US shoots down Chinese spy balloon over Atlantic ocean

On Saturday (February 4, US native time) afternoon, an US Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter jet shot down the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon, which had change into the bone of rivalry between the 2 nations.

As per experiences, the fighter jet fired an AIM-9X missile on the balloon, which was flying at 65000 toes over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of South Carolina. The Pentagon knowledgeable that the US Navy ships are actually recovering the surveillance tools from the particles, which is reportedly unfold over 7 miles.

A video of the incident has now surfaced on social media. While talking in regards to the matter, US President Joe Biden mentioned, “They decided that the best time to do that was when it got over water. They successfully took it down.”

GREAT VIDEO of Chinese Spy Ballon being shot down close to Myrtle Beach.
✈️🇺🇸
📸: B.Hall pic.twitter.com/eELaetdpH2

— Trooper Bob (@TrooperBob_SC) February 4, 2023

In a press release, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin mentioned, “After careful analysis, U.S. military commanders had determined downing the balloon while over land posed an undue risk to people across a wide area due to the size and altitude of the balloon and its surveillance payload.”

He additional emphasised, “The balloon, which was being used by the PRC in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States, was brought down above U.S. territorial waters.”

The resolution to take down the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon didn’t go down nicely with Chinese officers, who expressed robust dissatisfaction for supposedly utilizing pressure in opposition to a ‘civilian unmanned airship.’

If what we’re being instructed is appropriate and the Air Force simply shot down a Chinese army plane, that’s an occasion of bodily warfare breaking out on US territory. People appear thrilled by this: completely salivating for warfare in opposition to China, with Russia thrown in for good measure

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) February 5, 2023

It should be talked about that the army motion disrupted air journey on the US East Coast. Reportedly, the Federal Aviation Administration shut down airspace in North and South Carolina for a number of hours, leading to flight delays at 3 business airports.

The Background of the army intervention

The Pentagon introduced on Thursday (February 2) that it was monitoring a Chinese spy balloon that was floating excessive over the United States. The incident accelerated tensions between the 2 sides.

According to defence authorities, the balloon has been monitored for a couple of days after it entered US territory and commenced flying at an ideal peak.

It has been traced just lately when it handed over Montana, which is residence to a number of the US’s silo-based nuclear missiles and has been noticed utilizing quite a lot of methods, together with manned planes. Flights from Billings Logan airport had been halted on Wednesday out of warning.

Another spy balloon was noticed flying within the skies of Latin America on Friday (February 3). In a press release, Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson mentioned, “We are seeing reports of a balloon transiting Latin America. We now assess it as another Chinese surveillance balloon.”

Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense Antony Blinken postponed his go to to Beijing in response to a separate high-altitude Chinese balloon intruding into US airspace.