Chinese spy balloon shot down in US may have had explosives, Pentagon says
One of America’s top generals has said the US is investigating whether the Chinese spy balloon shot down over the Atlantic was carrying explosives.
Air Force General Glen D. VanHerck, commander of US Northern Command, revealed new details about the device yesterday.
He said the balloon was around 200 feet tall, weighing thousands of pounds, and with a payload the size of a jetliner.
“So I can't confirm whether it had explosives or not,” he said. “Anytime you down something like this, we make an assumption that that potential exists.”
His description came as the Pentagon defended Joe Biden's decision to wait and shoot down the Chinese craft until it cleared US land, which earned some criticism from his Republican opponents.
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An F-22 fighter jet shot down the balloon (EyePress News/REX/Shutterstock)There were fears it could lead to fatalities on the ground if shot down while above the mainland.
The President ordered the spycraft to be shot down last Wednesday as it hovered over Montana, but under the advice of generals, it was held off until Saturday.
The Air Force eventually sent an F-22 fighter jet armed with an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile to down the balloon, first spotted on February 1 over the skies of Montana.
Advice from generals delayed the shooting down of the balloon (Lt j g Jerry Ireland/AP/REX/Shutterstock)VanHerck said: "So glass off of solar panels, potentially hazardous material, such as material that is required for batteries to operate in such an environment as this and even the potential for explosives to detonate and destroy the balloon that – that could have been present."
It weighed thousands of pounds, was around 200 feet tall and carried the same payload as a jetliner.
Biden earned criticism from his opponents (AFP via Getty Images)National Security Council spokesman John Kirby added: “Because the president decided they wouldn’t shoot it down until he could do so safely, and that meant over water, that afforded us a terrific opportunity to gain a better understanding, to study the capabilities of this balloon.”
Kirby explained that the process of shooting down the balloon has since made it difficult to determine if the device did indeed have explosives inside.
He added: "So I can’t confirm whether it had explosives or not.
The Pentagon said they could not be sure if there were explosives inside the balloon (Susan Walsh/AP/REX/Shutterstock)"Anytime you down something like this, we make an assumption that that potential exists.
Now, a team is combing through a debris field off the coast of South Carolina around 1,500 metres by 1,500 metres across.
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The USS Carter Hall is collecting and categorising the debris along with the USNS Pathfinder. After it is collected, the debris will be sent to the FBI headquarters in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis.
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