U.S. fighter jets shot down an object flying at 40,000 feet over Alaska after officials determined it “posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight,” according to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
The White House said Friday the unidentified object, which didn’t have the ability to maneuver, “posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight.”
The nature of the craft was unknown, though Kirby said it was far smaller than the alleged spy balloon that traversed the U.S. last week before being shot down off the coast of South Carolina. The Pentagon hopes to recover the object because it fell onto ice.
