BREAKING: Pentagon Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon After It Floated Over US with Biden’s Full Approval (VIDEO, multipart w/response)

US Military Reveals Size of Chinese Spy Balloon, Possible Explosives

Original article. If you have a subscription, the “original article” link will take you to this great article.
PREMIUM THREAT FROM COMMUNIST CHINA.

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The Absolute Truth Interview With : (Ret.) Lt. General Thomas Mclnerney

Original video.

By Frank Clips, 06 February, 2023


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China Issues Statement on US Shooting Down of Balloon: “A Clear Overreaction and a Serious Violation of International Practice”

Original article. It should have been shot down BEFORE entering our air space!!!
By Kristinn Taylor
Published February 4, 2023 at 8:10 pm 564 Comments

Regarding hPa: The Earth’s atmosphere exerts pressure on the surface. Pressure is measured in hectoPascals (hPa), also called millibars. Standard pressure at sea level is defined as 1013hPa, but we can see large areas of either high or low pressure.

In terms of height, 500 hPa is about 5,500 metres (18,000 feet) above the ground. The top of that part of the atmosphere in which our weather is formed is known as the tropopause and is at about 11,000 metres (35,000 feet). The 500 hPa level is, thus, effectively half way up the atmosphere as we know it.


The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement Saturday night (Sunday morning Beijing time) on the shooting down by the U.S. of a Chinese balloon over the Atlantic Ocean after it had traversed the United States from Alaska to South Carolina this week (also over Canada). China claims the balloon was a civilian aircraft and says it will “safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the company concerned.” China called the U.S. shooting down the balloon “a serious violation of international practice” and said it “reserves the right to make further responses if necessary.”

Text of the statement posted in English to Chinese diplomatic websites.

The Foreign Ministry Issues Statement on the US Claim of Downing a Chinese Unmanned Airship
2023-02-05 08:58
China strongly disapproves of and protests against the US attack on a civilian unmanned airship by force. The Chinese side has, after verification, repeatedly informed the US side of the civilian nature of the airship and conveyed that its entry into the US due to force majeure was totally unexpected. The Chinese side has clearly asked the US side to properly handle the matter in a calm, professional and restrained manner. The spokesperson of the US Department of Defense also noted that the balloon does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Under such circumstances, the US use of force is a clear overreaction and a serious violation of international practice. China will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the company concerned, and reserves the right to make further responses if necessary.

Before the statement by China was issued, the Defense Department published a “news” report on the shoot down that included a quote from a senior official disputing China’s claims about the balloon:

“While Chinese officials admitted that the balloon was theirs, they said it was a runaway weather balloon. “The PRC has claimed publicly that the high-altitude balloon operating above the United States is a weather balloon that was blown off course. This is false,” the official said. “This was a PRC surveillance balloon. This surveillance balloon purposely traversed the United States and Canada, and we are confident it was seeking to monitor sensitive military sites.”

Complete DOD “news” report:

F-22 Safely Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon Off South Carolina Coast

By Jim Garamone , DOD News

A U.S. Air Force fighter safely shot down a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon today, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in a written statement.

President Joe Biden ordered the action on Wednesday, but it was delayed until the balloon was over water off the coast of South Carolina to ensure no Americans on the ground were harmed.

“The balloon, which was being used by the PRC in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States, was brought down above U.S. territorial waters,” Austin said.

The action was taken in coordination and support of the Canadian government. “We thank Canada for its contribution to tracking and analysis of the balloon through [North American Aerospace Defense Command] as it transited North America,” Austin said. “Today’s deliberate and lawful action demonstrates that President Biden and his national security team will always put the safety and security of the American people first while responding effectively to the PRC’s unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” Austin said referring to the Peoples Republic of China.

U.S. officials first detected the balloon and its payload on January 28 when it entered U.S. airspace near the Aleutian Islands. The balloon traversed Alaska, Canada and re-entered U.S. airspace over Idaho. “President Biden asked the military to present options and on Wednesday President Biden gave his authorization to take down the Chinese surveillance balloon as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to us civilians under the balloon’s path,” said a senior defense official speaking on background. “Military commanders determined that there was undue risk of debris causing harm to civilians while the balloon was overland.”

An F-22 Raptor fighter from the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, fired one AIM-9X Sidewinder missile at the balloon.

The balloon fell approximately six miles off the coast in about 47 feet of water. No one was hurt.

Long before the shoot down, U.S. officials took steps to protect against the balloon’s collection of sensitive information, mitigating its intelligence value to the Chinese. The senior defense official said the recovery of the balloon will enable U.S. analysts to examine sensitive Chinese equipment. “I would also note that while we took all necessary steps to protect against the PRC surveillance balloon’s collection of sensitive information, the surveillance balloon’s overflight of U.S. territory was of intelligence value to us,” the official said. “I can’t go into more detail, but we were able to study and scrutinize the balloon and its equipment, which has been valuable.”

The balloon did not pose a military or physical threat. Still its intrusion into American airspace over several days was an unacceptable violation of U.S. sovereignty. The official said Chinese balloons briefly transited the continental United States at least three times during the prior administration.

While Chinese officials admitted that the balloon was theirs, they said it was a runaway weather balloon. “The PRC has claimed publicly that the high-altitude balloon operating above the United States is a weather balloon that was blown off course. This is false,” the official said. “This was a PRC surveillance balloon. This surveillance balloon purposely traversed the United States and Canada, and we are confident it was seeking to monitor sensitive military sites.”

The mission now transitions to one of recovery. There are a number of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels establishing a security perimeter around the area where the balloon came to Earth. They are searching for debris, said a senior military official also speaking on background.

There is no estimate for how long the recovery mission will take, the military official said, but the fact that it came down in such a shallow area should make recovery “fairly easy”.

The military official gave some detail of the engagement. The F-22 fired the Sidewinder at the balloon from an altitude of 58,000 feet. The balloon at the time was between 60,000 and 65,000 feet.

F-15 Eagles flying from Barnes Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts, supported the F-22, as did tankers from multiple states including Oregon, Montana, South Carolina and North Carolina. Canadian forces also helped track the overflight of the balloon.

The Navy has deployed the destroyer USS Oscar Austin, the cruiser USS Philippine Sea and the USS Carter Hall, an amphibious landing ship in support of the effort.

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Original post: BREAKING: Pentagon Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon After It Floated Over US with Biden’s Full Approval (VIDEO)

Original article.
By Cristina Laila
Published February 4, 2023 at 1:15 pm 2840 Comments

The FAA on Saturday reportedly shut down air space near the Atlantic as the Pentagon gears up to shoot down the Chinese spy balloon.

This is of course after the spy balloon was allowed to float over the United States with Joe Biden’s full approval.

Joe Biden refused to secure US airspace and allowed the Chinese to fly a high-altitude surveillance balloon over the US’s most sensitive military installations.

A reporter on Saturday asked Biden to comment on the Chinese spy balloon.

“We’re gonna take care of it,” Biden said.

The balloon was spotted over Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday morning.

The China spy balloon was reportedly flying as low as 35,000 feet, according to Paul Sperry.

The spy balloon is over Myrtle Beach, South Carolina as of 2 pm ET.

Breaking update: The Pentagon shot down the spy balloon at approximately 2:40 pm ET just off the coast of the Carolinas.

WATCH:

LIVE FEED (Shoot 42:32):

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