United States: what we know about the destruction of the Chinese balloon
The destruction of the Chinese balloon by an American fighter seen from the ground, February 4, 2023. AP - Chad Fish
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
Beijing speaks of "
overreaction
" after the shooting that downed an unmanned Chinese balloon located over the United States in recent days.
A spy balloon, according to Washington.
US President Joe Biden congratulated the pilots who shot down the Chinese craft and his Secretary of Defense gave details of the operation.
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For Lloyd Austin, the head of the Pentagon, the Chinese balloon was trying to observe “
strategic sites
” in the United States when it was spotted on Thursday February 2.
It was flying at very high altitude above the American state of Montana and in particular above a site of nuclear missile silos.
The US military was able to trace the path of the balloon, which flew over the country for the first time at the end of January, then was observed over Canada, then again in the sky of the United States.
Very guarded
The aerostat was therefore closely guarded.
It remained to determine the time and place to shoot him.
It happened off the state of South Carolina.
Over the sea therefore and in American waters.
The US Department of Defense explains that it wanted to eliminate any risk for the populations on the ground.
Civilian air traffic had previously been suspended at three airports in the southeastern United States.
Destroyed in flight
It's a Lockheed Martin stealth fighter jet.
F-22
Raptor
which was responsible for destroying the Chinese balloon in flight which was then at an altitude of 18 km.
Another delicate operation began immediately: the one aimed at recovering the debris of the downed aircraft at sea.
And this in order to determine what equipment he was carrying but also what type and quantity of information he was able to collect.
►Also read
: United States: the Chinese balloon shot down off the east coast, Beijing raises the tone
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UNITED STATES
China
Defense
Joe Biden
Xi Jinping
Aeronautics