The balloon is just under 40 meters in diameter. Friday morning Norwegian time, it hovers over the US state of Montana. It is approximately 14 kilometers above the ground. The wind direction suggests that it comes from the central part of China. The Americans have, among other things, nuclear missiles in Montana. MYA TO SEE: An overview of the areas that have silos of the US nuclear missiles Minuteman III Photo: National Park Service Not firing – When the balloon was discovered, US authorities reacted immediately to prevent the collection of sensitive information, says Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder. The reaction was not to shoot down the balloon. It must have been closely observed. It is believed that F-22 fighter jets have been sent up to the balloon. Some of these were practicing nearby. American media received a more thorough briefing on Thursday evening about the balloon. The information came from a military source who cannot be named. SIMPLE OBJECTIVE: The US Air Force reportedly sent the F-22 Raptor fighter jet up to the balloon. They can easily shoot it down, but the order did not come. Photo: US AIR FORCE / Reuters Sure of China – We are sure that this spy balloon comes from China, this source said. The Pentagon claims the balloon poses no particular intelligence threat. – At this point, our opinion is that the balloon does not give the Chinese any more information than what they already collect with other methods, said the source. China has spy satellites that pass over the US mainland daily. The source said the US military has taken additional steps to prevent the balloon from collecting sensitive information. What these steps are, the source did not say. Danger on the ground – We know exactly where this balloon is. We know what it passes over, said the source. The balloon has been described as “as big as three buses” by American media. It is just under 40 metres. It can therefore have a relatively significant payload. The US military will not confirm this information. American authorities believe there are risks associated with shooting down the balloon. – We assessed that the remains of the balloon would be of such a significant size that they would cause a risk of damage to the ground. Yesterday we considered shooting it down over a sparsely populated place in Montana. We did not manage to reduce the risk enough for us to be comfortable with such a solution, said the source. Not the first time American and Canadian authorities have known about the balloon over a certain period of time. They must have observed it before it entered the North American mainland. – This is not the first time this has happened either, said the US military source. It was on Wednesday that the balloon was discovered by civilians. Then it was over Billings, Montana. Air traffic in the area was closed for two hours. The US Defense Department claims it entered US territory “a couple of days ago.”
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Don’t you dare shoot down a Chinese balloon – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
