Massive Chinese "spy balloon" over US and Canada rings alarm bells

A high-altitude surveillance balloon — which is being referred to as a “spy balloon” — has been detected flying over North America. Now, China has claimed ownership of it.

The massive balloon alerted American and Canadian defence departments when it made an appearance on Thursday.

Its sighting also left citizens on edge about its nature.

#US 🇺🇸 is currently monitoring the #Chinese 🇨🇳 #SpyBalloon floating over #Montana. pic.twitter.com/U2tIcDDIkh

— Dylan Frank (@DylanFrank21) February 3, 2023

A senior US official told ABC News the balloon is “the size of three buses,” and also has a technology bay. But US defence would not characterize it as “revolutionary.”

In a news release published on Thursday, Canada’s Department of National Defence said the balloon’s movements were being tracked by the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD).

A high-altitude surveillance balloon was detected and its movements are being actively tracked by NORAD. Canadians are safe and Canada is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace.
https://t.co/pye0D2CQzy pic.twitter.com/PH8HWfiIv9

— Canadian Armed Forces (@CanadianForces) February 3, 2023

“NORAD, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of National Defence, and other partners have been assessing the situation and working in close coordination,” officials added.

China’s foreign ministry has admitted the large balloon belongs to the country.

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A spokesperson from the ministry also published remarks on the “unintended entry of a Chinese unmanned airship into US airspace.”

“The airship is from China. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes,” the ministry said in a press release. “Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course.”

The ministry stressed that the situation was caused by force majeure, and expressed regret over the entry of the airship into North America.

“Canadians are safe and Canada is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including the monitoring of a potential second incident,” Canada’s national defence department said.