This incident occurred for exactly a week and wasn't noticed until a few days before it came to an end, with a viral video uploaded on social media showcasing the end of the spy balloon.
A great multitude of US citizens noticed an ominous white dot in the sky, causing videos to begin to circulate on social media, spreading awareness to thousands of a Chinese balloon flying over the U.S., with its path even including a few military bases.
The balloon was first discovered on January 28 when it entered the U.S. airspace and had gone undetected until Canada noticed, without their help there’s no telling what they could’ve done. When President Biden was made aware of this situation, he immediately made a call to action-- shoot it down.
On Wednesday, he ordered the Air Force to shoot down the Chinese Balloon. However, this order was pushed back until the balloon had moved above water to ensure the safety of American lives.
The surveillance balloon was shot down by the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor jet in Virginia, just off the coast of South Carolina on February 4th. The aircraft fired one AIM- 9X missile from an altitude of 58,000 feet, with this single missile costing $400,000. It was the F-22’s first kill and it proved that it was worth every penny.
After the balloon was shot down, it brought immediate attention to the US-China relationship and China claimed the balloon as theirs, but under the guise that it had been a weather balloon blown off course. Of course, the U.S. has different claims, as they believe it to have been gathering intellectual information.
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
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