WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th February, 2023) The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has closed the airspace around Havre, in the US state of Montana near the border with Canada, for defense-related reasons, the FAA said in a statement.
The FAA said in its Saturday notice that all aircraft that are already airborne "must exit the area using the most expeditious route consistent with safety."
According to the FAA, the airspace was closed to support US Department of Defense activities, but no further details were provided.
On Saturday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said in a statement to Sputnik that it was tracking "a high-altitude airborne object" over northern Canada. Later in the day, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the unidentified object was shot down by a US F-22 aircraft over the Yukon after he ordered the take down. Trudeau said that he discussed the incident with US President Joe Biden.
The White House said that the downed object had been tracked over 24 hours and was unmanned.
Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a Saturday statement that NORAD first detected the object over Alaska late on Friday evening and it was first monitored by two F-22 aircraft over US airspace and was then tracked in Canadian airspace. A US F-22 aircraft shot down the object in Canadian territory using an AIM 9X missile following close coordination between US and Canadian authorities, including a Saturday call between US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Canadian Minister of Defence Anita Anand, Ryder said.
