What is known so far is that the events began in late January when a giant Chinese balloon, described by Washington officials as a spy, hovered over US airspace for days before being shot down by an F-22 off the coast of Washington in February. South Carolina. 4. .
China insisted that the balloon conduct meteorological research.
The Pentagon claimed it had an engine the size of three buses, weighing more than a ton, and equipped with multiple antennas and solar panels large enough to power the various sensors used to gather information.
Later on Friday, US warplanes shot down another object off the coast of northern Alaska, the military added, “within sovereign airspace and over US territorial waters.”
According to the authorities, this object had no propulsion or control system.
On Saturday, a US F-22 aircraft on orders from Canada and Canada shot down a “high-altitude flying object” about 100 miles from the US border over the Yukon Territory in central Canada, saying it posed a threat to civilians.
Canada described it as cylindrical and smaller than the first balloon. Defense Minister Anita Anand declined to speculate whether she was of Chinese descent.
US Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, briefed by the Biden administration after the latest incident, said on Sunday that the last two objects were likely balloons, but much smaller than the first, and both flew at an altitude of 40,000 feet (12,200 meters). .
US officials have identified the two new objects as the size of a VW Beetle.
Military crews using planes, boats and mini-submarines travel through South Carolina’s shallow waters. Military footage showed that most of the balloon had been recovered.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation held the remains for analysis.
Work continues to recover the second sea ice object near Deadhorse, Alaska. The military said “arctic weather conditions including wind chill, snow and limited daylight” affected operations.
Rescue workers, assisted by Canadian CP-140 patrol aircraft, are searching for the remains of the third object in the Yukon, Anand said Saturday. The Pentagon noted that the FBI is working closely with the Canadian police.
US officials say images from the first balloon show it is surveillance equipment capable of intercepting telecommunications.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said his mission was to “patroll strategic locations across the continental United States”.
Former Chief of Staff Michael Mullen has suggested that China or some members of its military leadership deliberately tried to undermine Foreign Minister Antony Blinken’s planned visit to Beijing.
The United States claims the balloons are part of a “fleet” traveling across five continents.
Some analysts say this could be the start of a major Chinese surveillance effort aimed at probing foreign military capabilities in anticipation of potential tensions over Taiwan in the coming years.
Analysts say U.S. and Canadian intelligence agencies are constantly taking massive amounts of raw data and throwing some away, often to focus on the incoming missile threat and not slow-moving objects like balloons.
“Now, of course, we’re going after them. “So I think we’ll probably find out more,” Jim Himes, the top Democrat representative on the House Intelligence Committee, told NBC.
Three balloons briefly flew over the United States during the Trump administration, then went undetected, and one is now known to have been under Joe Biden’s own administration, officials said.
On Saturday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) sent fighter jets to investigate a “radar anomaly” over Montana, but the object was not found.
To stabilize bilateral relations, the United States suspended Blinken’s visit to China and sanctions on six Chinese entities it said supported military spy balloon programs.
Beijing condemned the launch of the first balloon, calling it “a grave violation of international practice”. It reserves the right to “use the necessary resources to deal with similar situations”.
There was no response from China for the last two killings.
Republicans have criticized Biden for waiting so long to pop the first bubble, even though House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner said on Sunday that the U.S. military had moved from “permissive” to “easy firing.”
Schumer defended Biden’s handling of the crisis, telling ABC that analysis of the salvaged balloon debris “could deal a big blow to America.”
But both sides urged Biden to be more transparent. “I’m really concerned about why the government hasn’t been more forthright with everything they know,” Himes said.
Source: Ultimahora
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Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
