Chinese ‘spy’ balloon spotted over US nuclear launch site

A suspected Chinese surveillance balloon was spotted in US airspace, further deteriorating US-China relations. The suspected ‘spy’ balloon was located in the sky of Montana which has America’s three nuclear missile launch facilities at Malmstrom Air Force Base. But the Pentagon refrained from shooting down this suspicious Chinese ballon in the sky as it could cause harm to people on the ground.

The US fighter jets, including F-22s, got ready to shoot down the balloon. But the Pentagon recommended against it as its size would create a debris field large enough that it could have put people at risk in Montana

A senior US defence official told media that the Pentagon is very confident that the Chinese balloon was flying over “sensitive sites” to collect information.

The ‘spy’ balloon entry into the US airspace happened before the first visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing, expected this weekend.  The trip has not been formally announced yet.

Although the size of the balloon has not been specified by US officials, eyewitnesses say it was quite large. Some Montana residents took pictures of the “big white circle in the sky”.