The balloon, which flew for several days in the North American airspace, was shot down six miles off the coast of South Carolina by a missile mounted on an advanced F-22 fighter jet on Saturday afternoon, according to Pentagon officials. The remains of the balloon fell 47 feet deep in the sea.
China’s anger
China has warned that America’s action is not acceptable… it is a violation of its sovereignty. It is alleged that the balloon went over because of the winds, and the US did not listen even though they said that the matter should be dealt with carefully. US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin defended that theirs was a legal action.
While America suspects that what they shot down was a balloon used for espionage, China claims that it was used for civilian purposes. Dragon has accused the United States of overreacting in the matter of that balloon and violating international norms.
The US shot down the balloon before it crossed its territorial waters on Saturday afternoon. The US military is scouring the area to locate the fragments of the balloon that fell into the sea. The United States hopes that if the wreckage is available, it will be possible to learn more about the balloon.
China accepted as theirs..
US officials announced on Thursday that they had detected a large Chinese surveillance balloon in their airspace. In this context, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken canceled his visit to China on Friday. At first China did not admit that this balloon was theirs, but later they admitted that the airship was theirs. It is related to the study of climate change. The dragon was furious that America had shot down the balloon.
Into America last month..
The balloon entered the airspace of Alaska, USA on January 28. It then entered Canadian airspace and returned to the US a few days later. This is not the first time that such aircrafts have flown over American airspace, but this is the first time that they have been staying for a long time. Three balloons were spotted during Donald Trump’s presidency and one after Biden took office. US President Joe Biden ordered to destroy the Chinese balloon when he found out about it. But with the intention of not harming anyone, they waited until it went towards the sea.
Surveillance of sensitive areas..?
This balloon flew over Montana in America. Meanwhile, in Montana, along with sensitive airbases, nuclear missiles are stored underground. A US defense official expressed doubt that the balloon was spying on military sites.
In Latin America
Meanwhile, another spy balloon, believed to be Chinese, was spotted flying over Latin America, the Pentagon said on Friday. The Pentagon did not disclose the details. In the past, Chinese balloons have been seen in five continents including East Asia, South Asia and Europe, said a senior official of the Defense Department.
