US military reveals second Chinese balloon shot down in 2023
A photo released by the United States military revealed a second Chinese balloon was shot down in 2023, along with the one that crossed over the nation before being brought down.
Newsweek has emailed the U.S. Northern Command for comment. The Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. said the "mistaken entry" into U.S. airspace by the Chinese "civilian unmanned airship," the first flying object downed by the U.S. in 2023, was an accident.
Why It Matters
In February 2023, four balloons, or high-altitude objects, were detected flying over North America. They were shot down by U.S. fighter jets over the waters off South Carolina, the northern coast of Alaska, Yukon in Canada, and Lake Huron in the Midwest, respectively.
President Joe Biden claimed at the time that besides the first balloon, which was brought down on February 4, 2023, and packed with U.S. technology that could have allowed it to spy on Americans, the three other objects were not related to China's spy balloon program.
What To Know
The Pentagon's Defense Visual Information Distribution Service on Friday published a photo, which was taken on February 3 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska. It shows U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Stephen Snelson was presented with a plaque.
The plaque, created by the 732nd Air Mobility Squadron's non-commissioned officers, has written "Made in China" and "Disassembled in the U.S." on it, featuring "material from the Chinese balloon that was brought down near Alaska" in 2023, the photo caption reads.
According to the U.S. Northern Command and the Pentagon, an F-22 fighter jet, based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, fired an AIM-9X missile and shot down a "high-altitude airborne object" over U.S. territorial waters off Alaska's northern coast on February 10, 2023.
Intelligence assessment suggested the object, which was the size of a small car, was most likely tied to private companies, recreation, or research institutions, Biden said afterward. The search of debris in Alaska was later called off with no parts of the object recovered.
Regarding the spy balloon incident, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy, told Newsweek in an email that it was caused by force majeure as the "civilian unmanned airship," which was utilized for meteorological research, had limited control capabilities.
China notified the U.S. as soon as possible at the time and hoped that it would properly handle the issue with a rational, calm, and professional attitude, the spokesperson added.
What People Are Saying
Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., told Newsweek on Monday: "We are willing to work with the United States to address each other's concerns through dialogue and consultation in the principle of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, while firmly safeguarding our own sovereignty, security and development interests."
President Joe Biden said on February 16, 2023: "We waited until it [Chinese military high-altitude surveillance balloon] was safely over water , which would not only protect civilians but also enable us to recover substantial components for further analytics. And then we shot it down, sending a clear message: The violation of our sovereignty is unacceptable."
What Happens Next
On the two-year anniversary of the Chinese spy balloon being shot down off the coast of South Carolina, Republican Congressman Russell Fry reintroduced the Chinese Spy Balloon Assessment Act, which would require the secretary of defense to submit a report on the intelligence collection capabilities of the high-altitude Chinese spy balloon.