Sullivan Statement on Shoot-down of Another Unidentified Aircraft

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today released the following statement after an unidentified aircraft was detected and tracked by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and shot down by an Alaska-based F-22 fighter jet over northern Canada. The incident follows the shoot-down of another high-altitude objectover Alaska yesterday, and a Chinese spy balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina a week ago.

“In the last few days, we’ve experienced unprecedented incidences of not only a confirmed Chinese spy balloon, but other unidentified aircraft that have breached the sovereign airspace of Alaska and the rest of the country. I once again commend our military, particularly the Active Duty and Guard forces in Alaska, who have literally been working around the clock for weeks tracking and eliminating this unprecedented challenge, including the Alaska-based F-22 that just shot down another unidentified aircraft over Canada.

“Their priority mission should continue to be protecting and defending American airspace and, importantly, redoubling efforts to recover, exploit and analyze the unidentified aircraft shot down over Alaska and Canada. This needs to be done as quickly as possible in order to fully understand the nature of the threat we are facing right now. It’s important that the Biden Administration provide to the American people as much information as possible on these sightings or any similar incidents.”

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