The race is on to locate the wreckage of that Chinese balloon, after a US fighter opened fire over the Atlantic. DETAILS: 9News
The US military on Saturday shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America.
Military officials determined that bringing it down over land from an altitude of 60,000 feet would pose an undue risk to people on the ground. China's Ministry of Defense echoed the statement later in the day, saying it "reserves the right to take necessary measures to deal with similar situations."
The giant white orb was spotted Saturday morning over the Carolinas as it approached the Atlantic coast. On Saturday, Ashlyn Preaux, 33, went out to get her mail in Forestbrook, South Carolina, and noticed her neighbors looking up — and there it was, the balloon in the cloudless blue sky."I did not anticipate waking up to be in aThe debris landed in 14m of water, shallower than officials had expected, and it spread out over roughly 11km and the recovery operation included several ships.
The balloon was spotted Wednesday over Montana, home to Malmstrom Air Force Base, which has fields of nuclear missile silos. "Communist China was allowed to violate American sovereignty unimpeded for days. We must be better prepared for future provocations and incursions by the CCP." Officials said the balloons are part of a fleet that China uses for surveillance, and they can be maneuvered remotely through small motors and propellers.
At least three times during the Trump administration and at least one other time during Biden's time as president they've seen balloons cross, but not for this long, the official said. China has denied any claims of spying and said it is a civilian-use balloon intended for meteorology research.
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