Suspected surveillance balloon is maneuverable

8 hr 25 min ago

Suspected surveillance balloon is maneuverable, according to Pentagon press secretary

From CNN's Haley Britzky

 

Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder holds a press briefing at the Pentagon on October 18, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

 

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said on Friday that the US Defense Department knows the suspected surveillance balloon floating over the northern US “has the ability to maneuver.” 

“The balloon is maneuverable, clearly it's violated US air space, and again we’ve communicated that fact to the [People’s Republic of China],” Ryder said. 

The spokesperson did not indicate any details on how it can be maneuvered. 

Ryder said the balloon is assessed to be at about 60,000 feet above the ground.

Sources familiar with the matter previously told CNN that the balloon’s movement relies primarily on the jet stream. Ryder added on Friday that the balloon “has changed its course which, again, is why we’re monitoring it.”

Chinese officials said on Friday that the balloon is a “civilian airship” used for research that “deviated far from its planned course.”