By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. military said on Saturday it still could not offer even basic details about an unidentified flying object it shot down off Alaska a day earlier, and announced it had spotted yet another high-altitude airborne object, now flying over Canada.
U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the shoot-down of the UFO over sea ice near Deadhorse, Alaska on Friday, a day after U.S. pilots first spotted — and tried to identify — the object as it flew into U.S. airspace.
The Pentagon on Friday offered only a few details, including that the object was the size of a small car, it was flying at about 40,000 feet and could not maneuver and appeared to be unmanned.
On Saturday, the U.S. military’s Northern Command suggested little more had been learned about it, even as search and recovery efforts entered their second day.
“We have no further details at this time about the object, including its capabilities, purpose, or origin,” Northern Command said.
It noted difficult arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow, and limited daylight that hinder search and recovery efforts.
“Personnel will adjust recovery operations to maintain safety,” Northern Command said.
Just minutes after the update on the recovery activities, the U.S. military’s North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said it identified a new high-altitude airborne object over northern Canada. Northern Command and NORAD are both led by U.S. Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck.
NORAD said military aircraft were currently operating from Alaska and Canada in support of its activities.
“While we cannot discuss specifics related to these activities at this time, please note that NORAD conducts sustained, dispersed operations in the defense of North America through one or all three NORAD regions,” it said in a statement.
NORAD itself includes both the United States and oversees aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning for North America.
The United States is at a heightened state of alert after a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon flew across the United States and Canada for a week before it was shot down on Feb. 4.
