U.S. shoots down Chinese spy balloon off coast of Carolinas
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Saturday brought an explosive end to the drama that has caused a diplomatic crisis between the world's two great powers when the United States downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon that was floating across the country for days.
The surveillance device was shot down off the coast of the Carolinas. But now the Chinese Foreign Ministry is declaring its "strong discontent and protest," calling this a civilian aircraft that somehow made its way into U.S. airspace.
According to the Pentagon, an American fighter jet shot down the Chinese spy balloon with one air to air missile.
"It was really a remarkable phenomenon that people could see this Chinese floating ship from their backyards," said Dr. Joe Schwieterman of DePaul University.
Schwieterman has been studying Airspace and Aviation for years, and seeing a floating surveillance balloon, for him, is a first.
"We just don't know what this was used for, and I think we have to assume the worst," he said.
The balloon was first spotted over Montana near military sites and for nearly seven days made its way toward Myrtle Beach.
President Joe Biden said he ordered it to be shot down as it was making its days-long cross-country journey, widening a growing rift between the U.S. and China.
"They successfully took it down, and I want to compliment our aviators who did it," Biden said. "I told them to shoot it down on Wednesday. They said to me, 'Let's wait for the safest place to do it.'"
China expressed its strong dissatisfaction over the shootdown, calling it a serious violation of international practice and is now threatening repercussions. Leaders claim the balloon was for civilian use and entered U.S. airspace accidentally, which Schwieterman calls an "interesting play."
"I've never seen anything like this even a sense that we're having technology developed that could be these spherical floating ships that might have advanced camera capabilities," he said.
The debris fell into 47 feet of water. With the surveillance balloon now down, the recovery operation is underway.
The Department of Defense said Chinese balloons briefly moved into the U.S. at least three times during the prior administration.