Canada Deploys Air Force to Search for Downed Object’s Debris in ‘Complex Alpine Terrain’

An F-22 Raptor takes off from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska (US Air Force)

Canada’s Royal Air Force has deployed multiple aircraft to search for debris from an object that was shot down over the Yukon Territory on Feb. 11, Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand has said.

A CC-130H Hercules, two CC-138 Twin Otters, a CH-148 Cyclone, and a CH-149 Cormorant aircraft were deployed by the Royal Canadian Air Force to help recover the debris, Anand said on Twitter on Monday.

“Additional support is being provided from units forward deployed to Whitehorse, and Dawson City, Yukon Territory,” she said. “The debris is located in a remote location northeast of Dawson City, in complex alpine terrain that is prone to challenging northern weather conditions.”

Dawson city is a small town about 40 miles east of Canada’s border with Alaska.

Anand told CNN earlier in the day that the object was “cylindrical” and “smaller” than the “object shot down over the United States East Coast” the day before, citing “visuals” she and other officials have seen.

“But it would be imprudent for me to speculate at this time until we gather the debris and until we do the analysis. The FBI is involved in that analysis as is the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) here in Canada,” the minister added.

The Defense Minister also told the publication that debris from the object is in a “very remote part of Canada” with rugged terrain.

Anand declined to say if the object was connected to China, citing the need for further analysis.

Search for Remaining Objects

The downed object over the Yukon, one of three territories in Canada’s north, marked the third such incident in which U.S. fighter jets shot an object out of the sky in recent weeks, after initially downing a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4.

On Feb. 10, another unidentified object was shot down over northeastern Alaska, then on Feb. 12, an “octagonal object” was shot down over Lake Huron.

Officials have not yet stated whether the four incidents are all related, citing the need to conduct further analysis. Meanwhile, efforts are underway for the three objects that have get to recovered.

U.S. Gen. Glen VanHerck, Commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, told reporters on Feb. 12 that the military was still “actively searching” for the object shot down over Alaska.

“I’ve got an Navy P-8, which is surveilling there and with helicopters as well. Once we locate that object, we'll put an arctic security package in there and begin the analysis to recovery. But we don’t have it right now.”

The third object over the Yukon was shot down by a U.S. F-22 Raptor using an AIM 9X missile on Feb. 11 following communication between U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“Following a call between the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of the United States, President Biden authorized U.S. fighter aircraft assigned to North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to work with Canada to take down a high-altitude airborne object over northern Canada today,” Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said.

The object was first detected by NORAD over Alaska late Feb. 10, according to Ryder, and two F-22 aircraft from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska monitored the object as it flew over U.S. airspace, assisted by the Alaska Air National Guard refueling aircraft.

The two teams tracked the object closely and took “time to characterize the nature of the object,” according to the statement. Monitoring continued through Feb. 11 as the unidentified object crossed into Canadian airspace, with Canadian CF-18 and CP-140 aircraft joining in the operation to further assess the object.

Sensors Recovered from Spy Balloon

On Monday, the U.S. Northern Command said that key electronics have been recovered from the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon, including sensors that are believed to have been used for intelligence gathering.

“Crews have been able to recover significant debris from the site, including all of the priority sensor and electronics pieces identified as well as large sections of the structure,” the U.S. Northern Command said in a statement.

No further details were provided.