The Pentagon did not shoot down the Chinese balloon as it approached Alaska in late January because it did not pose a military threat to the United States or Canada, the top commander for defending the United States said.
Debris stretches the length of 15 football fields
The debris field in the ocean off the coast of South Carolina stretches 15 football fields by 15 football fields, VanHerck said. It is being treated as potential hazardous waste because explosives might have been aboard to destroy sensitive equipment. However, there has been no indication that the balloon carried explosives, he said.
“I could not take immediate action because it was not demonstrating hostile act or hostile intent,” VanHerck said.Military officials took action to shield sensitive sites along the balloon’s path to limit its effectiveness, VanHerck said. Intelligence was also gained by studying its capabilities. He refused to say if electronic jamming devices were used to prevent it from transmitting information to China.
NASA provided models that showed the debris from shooting it down could stretch over six miles, VanHerck said. That is why commanders waited until it was six miles offshore before an F-22 fired an AIM-9 sidewinder missile with an explosive warhead into the balloon at 2:39 p.m. ET on Saturday, he said.
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