Tension As US Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon Over Atlantic

October 1, 2026

A Chinese spy balloon was shot down by the United States over the Atlantic Ocean near the American East Coast.

On the instruction of President Joe Biden, US fighter jets shot down the spy balloon, according to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s confirmation on Saturday.

Austin was cited by CNN as adding that recovery attempts got under way right away after the balloon was brought down.

The high-altitude surveillance balloon launched and owned by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was successfully brought down by American fighter planes, according to Austin, above the water off the coast of South Carolina in US airspace.

He claims that Biden approved the mission “as soon as it could be carried out without putting American lives in danger under the path of the balloon.”

As US military aircraft targeted the target over the Atlantic Ocean, three airports were shut down and airspace was restricted off the coast of South Carolina.

Since it originally spread across the US last week, Biden has come under significant pressure from the BBC to deny it.

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The US Air Force and Coast Guard were operating planes between Wilmington, North Carolina, and Myrtle Beach, according to the tracking website Flightradar24.

When informed about the balloon on Wednesday, according to Biden, who spoke with reporters, he instructed the Pentagon to shoot it down as soon as feasible.

He said that no one on the ground was harmed in making their decision.