The US Department of Defense (DoD) said fighter aircraft successfully brought down a high altitude surveillance balloon launched by and belonging to China off the coast of South Carolina on February 4.

Footage by Paul Inman filmed in Conway, near Myrtle Beach, shows the moment an aircraft fired a missile towards a white object in the sky, which then begins to fall.

President Joe Biden told reporters he “ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down on Wednesday, as soon as possible,” but explained that officials felt it was best to take the balloon down when it was over water.

The DoD said the balloon was being used by China in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental US. The craft was safely taken down over US territorial waters, according to officials. Credit: Paul Inman via Storyful