After Chinese spy balloon, a car-sized object in US airspace: 10 points

The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet posing a serious threat to civil aviation. US pilots said the object which was the size of a small car was unmanned and did not appear to be manoeuvrable.

The US on Friday shot down an unknown object flying off Alaska on orders from President Joe Biden. The object was of the size of a small car, much smaller that the Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic that was shot by the Air Force fighter jets last Saturday.

An F-22 fighter aircraft shot down the car-sized object which was flying at about 40,000 feet.

Here are 10 things to know about the new aerial object

1. The car-sized object posed a reasonable threat to civilian flights and it was flying at about 40,000 feet.

2. The origin of the object is not yet known. White House spokesperson John Kirby the object was not manned. US pilots who flew up said it was much smaller than last week's balloon and did not appear to be manoeuvrable.

3. An F-22 fighter aircraft based at Alaska's Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson shot down the object using an AIM-9X short-range air-to-air missile.

4. The object flew over one of the most desolate places in the nation with a population of about 300 people.

5. The object was picked up by the American radar around 9pm on Thursday (Alaska time). It was travelling at 20 to 10 miles per hour.

6. Ahead of the shoot-down, the Federal Aviation Administration restricted flights over a roughly 10-square mile (26-square kilometre) area within U.S. airspace off Alaska's Bullen Point.

7. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a tweet Friday that he had been briefed and supported the decision.

8. The object fell onto frozen waters and officials expected they could recover debris faster than from last week's massive balloon.

9. The object broke into pieces when it was shot down.

10. The spy balloon increased tension between the US and China with Pentagon claiming that the balloon was part of China's large surveillance programme. China warned of repercussions and said it was an obvious overreaction on part of the US. China said the balloon was for weather purposes and drifted off.