Video: How US shot down Chinese 'spy' balloon

Now, the US has launched a mission to recover all the equipment from the debris while China expressed its strong dissatisfaction towards America's use of force against its civilian unmanned airship and warned of repercussions.

Washington, Feb 05: Sensing a threat, US military fighter aircraft shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean as it crossed continental America after hovering over its skies from Montana to South Carolina. The balloon was brought down above US territorial waters.

The balloon, which Beijing claimed was a weather observation airship first entered US airspace on January 28 before moving into Canadian airspace on Monday January 30. It then re-entered US airspace on January 31.

Though President Joe Biden issued an order on Wednesday to take down the balloon, 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.

Incredible HD footage of the Chinese surveillance balloon being shot down. pic.twitter.com/K1GxdcJuH1

— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) February 4, 2023

Following the incident, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's postponed his first official trip to Beijing. Although the trip was not formally announced, both Beijing and Washington were talking about his imminent arrival.

At the direction of President Joe Biden, the US military at 2.39 pm EST shot down the Chinese surveillance balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, some six miles away from the US shores in South Carolina, with no damage to the life and properties of Americans.

Fighter aircraft from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia inspired a single missile into the balloon causing it to crash into the ocean within the US territorial airspace. There are no indications that any people including US military personnel, civilian aircraft or maritime vessels were harmed in any way.

Now, the US has launched a mission to recover all the equipment from the debris while China expressed its strong dissatisfaction towards America's use of force against its civilian unmanned airship and warned of repercussions.

Meanwhile, Beijing reacting to the downing of the balloon expressed strong dissatisfaction and opposition towards the US use of force to attack China's civilian unmanned airship, state-run Xinhua news agency cited a statement from Chinese Foreign Ministry as saying on Sunday.

"The US insisting on the use of force is an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice. China will resolutely uphold the relevant company's legitimate rights and interests, at the same time, reserving the right to take further actions in response," said the Foreign Ministry statement.

with agency inputs