- The balloon flew over the Montana region for three days
- The balloon is suspected to pass through a sensitive area and convey information to China
- The US Air Force shot down the Chinese balloon with aircraft
Earlier this year, a Chinese spy balloon was spotted flying over America. But it failed to gather any intelligence. The US Defense Department Pentagon said it did not collect any information before the balloon was released. “Our assessment is that it was unable to gather any information while flying over the United States. This Chinese spy balloon was flying over the United States and Canada before it was shot down,” Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters.
What was the whole matter?
In the last week of January this year, a Chinese balloon was seen hovering in American airspace. The US military kept a close eye on him. The balloon flew for three days in the Montana region of America. The US has a nuclear missile site in Montana and the US feared that the balloon would pass through the sensitive area and pass information to China.
Biden ordered the balloon released
US President Joe Biden ordered the release of the balloon due to security reasons. He said he had to be careful not to hurt anyone with a balloon the size of three buses, so he waited for the balloon to land over the Atlantic Ocean. After the balloon reached the sea area, the US Air Force shot down the Chinese balloon with the help of high-tech F-22 Raptor aircraft. China was soft-spoken before releasing the balloon, but when the US shot it down and refused to hand over the debris, China became enraged.
What did China say on the spy balloon?
In this case, China said its weather balloon mistakenly entered American airspace. The tension between America and China had reached its peak regarding this. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was scheduled to visit China at the time to normalize relations, but canceled his visit after the incident. After the launch of the balloon, the US Department of Defense tried to have a phone conversation between the defense ministers of the two countries, but China turned down the offer.
