Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

U.S. fighter jet shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon with missile

Published 02/04/2023, 11:44 AM
Updated 02/06/2023, 12:12 AM
© Reuters. U.S. President Joe Biden answers a question from a reporter before getting into his vehicle after disembarking from Air Force One at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York, U.S., February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

© Reuters. U.S. President Joe Biden answers a question from a reporter before getting into his vehicle after disembarking from Air Force One at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York, U.S., February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

By Randall Hill, Phil Stewart and Jeff Mason

SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C. (Reuters) -A U.S. military fighter jet shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday, a week after it first entered U.S. airspace and triggered a dramatic -- and public -- spying saga that worsened Sino-U.S. relations.

President Joe Biden said he had issued an order on Wednesday to take down the balloon, but the Pentagon had recommended waiting until it could be done over open water to safeguard civilians from debris crashing to Earth from thousands of feet (meters) above commercial air traffic.

"They successfully took it down, and I want to compliment our aviators who did it," Biden said.

Multiple fighter and refueling aircraft were involved in the mission, but only one -- an F-22 fighter jet from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia -- took the shot at 2:39 p.m. (1939 GMT), using a single AIM-9X supersonic, heat-seeking, air-to-air missile, a senior U.S. military official said.

China strongly condemned the military strike on an airship that it says was used for meteorological and other scientific purposes, and which it said had strayed into U.S. airspace "completely accidentally" -- claims flatly dismissed by U.S. officials.

"China had clearly asked the U.S. to handle this properly in a calm, professional and restrained manner," China's foreign ministry said in a statement. "The U.S. had insisted on using force, obviously overreacting."

The balloon was shot down about six nautical miles off the U.S. coast of the Atlantic Ocean, over relatively shallow water, potentially aiding efforts to recover elements of the Chinese surveillance equipment over the coming days, U.S. officials said.

One U.S. military official said the debris field was spread out over seven miles (11 km) of ocean, and multiple U.S. military vessels were on site.

The downing of the balloon came shortly after the U.S. government ordered a halt to flights in and out of three airports in South Carolina -- Wilmington, Myrtle Beach and Charleston -- due to what it said at the time was an undisclosed "national security effort." Flights resumed on Saturday afternoon.

While Saturday's shootdown concludes the military dimension to the spying saga, Biden is likely to continue to face intense political scrutiny from Republican opponents in Congress who argue he failed to act quickly enough.

A senior administration official said after shooting down the balloon, the U.S. government spoke directly with China about the action. The State Department also briefed allies and partners around the world, the official said.

Questions remain about how much information China may have gathered during the balloon's trek across the United States.

The balloon entered U.S. airspace in Alaska on Jan. 28 before moving into Canadian airspace on Jan 30. It then re-entered U.S. airspace over northern Idaho on Jan. 31, a U.S. defense official said. Once it crossed over U.S. land, it did not return to open waters, making a shootdown difficult.

U.S. officials did not publicly disclose the balloon's presence over the United States until Thursday.

"It's clear the Biden administration had hoped to hide this national security failure from Congress and the American people," said U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (NYSE:ROG), a Republican who leads the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.

Biden's emphasis on Saturday that -- days ago -- he ordered the balloon shot down as soon as possible could be an effort to respond to such critics.

Former President Donald Trump, Biden's potential rival in the 2024 election, called earlier this week for the balloon to be shot down, and has sought to portray himself as stronger than Biden on China. The U.S. relationship with China is likely to be a major theme of the 2024 presidential race.

Washington had called the balloon's appearance a "clear violation" of U.S. sovereignty and notified Beijing about the shootdown on Saturday, a U.S. official said.

Still, officials on Saturday appeared to play down the balloon's impact on U.S. national security.

"Our assessment -- and we're going to learn more as we pick up the debris -- was that it was not likely to provide significant additive value over and above other (Chinese) intel capability, such as satellites in low-Earth orbit," the senior U.S. defense official said. A Reuters photographer who witnessed the shootdown said a stream came from a jet and hit the balloon, but there was no explosion. It then began to fall.

The Pentagon assesses that the balloon was part of a fleet of Chinese spy balloons. On Friday, it said another Chinese balloon was flying over Latin America.

"Over the past several years, Chinese balloons have previously been spotted over countries across five continents, including in East Asia, South Asia and Europe," the U.S. official said. The suspected spy balloon prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a visit to China this week that had been expected to start on Friday.

© Reuters. Spectators watch after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the coast in Holden Beach, North Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023.  REUTERS/Allison Joyce

The postponement of Blinken's trip, which had been agreed to in November by Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, was a blow to those who saw it as an overdue opportunity to stabilize an increasingly fractious relationship between the two countries.

China is keen for a stable U.S. relationship so it can focus on its economy, battered by the now-abandoned zero-COVID policy and neglected by foreign investors alarmed by what they see as a return of state intervention in the market.

Latest comments

at least 3 balloon incidents under traitor trump, among them over Florida and Texas. he did nothing...
It was reported it was ours so why still lying to the peasants ?
The CCP already admitted the balloon is Chinese, so why are you lying?
By "ours" he meant the Chinese.
Shot down after Biden allowed it to fly yhe entire length of the US collecting all the data the Chinese desired and that data relayed to China. He should be impeached for such, as should any president who fails to protect our sovereign space. China owns the Biden's and it certainly showed in spades here.
If debris fell through your roof or on your/friends'/family's heads, you would be singing a different tune.
was just Old Gregor looking for land
Using million dollar worth of supersonic missile to shot down a harmless balloon according to Pentagon? The balloon worth less than $5k. Great job to use tax payer's money. No wonder we have a national debt of $32 trillion or 130% of GDP.
I'm nicer than Brad  ;-)  He just tell you you misunderstood; I give you the correct understanding.
Nicer? Or just more patient?
  That post is targeted at the other people here who've been whining about my posts being what you very nicely call too "patient"  ;-)
Lying Biden spreading disinformation propaganda again.
  Racist would be telling you to hide it.  Racist would be applauding Americans being killed by Chinese commies.
American is a race now. Right. I'm not applauding China killing anyone, except Pelosi. Is Pelosi now a race too?
  How is it racist to applaud you for not trying to hide your last name?
"China is keen for a stable U.S. relationship..." yes, stable, in which China achieves economic and military domination over the U.S. and the world. Reuters once again plays the liberal role of the ignorant pacifist.
I said it is the view of Xi, not his words. Pay attention and read for comprehension.
No3putts   Be respectful. Even negative opinions can be framed positively and diplomatically. Avoid profanity, slander or personal attacks directed at an author or another user.
  "Xi would not use words like"  --  The words Xi used are in the public record.  Don't be willfully ignorant.
Next time it will not “accidentally “ change course. The Chinese don't need to know the weather in other countries. Turn on the TV and they can hear about it. Weather balloon what a lame excuse.
  Stephen likes to see Americans killed by commies.
No, just Pelosi.
  You think Pelosi was the only perosn in the plane?  And btw, she is an American.
why not use laser, I am perplexed.
probably because US dont have working one
LOL. It is very satisfying to see the America haters grasping at staws.
  Russia is complaining about the stuff US didn't even give to Ukraine, so if Russia ain't complaining about lazer, ...
I’m sure everyone using TikTok was upset
But not about the CCP, because the CCP doesn't allow anyone to criticize the CCP on Tiktok.
OMG spy balloon vs. satellites........fighter jet vs. balloon....... brainwashed vs. not brain washed. for shore the commander like to bomb thinks.
I doubt you could have said it any better.
Should have just brought it down gently. Took it apart and seen what Chinese were up to. Wasted opportunity. If it exploded while some remote drones were retrieving it then we would have known a weather satellite doesn’t have a self destruct function and even that would have given some answers.
We already know
China has ballons and American has spy craft they could never see
Gee First, better study up on your geography. But leftist bots likely don't know much geography.
Scratch my post.
 Would a bot retract its post?
Joe placed American lives at risk the moment the balloon US airspace. He cares nothing for us. That thing should have been shot down instantly. He doesn't deserve the title of Commander in Chief for this act of negligence alone.
preach to your own who say far worse instead of me
No3putts apply that to yourself first of all, then to your rightwingtroll friends here
No3putts apply that to yourself first
at least 3 chinese balloons during trumps presidency, the incompetent orange ignoramus did nothing..
Gump sucks eggs
3 ballons over Guam..not continetal usa..
WRONG, AGAIN. Over Guam.
Look everybody, alzheimers Joe really taking charge now! LOL!!!!!
capslock and 5 exclamation marks, that's very loud..
Trump would have taken it out over Alaska within hours of it being detected.
Max, stop the lies. Three balloons over Guam, not the continental US.
Don't bother with the Bribem a-kissers. Intellect and reasoning were never their strong points.
 Proven lies.
Brandon Albright
Brandon Albright has nothing of substance to add except pointless snarky remarks and is simply a #senilejoe apologist. He is best to be ignored like the fool he is.
This is better than Bible Brad. Winning comment of the weekend.
You got me. "Brandon Albright" is the kind of substantive remark that is beyond my capabilities. Good thing you are ignoring me.
sleepy Joe what a laugh
Limit down circuit breakers on Monday. Gold to go over 2,000
😂🤡
China literally owns the USA. They own our treasury bonds, our real estate, stocks, farmland and they manufacture 90% of everything in Americans’ homes.
You have a point.
Unfortunately for them they can't take it with them - the US can close its borders and survive, not many others can!
They own treasury bonds? Wow. That means the US owns the real money. They gave the money to US but US can bring rules they don't pay it back or they take the real estates they bought. :)
mission accomplished losers
gold🔥
Biden is as full of hot air as the balloon
haitharu I said contain, not deter. invasion was always putins plan.. everybody knows trump was putins little bitc#, he would probably have aided and assisted russia in occupying all of Ukraine, with Moldova and the Baltic states to follow..
Maximus.. what solution have you EVER offered. None!
Brad.. yeah. he's letting in a record number of illegals. That's getting it done. He should be impeached for that alone. Breaking his Oath to the Constitution
Direct it to the ocean and shoot it down. Mr Biden ta ras zobbi.
Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.