A US military fighter jet shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon over the coast of South Carolina, in a mission authorized by President Joseph Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
"The balloon, which (China) was using in an attempt to monitor strategic locations in the continental United States, was shot down over US territorial waters," Austin said in a statement.
A Chinese balloon, the size of two school buses, which was spotted in US airspace, passed over the central US and was traveling east.
The Pentagon announced earlier that the government is tracking the balloon that is at high altitudes over the continental US and said it "is at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and poses no military or physical threat to people on the ground."
The balloon, the Pentagon said, was spotted over Montana, where one of three US nuclear missile silos is located at Malmstrom Air Force Base, among other places, but the US estimates it has only "limited" value in terms of providing intelligence that China would have anyway. could acquire other technologies, such as spy satellites.
The discovery of the balloon has alarmed many in Washington and across the country, and in addition to the US protesting to Chinese officials, it has drawn sharp criticism of the administration from Republican members of Congress who favor a tougher stance on Beijing. Former Republican President Donald Trump, who announced his candidacy in the 2024 elections, previously posted "Pop the bubble" on his social network.
China, which normally angrily rejects all accusations of espionage, reacted calmly to the Pentagon's announcement. In a relatively conciliatory statement, China's foreign ministry said the balloon was intended for meteorological and other scientific purposes and regretted that the craft had strayed into US airspace.
These balloons usually operate at an altitude of 24 to 37 meters, above commercial flight lines.
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