2023 Chinese balloon incident

This article is about the Chinese balloon shot down on February 4. For other 2023 high-altitude object events, see List of high-altitude object events in 2023.

2023 Chinese balloon incident
The balloon photographed over the Central United States from a U.S. Air Force U-2 on February 3
DateJanuary 28 – February 4, 2023 (2023-01-28 – 2023-02-04)
LocationAirspace over the United States, Canada, and territorial waters
TypeAirspace violation; diplomatic incident
CauseHigh-altitude Chinese balloon entering foreign airspace
MotiveBlown off course into U.S. airspace due to westerlies, or for reconnaissance (allegedly)
Participants
OutcomeBalloon downed by an AIM-9 Sidewinder fired by a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor; debris recovered[1]

From January 28 to February 4, 2023, a high-altitude balloon originating from China flew across North American airspace, including Alaska, western Canada, and the contiguous United States.[2] On February 4, the U.S. Air Force shot down the balloon over U.S. territorial waters off the coast of South Carolina. Debris from the wreckage was recovered and sent to the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis.[1] Following a preliminary analysis of the debris in June, U.S. officials stated that the balloon carried intelligence-gathering equipment but does not appear to have sent information back to China.[3] U.S. President Joe Biden described the balloon as carrying two railroad cars' equivalent of spy equipment, however stated that it was "not a major breach", and that he also believed that the Chinese leadership was not aware of the balloon. The U.S. government said the balloon had a propeller for maneuverability.[4][5][6]

When the object was first spotted, the Pentagon characterized it as a surveillance balloon. The Chinese government maintained it was a civilian (mainly meteorological) airship that had been blown off course.[7] According to U.S. officials, the balloon carried antennas and other equipment capable of geolocating communications signals, and similar balloons from China have flown over more than 40 nations.[8] Analysts said that its flight path and structural characteristics were dissimilar from those of a typical weather balloon.[9] American officials later disclosed that they had been tracking the balloon since it was launched from Hainan and its original destinations were likely Guam and Hawaii,[a] but prevailing winds blew it off course and across North America.[11]

The incident increased U.S.–China tensions. The United States called the balloon's presence a violation of its sovereignty, and its Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a long-awaited diplomatic visit to Beijing.[12][13][14] Canada summoned the Chinese ambassador in response to the incident.[15]

Forensics of the wreckage have confirmed that the balloon's sensors had never been activated while it was flying over the continental US, and so it did not transmit any intelligence back to China.[16] In December 2023, NBC news reported that according to US intelligence officials, the balloon had made use of a commercially available American internet service provider to communicate, and that it was "primarily for navigation".[17]

Three other high-altitude objects, over Northern Alaska (February 10),[18] Yukon (February 11),[19] and Lake Huron (February 11–12) respectively, were detected and subsequently shot down; a later assessment said they had no relation to China.[20][21]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference kirbyplans was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Chinese spy balloon over US is weather device says Beijing". BBC News. February 3, 2023. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  3. ^ "Chinese spy balloon did not collect information, says Pentagon". BBC News. June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  4. ^ Youssef, Nancy A. (June 29, 2023). "Chinese Balloon Used American Tech to Spy on Americans". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved June 30, 2023. With a propeller, the craft could maneuver and loiter over a site for long periods
  5. ^ "US-China tensions: Biden calls Xi a dictator a day after Beijing talks". BBC. June 21, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023. I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment in it
  6. ^ McFadden, Christopher (June 29, 2023). "Chinese spy balloon used off-the-shelf US tech". interestingengineering.com. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  7. ^ Lee, Matthew (February 4, 2023). "Chinese balloon soars across US; Blinken scraps Beijing trip". Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  8. ^ Hudson, John; Nakashima, Ellen; Lamothe, Dan (February 9, 2023). "U.S. declassifies balloon intelligence, calls out China for spying". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  9. ^ Kohli, Anisha (February 4, 2023). "The Chinese Balloon Looks Nothing Like a Weather Balloon". Time. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  10. ^ Wong, Edward; Barnes, Julian E.; Entous, Adam (February 15, 2023). "How a Fog of Questions Over a Spy Balloon and U.F.O.s Fed a Diplomatic Crisis". The New York Times.
  11. ^ "Downed Chinese balloon aimed for Hawaii but was blown off course - U.S. official". Reuters. February 16, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  12. ^ Pamuk, Humeyra; Ali, Idrees; Martina, Michael; Ali, Idrees (February 4, 2023). "Blinken postpones China trip over 'unacceptable' Chinese spy balloon". Reuters.
  13. ^ Cadell, Cate; Hudson, John; Abutaleb, Yasmeen. "Blinken postpones China trip as suspected spy balloon detected over U.S.". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  14. ^ Hansler, Jennifer; Liptak, Kevin; Herb, Jeremy; Atwood, Kylie; Sciutto, Kylie; Liebermann, Oren (February 3, 2023). "Blinken postpones trip to Beijing after Chinese spy balloon spotted over US, officials say". CNN. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  15. ^ "Ottawa tight-lipped on details as Canada, U.S. call out China over balloon". CTV News. February 3, 2023. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  16. ^ "The bizarre secret behind China's spy balloon". Yahoo News. September 18, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  17. ^ "U.S. intelligence officials determined the Chinese spy balloon used a U.S. internet provider to communicate". NBC News. December 28, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  18. ^ Cooper, Helene; Barnes, Julian E.; Wong, Edward (February 10, 2023). "U.S. Shoots Down High-Altitude Object Over Alaska". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  19. ^ Newton, Paula (February 11, 2023). "NORAD says additional 'object' detected over northern Canada". CNN. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Stewart, Phil; Shalal, Andrea; Stewart, Phil (February 13, 2023). "U.S. military brings down flying object over Lake Huron". Reuters. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.


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