwater unmanned vehicle (UUV) activities and the retrieval of additional debris from the sea floor."

"As US Navy vessels conduct offloading and resupply operations, the public may observe them moving to and from the site."