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“The first missile launched on the 12th missed the target,” said National Security Council (NSC) Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby at a briefing on the 14th (local time).
It was determined that the missile fell right into the lake.”
Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also described the missed missile as “doing no harm and falling into the lake.”
Previously, the US Department of Defense announced on the 12th that an Air Force F-16 fighter jet shot down an ‘octagonal structure’ with an AIM-9 air-to-air missile at an altitude of about 6,000 meters above Lake Huron, Michigan.
At the time, after the Chinese ‘reconnaissance balloon’ incident, public opinion was growing as flying objects were found all over the US mainland.
In fact, the authorities shot down these planes and publicized the fact extensively.
However, the fact that the aircraft over the Huron, which was the last target to be shot down, was ‘mishandled’ was left out during the announcement.
AIM-9, a representative short-range air-to-air missile, is nicknamed ‘Sidewinder’ (a type of rattlesnake) because the appearance of the launch is similar to that of a wriggling snake.
The price reaches at least 400,000 dollars (about 500 million won) for the first period.
It turns out that the ‘octagonal structure’ in question, in which the US military had to launch two missiles, was not a great danger in terms of security.
Strategic Communications Coordinator Kirby said, “This hypothesis is the most likely explanation,” saying, “It could be a completely harmless balloon related to commercial and research groups.”
AFP reported the news and wrote, “The moment when a fighter pilot fired a sidewinder worth almost $500,000 with a roar was more like ‘Ouch’ than (movie) ‘Top Gun’.”
/yunhap news
