WASHINGTON, February 11. /TASS/. The US military has no information about the origin and capabilities of the aircraft shot down over Alaska, the object was the size of a small car, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Air Force Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, said at a briefing.
"On February 9, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD - TASS) detected an object on ground radar and further investigated and identified the object using fighter aircraft. The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 ft (12 kilometers - TASS) and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight. US Northern Command is beginning recovery operations now," the Pentagon spokesman said.
"We have no further details about the object at this time, including any description of its capabilities, purpose ot origin," Ryder noted, "The object was about the size of a small car, so not similar in size or shape to the high-altitude surveillance balloon that was taken down off the coast of South Carolina on February 4." The Pentagon spokesman promised to say more once the US military had more information.
Ryder clarified that preliminary evidence suggested that the object was not capable of maneuvering on its own, unlike the downed Chinese balloon. Later in the briefing, Ryder noted that the aircraft was definitely not manned.