The rise in the number of high-altitude objects recently identified flying in U.S. airspace is due in part to the government enhancing its radar systems, a top Pentagon official said on Sunday.
“In light of the People’s Republic of China balloon that we took down last Saturday, we have been more closely scrutinizing our airspace at these altitudes, including enhancing our radar, which may at least partly explain the increase in objects that we detected over the past week,” Dalton said.
She added that the Pentagon is also aware that a number of high-altitude objects can be used by a range of companies, countries, and research organizations for “purposes that are not nefarious, including legitimate research.”
4 Objects Shot Down in Recent Days
The Pentagon said on Sunday that a U.S. F-16 fighter jet shot down another airborne object flying at approximately 20,000 feet over Lake Huron, bordered by Michigan, earlier in the day at the direction of President Joe Biden.According to officials, the object flew over sensitive Department of Defense sites. An assessment found that it was not a “kinetic military threat to anything on the ground” but was a flight safety hazard.
“Its path and altitude raised concerns, including that it could be a hazard to civil aviation,” the Pentagon statement said.
Sunday’s downing of the object marked the fourth such object in recent days to be shot down over North American airspace. On Feb. 10 and 11, unidentified flying objects were shot down by U.S. jets over Alaska and northern Canada.
Dalton reiterated the Pentagon’s comments during Sunday’s briefing with reporters, noting that the objects had flown in close proximity to sensitive sites across the country but were deemed to be more of a hazard to civilian aviation than anything else.
The pentagon official added that the government is now “laser-focused” on confirming what the objects were being used for.
More Objects Possibly Flying Over US
Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, commander of the U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, told reporters during Sunday’s briefing that he is not categorizing the three most recent objects as balloons until further studies are conducted.VanHerck said the latest object was initially spotted in Canadian airspace on Saturday before it crossed into the United States and was spotted over Montana, then Wisconsin and Michigan.
However, he stopped short of providing details regarding the exact shape of the latest object, noting that due to its speed and the speed at which U.S. forces shot it down, this was difficult to assess.
“What we’re seeing is very, very small objects that produce a very, very low radar cross-section,” he said, adding that the object is not yet being attributed to any particular country until it can be fully recovered and studied.
When asked if there are potentially more objects flying over the Uinted States, VanHerck said “it’s certainly possible” but that he couldn’t confirm that at the time.
The Pentagon added that officials are continuing to work to recover the latest downed object and coast guard officials are aiding in the recovery process. VanHerck said that object is currently in Lake Huron and most likely drifted into Canadian waters.
Dalton, meanwhile, said the United States may be able to look back at “prior instances that were potentially overlooked” following an analysis of the characteristics of the latest downed balloons.
