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US fighter jet shoots down airborne object over Lake Huron

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In the most recent incident since a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon put North American security forces on high alert, US military fighter planes on Sunday shot down an octagonal object above Lake Huron, according to the Pentagon.

President Joe Biden instructed an F-16 to launch an AIM-9X missile just before 2:42 p.m. to shoot down an aerial target that was circling Lake Huron at a height of around 20,000 feet, according to the Defense Department (DOD). The path and altitude “raised concerns, particularly that it could constitute a hazard to civil aviation,” according to the DOD.

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It was the fourth aerial target that an American missile had shot down over North America in a little more than a week. The military has not been able to determine what the three most recent objects are, how they stay in the air, or where they are coming from, according to U.S. Air Force General Glen VanHerck, who is in charge of defending American airspace.

According to a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the item seemed to be octagonal in shape and had strings hanging off of it but no discernible payload. The position picked for this shootdown provided the potential to minimize impact with civilians on the ground while enhancing the probability of debris recovery, according to a Pentagon official.

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There are no signs that any civilians were injured or in any other way impacted, he said. After seeing the object on Sunday morning, North American Aerospace Defense Command kept a visual and radar track on it. “We can reasonably tie this object to the radar signal received up over Montana given its flight route and data, which travelled close to key DOD sites.”

Pilots from the US Air Force and the National Guard participated out the operation to bring the item down over Lake Huron, according to Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan on Sunday. Great effort was done by everyone involved in completing this mission, both in the air and at headquarters. We’re all curious as to what this device was and what it was used for, she wrote in a tweet.

After the incident, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer claimed to have spoken with the federal government and twitted,

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Aeroflot Buys Used Planes for Spare Parts Amid Sanctions

Aeroflot Buys Used Planes for Spare Parts Amid Sanctions

In the face of ongoing Western sanctions that have severely impacted Russia’s aviation industry, Aeroflot, the country’s largest airline, has devised a strategic plan to bolster its fleet’s spare parts inventory.

The airline is set to acquire five Boeing 737-800BCF freighters from Atran Airlines, a move that will allow it to dismantle the aircraft for critical components. The planes, which will be transferred to Aeroflot’s low-cost subsidiary Pobeda, will not be converted into passenger jets but instead will be stripped for valuable parts to support existing operations.

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Aeroflot’s plan to purchase these Boeing 737-800BCF freighters comes as part of a broader strategy to mitigate the effects of Western sanctions, which have crippled the Russian aviation sector. With the sanctions restricting access to essential aircraft parts and spare components, Aeroflot is exploring alternative ways to maintain and repair its fleet.

Instead of converting the freighters from cargo to passenger planes, a process deemed “unreasonably expensive” under current sanctions, the airline intends to focus on extracting high-value components such as engines, landing gear, avionics, and other essential systems.

The deal will be structured in a way that allows Aeroflot to indirectly purchase the freighters through an insurance settlement with the aircraft’s lessor, AerCap.

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The Russian government’s insurance company will reimburse the aircraft’s value, and the planes will then be leased back to local operators. This method circumvents some of the restrictions imposed by international sanctions while ensuring that the airline gains access to the necessary components to support its fleet.

By dismantling the aircraft for spare parts, Aeroflot aims to secure critical resources for the ongoing maintenance of its existing fleet. Components from the Boeing 737-800BCF freighters, such as engines and avionics, are expected to be reused in other aircraft within Aeroflot’s network, ensuring that the airline can keep its operations running smoothly

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