Security officials in the US have reportedly shot down a Chinese balloon suspected of being used to spy on the country. The balloon was reportedly floating across the States at 60,000 feet and was around the size of three double decker buses.
The Associated Press reports that the balloon was downed by Air Force fighter aircraft, according to anonymous sources. President Joe Biden briefly alluded to the airborne inflatable in response to a question from a journalist, in which he said: "We're going to take care of it."
The balloon was first sighted by civilians in Billings, Montana, on Wednesday and was seen over the Carolinas on Sunday as it headed for the Atlantic coast, the Mirror reports
Chinese officials have insisted the balloon was a weather measuring device which drifted off-course, and was not a spying device. But the Pentagon said the balloon, which was carrying sensors and surveillance equipment, was manoeuvrable and showed it could change course.
US officials say the Biden administration was aware of it even before it crossed into American airspace in Alaska early this past week. It had loitered over sensitive areas of Montana, where nuclear warheads are siloed, leading the military to take actions to prevent it from collecting intelligence.
The device was exploded over the ocean shortly after officials determined that civilians would not be at risk. Authorities had warned people not to take potshots at the floating orb, which was believed to be carrying up to 1,000 pounds (453kg) of equipment.
Army Gen. John Ferrari, a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said the device may have been a test of US air defence warning systems. It could also have been used to sense electromagnetic emissions that higher-altitude spy satellites cannot detect, such as low-power radio frequencies that could help them understand how different U.S. weapons systems communicate.
He said the Chinese may have sent the balloon "to show us that they can do it, and maybe next time it could have a weapon. So now we have to spend money and time on [developing defenses.]."
In preparation for the operation, the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily closed airspace over the Carolina coastline, including airports in Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina. The FAA rerouted air traffic away from the area and warned of delays as a result of the flight restrictions.
An operation is now underway to retrieve debris from the balloon. Television footage showed a small explosion, followed by the balloon descending toward the water.
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