'Too risky to shoot down...' US after Chinese 'spy' balloon spotted over nuclear launch site

The US said a Chinese spy balloon was spotted over a nuclear launch facility in Montana. The US did not shoot down the balloon, as its size would create a debris field large enough that it could have put people at risk in Montana.  

The Chinese spy balloon that was reportedly spying on highly classified nuclear weapons facilities was being tracked, the Pentagon reported on Thursday. The Pentagon chose not to shoot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that was seen in US skies because it may hurt civilians on the ground. The 'spy' balloon flying in the air has strained US-China ties even further.

According to a senior defence official, the Pentagon is certain that the Chinese balloon was above "sensitive sites" gathering data. According to the AP, the balloon was observed in Montana, which is home to Malmstrom Air Force Base, one of the country's three nuclear missile launch centres.

A balloon that "now is travelling at an altitude considerably above commercial air traffic and does not offer a military or physical threat to anyone on the ground" is being tracked by the government.

Similar balloons have been seen before, according to the Pentagon, and the US has taken precautions to make sure it didn't collect vital information. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to visit Beijing for the first time this weekend to try and find some common ground when the "spy" balloon drama broke.

The US did prepare fighter planes, including F-22s, to fire down the balloon, but the Pentagon advised against it because of the balloon's size, which would have created a significant enough debris field to endanger people in Montana.

The official would not specify the size of the balloon, but said it was large enough that, despite its high altitude, commercial pilots could see it. 

(With inputs from various reports)