Biden 'WILL try to shoot down' the Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic trends now
President Joe Biden is planning to shoot down the Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic so that it can be captured and studied, sources have revealed.
The aircraft was tracking towards the Carolinas this morning and is due to exit the east coast by noon after passing over sensitive nuclear sites in Montana.
The White House decided against shooting the balloon down over US soil over fears for American lives and sparking an international incident, a senior US official said.
Now, Pentagon officials are planning to shoot the balloon down so that it lands in US territorial waters. The action will require a substantial localized airspace shutdown in order to protect civilians, the source told ABC.
It comes amid soaring pressure on Biden as it emerged that a second Chinese spy balloon had been spotted over Latin America, passing over the Panama Canal and moving southeast over Venezuela.
The infographic shows the suspected paths of the two Chinese spy balloons spotted hovering over the west yesterday
A US defense official said the balloon is the size of several buses - but doesn't pose an immediate threat to Americans. The balloon, pictured over Montana, has been tracked for several days but officials decided not to shoot it down over fears about debris. China claims it is a civilian airship used for meteorological research
It comes amid soaring pressure on Biden as it emerged that a second Chinese spy balloon had been spotted over Latin America, passing over the Panama Canal and moving southeast over Venezuela
The President was last night slammed by the Governor of Montana over his inaction. Greg Gianforte said that as as a result, 'Americans are endangered and our enemies are emboldened.'
Speaking to Fox News, Gianforte revealed that he was briefed earlier in the week that the Pentagon had been looking at taking it out.
'Clearly this went to the President's desk and he chose not to act and the result of that Americans are endangered and our enemies are emboldened,' Gianforte said.
He added: 'If it was up to Montanans this thing would have taken out the sky the moment it entered our sovereign airspace and it clearly had been there for a while. It's not moving that fast.'
China insisted the balloon is an errant civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research that went off course due to winds.
However, the US rejected that out of hand and Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelled his high-stakes trip to Beijing, telling a senior Chinese diplomat that sending the balloon over the US was 'an irresponsible act'.
The US actually had been tracking the first balloon since at least Tuesday, when President Joe Biden was first briefed, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
After passing the sensitive military sites in Montana, the balloon was moving south-east over the heartland of the central United States during the day and was expected to remain in US airspace for several days, officials said.
According to three US officials, Mr Biden was initially inclined to order the surveillance balloon to be blown out of the sky, and a senior defence official said the US had prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot it down if ordered.
Officials said defense secretary Lloyd Austin and general Mark Milley, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, strongly advised Mr Biden against shooting down the balloon, warning that its size – as big as three buses – and considerable weight could create a debris field large enough to endanger Americans on the ground.
The Pentagon also assessed that after unspecified US measures, the possibility of the balloon uncovering important information was not great.
It was not the first time Chinese surveillance balloons have been tracked over US territory, including at least once during former president Donald Trump's administration, officials said.
Even if it's not armed, the balloon poses a risk to the US, a former military leader has warned. Retired Army Gen. John Ferrari claimed the flight itself can be used to test America's ability to detect incoming threats and to find holes in the country's air defence warning system.
The President was last night slammed by the Governor of Montana over his inaction. Greg Gianforte said that as as a result, 'Americans are endangered and our enemies are emboldened.'
The Chinese surveillance balloon is estimated to be about the width of three buses. The balloon is fitted with solar panels to power the on-board equipment, which could include long-range cameras and radar. It was traveling at an altitude of around 60,000ft on Friday afternoon, but the balloons can reach heights of around double that
It may also allow the Chinese to sense electromagnetic emissions that higher-altitude satellites can't detect, such as low-power radio frequencies that could help them understand how different US weapons systems communicate.
He also said the Chinese may have sent the balloon 'to show us that they can do it, and maybe next time it could have a weapon. So now we have to spend money and time on it' developing defences.
The discovery of the balloons dealt a new blow to already strained US-Chinese relations that have been in a downwards spiral for years over numerous issues.
Still, US officials maintained that diplomatic channels remain open and Mr Blinken said he remained willing to travel to China 'when conditions allow'.
'We continue to believe that having open lines of communication is important,' he said.
A US State Department official said Mr Blinken and deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman had both protested to the top official at the Chinese Embassy on Wednesday, a day before the Pentagon announced the discovery of the balloon.
The aircraft has also sparked concerns that China could have deliberately sent the balloon to spy on US bases.
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