Pentagon Says Chinese Balloon Over US Poses No Physical Threat To People On Ground

The alleged Chinese surveillance balloon detected over the United States does not pose a physical threat to people on the ground, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said on Friday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2023) The alleged Chinese surveillance balloon detected over the United States does not pose a physical threat to people on the ground, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said on Friday.

On Thursday, the Pentagon announced the detection of an alleged surveillance balloon from the People's Republic of China (PRC) over the US state of Montana. The aircraft, which the PRC claims is a civilian craft conducting scientific research, is now over the central continental US, Ryder said.

"We know that it's a surveillance balloon... We do assess at this time that it does not pose a physical threat to people on the ground," Ryder said during a press briefing.

"Clearly it is a balloon that has a payload underneath it... It's got a large payload - the surveillance component - underneath the actual balloon piece of it."

The balloon may be over the US for several more days, Ryder said. The Pentagon is continuously tracking the balloon as its flies over US airspace, Ryder added.

Although shooting down the balloon is among the proposed options, the Pentagon assesses the aircraft would create a significant debris field that could threaten civilians and property on the ground, Ryder said.

The balloon is currently around 60,000 feet in the air, above the zone where civilian aircraft operate, Ryder said. However, the balloon is maneuverable, Ryder said.