US sends fighter jets to monitor balloons

The North American Aerospace Defense Command dispatched fighter jets to monitor a balloon in Utah, but did not shoot it down because it determined it was not a security threat.

"The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), in close coordination with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), detected a small balloon at an altitude of 13,000 meters," NORAD announced on February 23.

"NORAD fighter jets approached the balloon over Utah and the pilots determined it was not a controlled object and did not pose a threat to national security," the agency said in a statement.

According to a US official, the balloon was about 15 meters high and carried a cube-like object with sides of 60 centimeters. However, it is not clear what the balloon was carrying and how much the object weighed.

US F-16 fighter jets conduct training in Utah in May 2017. Photo: USAF

NORAD said fighter jets did not shoot down the balloon and the agency will continue to monitor and supervise it, but did not disclose who owned it. The FAA said the balloon did not pose a danger to flights and would coordinate with NORAD to ensure flight safety.

The incident occurred more than a year after the US sent an F-22 fighter jet to fire a missile to shoot down a Chinese balloon in the waters east of South Carolina. The balloon was nearly 61 meters tall, was said to carry many smart sensors and could be controlled remotely.

China said its balloon went astray due to force majeure and accused the US of overreacting by shooting down the vehicle. The shooting down of the balloon caused tensions between the US and China for months, which have only recently eased.

NORAD then adjusted its sensors to improve its ability to detect balloons flying high over the United States and Canada. NORAD units then shot down several smaller balloons over the US state of Alaska and the Canadian border.

Nguyen Tien (According to ABC, AFP )

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