Mystery over a Chinese spy balloon that was shot down after the crossing the United States has taken another twist. The massive white orb led to a diplomatic crisis in 2023 between the US and China as well causing a storm on social media with debate about what it was doing. It flew over sensitive airbases and nuclear missiles in underground silos during its path across the country with the United States saying it was a Chinese spy balloon without doubt.
And it led in February, 2023, to then Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a weekend trip to China that was aimed at dialing down tensions that were already high between the countries. The Pentagon said the balloon, which was carrying sensors and surveillance equipment, was manoeuvrable and showed it could change course. It loitered over sensitive areas of Montana where nuclear warheads are siloed, leading the military to take actions to prevent it from collecting intelligence.
A US Air Force fighter jet shot down the balloon off the Carolina coast. Television footage showed a small explosion, followed by the balloon slowly drifting toward the water. An operation is underway to recover the remnants. And now two years on, two military sources told Newsweek that the giant orb was packed with US technology which may have aided the Chinese to spy on the US. Officials found that the balloon had US-made satellite communication modules and sensors from at least five US companies. And a classified report has shown that technology helped the spy balloon to take photos and store sensitive information, states the outlet. At the time China insisted the balloon was just an errant civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research that went off course due to winds and had only limited “self-steering” capabilities. It also issued a threat of “further actions.”.
In a statement after the craft was shot down, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the use of force by the US was “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice. It added: ”China will resolutely uphold the relevant company’s legitimate rights and interests, and at the same time reserving the right to take further actions in response.”. The Pentagon said that the balloon, about the size of three school buses moved at an altitude of about 60,000 feet and first entered US air defence north of the Aleutian Islands on January 28.
It was shot down on February 4 about six nautical miles off the coast of South Carolina, a single F-22 fighter jet from Virginia’s Langley Air Force Base — flying at an altitude of 58,000 feet — fired an AIM-9X Sidewinder into it. The Sidewinder is a short-range missile used by the Navy and Air Force primarily for air-to-air engagements, the missile is about 10 feet long and weighs about 200 pounds.
