LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Two F-22 Raptors from Nellis Air Force Base were tapped to respond when a reported Chinese surveillance balloon was spotted over the western U.S. That's according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Initial sightings of the balloon were reported over Billings, Montana on Thursday, when the Defense Department considered shooting it down. That's where the fighter jets come in.
Ultimately, national security officials determined it was too risky to shoot the balloon down because of the potential debris field, a senior defense official told reporters.
Chinese officials have said the balloon is a weather research balloon that was blown off course. Pentagon officials maintain it is a surveillance balloon.
Pentagon officials noted they don't believe the balloon constitutes a significant risk to the American public, and said the government is tracking it closely.
It has since moved on to Kansas and Missouri. Based on the balloon's trajectory, NOAA estimates it will pass east through Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee before exiting U.S. territory east of North Carolina.
The Associated Press and Scripps News contributed to this report.
