U.S. To CAPTURE IT – Military Involved!

(USNewsMag.com) – One week after entering the farthest west reaches of U.S. airspace, a Chinese high-altitude balloon was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean.

The alleged spy balloon was first discovered on January 28th over the Aleutian Islands. After passing over Alaska it briefly entered western Canada before reentering the United States over Montana on January 31st. The decision was made to allow the balloon to continue its intrusion into U.S. territory until it could be safely shot down over open water. It was finally brought down by an F-22 in the early afternoon of Saturday, February 4th off the coast of South Carolina.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said the Air Force and Navy were recovering the debris so that it could be analyzed by the FBI in Quantico, Virginia.

Defense officials have claimed the balloon was on a surveillance mission, though admitting that China could have collected the same information in other ways. China has repeatedly denied that the balloon was seeking intelligence, instead insisting it was a weather balloon that had blown off course due to limited maneuverability.

U.S. officials believe the balloon had more capabilities than the Chinese government is admitting. After U.S. officials confirmed the existence of the balloon on February 2nd, it changed course leading them to believe that it was indeed capable of being steered. Once the debris is analyzed, defense officials will be able to determine what technologies it possessed.

Many criticized the Biden Administration’s decision not to down the balloon earlier. It is believed that the balloon passed near nuclear missile silos in Montana, as well as Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri which is the “home of the stealth bomber” according to Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt. Both the senator and the state’s Governor took to Twitter Friday afternoon to express their outrage over the White House’s lack of communication with their state and the decision to allow the balloon to continue on its course over the heartland.

China has threatened retaliation for the downing of the balloon, referring to it as an “attack.” Information from NORAD indicates the balloon was shot down in U.S. airspace and landed in U.S. territorial waters.