United States shoots down Chinese spy balloon over Atlantic Ocean
The United States on Saturday shot down a Chinese spy balloon that had made its way across much of the continental U.S.
"At the direction of President Biden, U.S. fighter aircraft...successfully brought down the high-altitude surveillance balloon launched by and belonging to the People's Republic of China (PRC) over the water off the coast of South Carolina," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
The Pentagon first detected the Chinese balloon flying over Montana last week. The balloon was seen at an altitude of 60,000 feet – significantly higher than most commercial airliners fly.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
After being spotted in Montana, the balloon made its way east and was seen Friday evening hovering over Kansas and Missouri before continuing across the Carolinas and heading out over the ocean. What exactly the balloon was doing is still unknown, but The Associated Press noted it had "loitered over sensitive areas of Montana where nuclear warheads are siloed, leading the military to take actions to prevent it from collecting intelligence."
China continually insisted that the balloon was not a spy gadget, and was simply a meteorological device that had gone off course. However, the backlash from the U.S. was swift, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a planned trip to China as a result.
News of the balloon's demise came after another balloon was seen flying throughout territories in Latin and South America. Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder later confirmed to Politico that the Defense Department was "seeing reports of a balloon transiting Latin America. We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon."
Politico noted that it was "possible, though unconfirmed, that other balloons were launched elsewhere around the world but not spotted."
Updated Feb. 4, 2023: This story has been updated to reflect new developments.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other Hollywood news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
Today's political cartoons - November 3, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - presidential pitching, wavering convictions, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Why Man United finally lost patience with ten Hag
Talking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League
By The Week UK Published
-
Who are the markets backing in the US election?
Talking Point Speculators are piling in on the Trump trade. A Harris victory would come as a surprise
By The Week UK Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 21, 2024
Daily Briefing Palestinian death toll reportedly passes 25,000, top Biden adviser to travel to Egypt and Qatar for hostage talks, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 20, 2024
Daily Briefing Grand jury reportedly convened to investigate Uvalde shooting response, families protest outside Netanyahu's house as pressure mounts for hostage deal, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 15, 2024
Daily Briefing Freezing Iowa caucuses to mark first voting of 2024 election, subzero temperatures place stranglehold on much of US, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 14, 2024
Daily Briefing Israel and Hamas mark 100th day of war, GOP candidates campaign on final day before Iowa caucuses, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 13, 2024
Daily Briefing Winter storm blankets large swath of northern United States, more than 30 Palestinians killed during overnight airstrike in Gaza, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 7, 2024
Daily Briefing White House reportedly left unaware of defense secretary’s hospitalization, Biden to deliver State of the Union address on March 7, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 6, 2024
Daily Briefing Supreme Court to rule on Trump being kept off 2024 presidential ballots, Hezbollah fires rockets toward Israel following Hamas leader’s death, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: December 17, 2023
Daily Briefing Putin rejects Biden's claim that Russia will attack NATO, Israel ramps up bombardments of Gaza overnight, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published