Photo: Twitter/Indo Pacific News
It's common knowledge that the United States shot down a Chinese spy balloon that flew over its territory early this year. No one pointed a finger. After all, the US military motto is "This We'll Defend." While you can never put a price on the safety of your citizens, the high-clearance decision comes with dire consequences straining already rigid relations between the two governments.
As it turns out, the Chinese spy balloon that spent a week hovering over the United States and Canada did not collect any information about the territory. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said the assessment analysis showed no data was collected by the Chinese flying vessel.
According to the spokesman, the American military alleviated intelligence collection by the balloon. "Certainly, the steps we made contributed," he added.
Before the takedown, the US military detected the flying vessel approaching from the west on January 28. According to authorities, it was flying over the Aleutian Islands and had a payload that they suspected was being used for surveillance purposes.
According to initial reports by US officials, it was reported that the Chinese balloon had a considerable payload of electronics, and there were concerns that the Asian government was collecting information flying over sensitive military installations in the territory.
At first, the Chinese government denied any operations with the balloon, saying it was a weather apparatus. As you'd expect, the US didn't take their word for it, and on February 4, an F-22 Raptor was ordered to take it out.
The decision to gun down the flying balloon wasn't an easy one considering it didn't pose any threat to the nation. Still, an AIM-9X sidewinder missile ended its estranged mission on the coast of South Carolina. Its debris was picked up from the Atlantic Ocean, and the military has been assessing its contents ever since.
Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed that the Asian country did not violate American airspace or territory, adding that it was a smear attack by the media and some politicians in the territory.
Even though the incident caused a strain on the two countries, forcing Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a diplomatic trip to Beijing. Still, both governments chose to keep a clear line of communication.
"As you heard at that time, we were aware that the balloon has intelligence collection capabilities," Pat Ryder told reporters during a press conference. He confirmed that it did not collect any data while transiting over the United States.
The Wall Street Journal reported the air vessel allegedly used American technology. However, during the press conference, General Ryder did not confirm the reports but said that China drones had used off-the-shelf American equipment in the past.
According to a Reuters report, the Chinese balloon spent a week flying over US territory and Canada before it was taken down by a military fighter jet.
According to the spokesman, the American military alleviated intelligence collection by the balloon. "Certainly, the steps we made contributed," he added.
Before the takedown, the US military detected the flying vessel approaching from the west on January 28. According to authorities, it was flying over the Aleutian Islands and had a payload that they suspected was being used for surveillance purposes.
According to initial reports by US officials, it was reported that the Chinese balloon had a considerable payload of electronics, and there were concerns that the Asian government was collecting information flying over sensitive military installations in the territory.
At first, the Chinese government denied any operations with the balloon, saying it was a weather apparatus. As you'd expect, the US didn't take their word for it, and on February 4, an F-22 Raptor was ordered to take it out.
The decision to gun down the flying balloon wasn't an easy one considering it didn't pose any threat to the nation. Still, an AIM-9X sidewinder missile ended its estranged mission on the coast of South Carolina. Its debris was picked up from the Atlantic Ocean, and the military has been assessing its contents ever since.
Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed that the Asian country did not violate American airspace or territory, adding that it was a smear attack by the media and some politicians in the territory.
Even though the incident caused a strain on the two countries, forcing Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a diplomatic trip to Beijing. Still, both governments chose to keep a clear line of communication.
"As you heard at that time, we were aware that the balloon has intelligence collection capabilities," Pat Ryder told reporters during a press conference. He confirmed that it did not collect any data while transiting over the United States.
The Wall Street Journal reported the air vessel allegedly used American technology. However, during the press conference, General Ryder did not confirm the reports but said that China drones had used off-the-shelf American equipment in the past.
According to a Reuters report, the Chinese balloon spent a week flying over US territory and Canada before it was taken down by a military fighter jet.
Chinese spy balloon did not collect information over US, Pentagon says https://t.co/NEW13ig1Jl pic.twitter.com/NVGLXGyu3F
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 29, 2023
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