The launches are continuing in the wake of several recent shoot downs of unidentified “objects” flying over North America, by U.S. fighter jets launching AIM-9X air-to-air missiles.

The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a potential threat to the safety of civilian air traffic, U.S. officials said.

A Pentagon official referenced the Crossbow system during a congressional hearing Thursday about the recent Chinese balloon incident.

Broadly, Defense Department officials are being tight-lipped at this point regarding key information about the platform.

“The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground,”…