Translation of the cartoon: “They gathered to enjoy the show waiting for the final blast of the weapons of last resort”.
Spectacle, cartoon 05/02/2023 in CTXT.
The United States blew up over Atlantic waters the Chinese spy balloon that was flying over its territory and that had been passing through the country entering through Montana. It was taken out by an AIM 9X Sidewinder air-to-air missile launched from one of the two F-22A Raptor fighters sent on the mission.
Doing the math, just off the top of my head. The party cost about half a million dollars. Flying each fighter costs about $55,000 an hour (2011 estimates ) and the cucumber about $380,000( 2020price ).
China has admitted that the thing was theirs, but claims it was a weather balloon that had gone astray because of the winds. The Americans are in disbelief and insist that it was just messing with their military infrastructure.
According to some U.S. media, citing Pentagon sources, another similar balloon was detected in Latin America, off Costa Rica. The Costa Rican press reports that there are witnesses to the balloon’s flight over Costa Rican territory and China has had to confirm that the second balloon is also theirs.
