US discovers more mysterious balloons

The US deployed fighter jets to shoot down a Chinese balloon that entered its airspace in February (Photo: Fox).

NBC News quoted three US officials on May 1 as saying that a "mysterious balloon" had flown over the Hawaii area and was heading towards Mexico.

US officials have not confirmed exactly what the newly discovered flying object is or who it belongs to. The strange balloon also did not fly over any "sensitive" military areas.

The Pentagon has been tracking the object since "late last week" and the US military believes it does not pose a threat to air traffic or national security.

The US continues to try to identify the newly discovered flying object and its owner. At the moment, the US military is said to not believe that the balloon originated from China.

Previously, a Chinese balloon had been in US airspace for several days since late January. It was not until February 4 that the US decided to deploy F-22 aircraft to fire missiles to shoot down the balloon in the Atlantic Ocean. According to anonymous officials, the balloon weighed more than 1 ton and its debris fell over an area of ​​about 1,500 square meters.

Washington suspects the balloon was a spy balloon and part of a fleet of surveillance balloons directed by the Chinese military that has flown over more than 40 countries on five continents. The US said the downed balloon was equipped with multiple antennas "capable of collecting and geolocating communications information".

NBC News on April 3 quoted two senior officials and a former US official as saying that the Chinese balloon may have flown over several US military bases before being shot down on February 4. The data collected by the balloon may have been transmitted to Beijing in real time.

The Biden administration has faced harsh criticism from Republicans for its delay in shooting down the balloon when it entered airspace in February. The White House said it had taken steps to limit the balloon's ability to fly and wanted to avoid harming people on the ground when debris fell, so it waited until it was out to sea before shooting it down.

The incident has escalated tensions between Beijing and Washington. China said the downed balloon was a civilian meteorological research device that entered US airspace by accident.

After the US, several other countries also confirmed the appearance of the balloon, including Costa Rica and Colombia. Canada also discovered a balloon suspected of being a spy device in February.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/my-phat-hien-them-khinh-khi-cau-bi-an-20230502071716959.htm