“An F-16 fired an AIM9x to successfully shoot down an airborne object flying at approximately 20,000 feet altitude in U.S. airspace over Lake Huron in the state of Michigan.” This has been reported by the Pentagon in a statement collected by CNBC the downing of the object on Sunday. “Its trajectory and altitude raised concerns, including that it could be a danger to civil aviation.”
Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., confirmed in a tweet Sunday that he had been in contact with the Defense Department regarding the operation in the Great Lakes region. He said the U.S. “removed another object” on Lake Huron.
This is therefore the fourth target shot down in the airspace over the US and Canada in the last week.
Tensions between the United States and China began on February 4, when the US shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon that had been transiting the country for several days.
The White House announced that a second object had been shot down Friday that was flying over Alaska at about 40,000 feet. The next day, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he worked with President Joe Biden to order a U.S. fighter jet to shoot down an “unidentified object” flying over the Yukon.
The U.S. had no prior information about these objects, but believes they belong to China, like the first spy balloon.
China responds again
China has accused the United States that it has sighted high-altitude balloons through Chinese airspace without permission more than 10 times since last year. “It is also common for U.S. balloons to illegally enter other countries’ airspace,” Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, said Monday in a statement to the South China Morning Post.
“The first thing the United States should do is reflect on itself and change its own path, instead of slandering, discrediting or inciting confrontation,” Wang said.
“The downing of the balloon by the United States is completely an abuse of force and an overreaction. We firmly oppose this,” Wang said at the press conference.
The United States had “abused” its technological advantages to carry out large-scale and “indiscriminate” wiretapping and robbery operations against the world, Wang said, adding that it violated the sovereignty and interests of other countries, international law and basic norms of international law. Relations. “The United States is the world’s largest criminal and usual surveillance spy empire,” Wang said.