A giant white balloon in the western US state of Montana has alarmed the authorities.
The balloon was spotted near a US nuclear missile field. The Pentagon suspects that the balloon was released by China for espionage. US President Joe Biden was informed about the situation.
According to the defense authorities, it has been decided not to drop the balloon in view of the danger of falling debris, but fighter planes are ready to drop the balloon.
Meanwhile, China’s foreign ministry said on Friday that a balloon suspected of being monitored by the US was an “aircraft” used for climate research.
According to the spokesman, the said aircraft is unmanned, has limited steering capability and deviated from its intended course after takeoff.