Chinese 'spy' balloon spotted over nuclear launch site, US says too risky to shoot down
A suspected Chinese surveillance balloon was spotted in US airspace but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down as it could cause harm to people on the ground
Image Credit - Google
A senior defence official told reporters the Pentagon is very confident that the Chinese balloon was flying over "sensitive sites" to collect information.
Image Credit - Google
The balloon was spotted in Montana, home to one of the nation’s three nuclear missile launch facilities at Malmstrom Air Force Base
Image Credit - Google
US Northern Command in a joint statement said they are tracking the balloon that is “currently travelling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic
Image Credit - Google
The Pentagon, in a press briefing, said similar balloons have been spotted in the past as well and the US has taken steps to ensure it did not collect sensitive information
Image Credit - Google
The 'spy' balloon saga comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was supposed to make his first trip to Beijing
Image Credit - Google
The US did get fighter jets, including F-22s, ready to shoot down the balloon, but the Pentagon recommended against it as its size would create a debris field large enough that it could have put people at risk in Montana