THE government of the prc has never been trustworthy but has always been conniving, having no problem turning on their own people as well as their "friends" and "allies" for their own gain. They lie, cheat, steal and have no problem resorting to violence to get their way. When they are caught they try to turn the situation around so they are the "victim". No big surprise they are outraged we shot down their spy balloon, outraged that we did not believe it was just a weather balloon. This from U.S. DOD and WMBF / NBC in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
F-22 Safely Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon Off South Carolina Coast
President Joe Biden ordered the action on Wednesday, but it was delayed until the balloon was over water off the coast of South Carolina to ensure no Americans on the ground were harmed.
"The balloon, which was being used by the PRC in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States, was brought down above U.S. territorial waters," Austin said.
The action was taken in coordination and support of the Canadian government. "We thank Canada for its contribution to tracking and analysis of the balloon through [North American Aerospace Defense Command] as it transited North America," Austin said. "Today's deliberate and lawful action demonstrates that President Biden and his national security team will always put the safety and security of the American people first while responding effectively to the PRC's unacceptable violation of our sovereignty," Austin said referring to the Peoples Republic of China.
U.S. officials first detected the balloon and its payload on January 28 when it entered U.S. airspace near the Aleutian Islands. The balloon traversed Alaska, Canada and re-entered U.S. airspace over Idaho. "President Biden asked the military to present options and on Wednesday President Biden gave his authorization to take down the Chinese surveillance balloon as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to us civilians under the balloon's path," said a senior defense official speaking on background. "Military commanders determined that there was undue risk of debris causing harm to civilians while the balloon was overland."
An F-22 Raptor fighter from the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, fired one AIM-9X Sidewinder missile at the balloon.
The balloon fell approximately six miles off the coast in about 47 feet of water. No one was hurt.
Long before the shoot down, U.S. officials took steps to protect against the balloon's collection of sensitive information, mitigating its intelligence value to the Chinese. The senior defense official said the recovery of the balloon will enable U.S. analysts to examine sensitive Chinese equipment. "I would also note that while we took all necessary steps to protect against the PRC surveillance balloon's collection of sensitive information, the surveillance balloon's overflight of U.S. territory was of intelligence value to us," the official said. "I can't go into more detail, but we were able to study and scrutinize the balloon and its equipment, which has been valuable."
The balloon did not pose a military or physical threat. Still its intrusion into American airspace over several days was an unacceptable violation of U.S. sovereignty. The official said Chinese balloons briefly transited the continental United States at least three times during the prior administration.
While Chinese officials admitted that the balloon was theirs, they said it was a runaway weather balloon. "The PRC has claimed publicly that the high-altitude balloon operating above the United States is a weather balloon that was blown off course. This is false," the official said. "This was a PRC surveillance balloon. This surveillance balloon purposely traversed the United States and Canada, and we are confident it was seeking to monitor sensitive military sites."
The mission now transitions to one of recovery. There are a number of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels establishing a security perimeter around the area where the balloon came to Earth. They are searching for debris, said a senior military official also speaking on background.
There is no estimate for how long the recovery mission will take, the military official said, but the fact that it came down in such a shallow area should make recovery "fairly easy".
The military official gave some detail of the engagement. The F-22 fired the Sidewinder at the balloon from an altitude of 58,000 feet. The balloon at the time was between 60,000 and 65,000 feet.
F-15 Eagles flying from Barnes Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts, supported the F-22, as did tankers from multiple states including Oregon, Montana, South Carolina and North Carolina. Canadian forces also helped track the overflight of the balloon.
The Navy has deployed the destroyer USS Oscar Austin, the cruiser USS Philippine Sea and the USS Carter Hall, an amphibious landing ship in support of the effort.
LOOK: Chinese balloon shot down over Carolina coast, senior defense official says
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - A mysterious object believed to be a balloon from China was seen in the WMBF News viewing area on Saturday.
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WMBF News viewers sent photos of the balloon spotted across the Grand Strand and Pee Dee, including areas of Myrtle Beach, Conway, Aynor and into Florence County.
A short time later, the balloon was shot down by what appeared to be military jets circling it in the area. WMBF First Alert Meteorologist Robert Whitehurst captured footage of the object as it began falling out of the sky.
A senior defense official said that the balloon was shot down six nautical miles off the coast in territorial airspace with aircraft from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. A single missile took down the object with no threat to civilians. It was also between 60,000-65,000 feet in the air when it was shot down.
The Associated Press reported that an operation was underway to recover debris from the Atlantic Ocean.
In a Tweet shortly before 3 p.m., South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said he was briefed by the Pentagon on plans to shoot down the object once it was safely off the coast.
U.S. Rep. Russell Fry also released a statement, saying that the balloon “should have never entered American airspace” before making its way to the Myrtle Beach area.
Sen. Tim Scott echoed that sentiment in his own statement saying:
“The balloon should have been shot down before it crossed the continental United States, not after. We still don’t know what information was collected and where it was sent. This was a dereliction of Biden’s duty, and let’s hope the American people don’t pay a price.”
The Federal Aviation Administration also issued ground stops for Myrtle Beach International Airport and the Charleston International Airport as the object appears to be making its way east. In a statement, the FAA said departures to MYR, CHS and Wilmington airports were paused “to support the Department of Defense in a national security effort.”,
The ground stop was later lifted, but several passengers did experience delays at MYR, according to WMBF News Reporter Natasha Laguerre.
Officials at the Pentagon have accused China of using the balloon to spy on military sites. China has denied the accusations, stating the balloon is a weather research device that flew off course.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also canceled a scheduled trip to Beijing after news of the balloon broke.
Stay with WMBF News for updates.
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