A suspected Chinese surveillance balloon has flown over US sensitive ballistic missile sites on Friday, and then a second A Chinese observation balloon has been spotted over latin america. But what exactly is this huge white orb sweeping across US airspace? triggered A diplomatic storm is blowing up on social media?
China insists on this just The stray civilian airship is mainly used for Meteorological research who went off Of course because of the wind. With only limited “self-guided” capabilities.
However, the United States says It is undoubtedly a Chinese spy balloon. And paid her faithful presence of Anthony Blinken’s country cancels a weekend trip to China for a phone call down tensions already high between countries.
Pentagon says The balloon carries sensors and control equipment It is maneuverable and has shown that it can change course. However, it fizzled out over sensitive areas of Montana where nuclear warheads are isolated, prompting military To take action to prevent them from collecting intelligence.
A Pentagon spokesman said it was possible remain high above over United State for “a few days,” adding to uncertainty about where it will go or whether the US will try to take it. down safely.
A look at what is known about the balloon – and what is not known.
bird, airplane, balloon
The Pentagon and other US officials say it’s a Chinese spy balloon — about the size of it of Three school buses. moving east over America is on the rise of About 18,600 meters (60,000 ft). United State says It was used for information gathering and surveillance, but officials provided few details.
US officials say the Biden administration knew of before it crosses into US airspace in Alaska early this week. Some officials spoke on condition of Anonymity to discuss sensitive topic.
The White House said President Joe Biden was first Check out on balloon on Tuesday. The State Department noted that Blinken and Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman spoke with China senior Washington based official on Wednesday evening about it.
In the first public American statement, Brig. Gen. Pat Rider, Pentagon Press secretaryHe said Thursday evening that the balloon was not military Or a physical threat – an admission that he was not carrying weapons. He said, “Once the balloon was discovered, the United States government Act immediately to protect against the group of sensitive information. “
Even if unarmed, the balloon represents a risk to the United States, says Retired Gen. John Ferrari is a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He said that the flight itself can be used test America ability To detect incoming threats and find vulnerabilities in Country air defense warning system. maybe also allow That the Chinese feel the electromagnetic emissions higher-to rise satellites Cannot be detected, such as low power radio frequencies that can help understand them how Various US weapon systems communicate.
he also He said that the Chinese probably sent the balloon “to show us They can do that, maybe next The time he could have a weapon. So now we have to spend money and time on It’s developing defenses.
Let it fly, shoot down?
Senior administration officials said President Joe Biden is first wanted to launch the balloon down. And some members of Congress has echoed that sentiment.
But top Pentagon leaders strongly advised Biden against that move because of risk on safety of people on Earth, and Biden agreed.
One official said the sensor package The balloon weighs up to 1,000 lbs. And the balloon is big enough and high enough in the air That the field of potential debris can stretch for miles, with Do not judge over Where you will eventually land.
For now, officials said, the United States will be watching. using “diversity of Including airplanes. Pentagon also He said that the balloon is not a military Threat and no give China does not have any surveillance capabilities already Owns with spy satellites.
But the United States keeps it options open and will continue to monitor the flight.
Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on House Intelligence Committee, you might as well valuable to try and capture balloon to study it. “I’d rather have a Chinese observation balloon than clean up one up over “A 100-square-mile debris field,” Himes said.
How did I get here?
Deliberate or accident? there also disagreement.
As far as wind patterns go, China has accounted for it global air The currents — winds known as Westerlies — carried the balloon out of its territory and into the western United States, said Dan Jaffe, A.D professor of Atmospheric chemistry at the university of Washington. Jaffe lesson role Same wind patterns play in Pregnancy air Pollution from Chinese cities, wildfire smoke from Siberia, and dust from sandstorms in the Gobi Desert into the United States. for two decades.
“It’s totally consistent with everything we are know Jaffe said. “The transit time from China to the United States will take about a week.” “the higher “Go ahead, hurry up,” said Jaffe. he said that weather And research Balloons usually contain range of Orientation capabilities depending on Their evolution, from no directive to limited directive ability.
The United States is basically my mother on this issue But he insists the balloon is maneuverable, suggesting that China somehow deliberately moved the balloon into or into US airspace.
date of Spy balloons
Spy balloons are not new The primitive ones are history back centuries, but they came to the greatest use in World War II. Administration officials said on Friday that there have been other similar incidents of chinese spy balloons, with one saying what happened twice During the Trump administration but never was made public.
At the Pentagon, Ryder confirms that there have been other incidents where the balloons have come close to or crossed the United States border. However, he and others agree that what makes this different is the length of it is time over The territory of the United States and how Far away in the country you penetrated.
Craig Singleton, a senior co-worker for Defense of The democracies said that many Chinese observation balloons have been seen times over the past five years in different parts of Pacific Ocean, including the sensitive United States military Facilities in Hawaii. He said that the high-altitude inflatables serve as low-cost intelligence-gathering platforms, and some of them can be used to detect hypersonic missiles.
During World War II, Japan shot thousands of Hydrogen balloons carry bombs, and hundreds are over up in United States and Canada. Most of them were ineffective, however one It was fatal. In May 1945, six Civilians died when found one of balloons on the earth in Oregon that exploded.
In the aftermath of The war, America’s balloon efforts ignited the strange stories and lore associated with Roswell, New Mexico.
according to military research Documents and studies, the United States began using Giant trains of Balloons and sensors that have been tied together and stretched more From 600 ft. as part of Early attempt to detect Soviet missile launches during post- World War II era. They called it Project Mogul.
One of balloon trains crash- Landed at Roswell Army Airport in 1947, and the Air Force personnel unaware of the program found debris. However, the experience is extraordinary equipment made It is difficult to recognize and leave the pilots with Unanswered questions that with the help of UFO enthusiasts, took on life of Their own. According to the military Reports, the answer was simple just over Sacramento Mountains at Project Mogul launch site in Alamogordo.
In 2015, an Army drone surveillance balloon broke away from its mooring at the Aberdeen Proving Ground. in Maryland. float over Pennsylvania for hours with Two fighter planes on his tail, causing a power outage as he pulled his rope across it power lines. Then, as the residents contemplated, the 240-foot balloon came down in to cut in Muncie, Pennsylvania, countryside. It still contained helium in When his nose fell off, the state police used shotguns—about 100 rounds—to deflate it.
A suspected Chinese surveillance balloon has flown over US sensitive ballistic missile sites on Friday, and then a second A Chinese observation balloon has been spotted over latin america. But what exactly is this huge white orb sweeping across US airspace? triggered A diplomatic storm is blowing up on social media?
China insists on this just The stray civilian airship is mainly used for Meteorological research who went off Of course because of the wind. With only limited “self-guided” capabilities.
However, the United States says It is undoubtedly a Chinese spy balloon. And paid her faithful presence of Anthony Blinken’s country cancels a weekend trip to China for a phone call down tensions already high between countries.
Pentagon says The balloon carries sensors and control equipment It is maneuverable and has shown that it can change course. However, it fizzled out over sensitive areas of Montana where nuclear warheads are isolated, prompting military To take action to prevent them from collecting intelligence.
A Pentagon spokesman said it was possible remain high above over United State for “a few days,” adding to uncertainty about where it will go or whether the US will try to take it. down safely.
A look at what is known about the balloon – and what is not known.
bird, airplane, balloon
The Pentagon and other US officials say it’s a Chinese spy balloon — about the size of it of Three school buses. moving east over America is on the rise of About 18,600 meters (60,000 ft). United State says It was used for information gathering and surveillance, but officials provided few details.
US officials say the Biden administration knew of before it crosses into US airspace in Alaska early this week. Some officials spoke on condition of Anonymity to discuss sensitive topic.
The White House said President Joe Biden was first Check out on balloon on Tuesday. The State Department noted that Blinken and Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman spoke with China senior Washington based official on Wednesday evening about it.
In the first public American statement, Brig. Gen. Pat Rider, Pentagon Press secretaryHe said Thursday evening that the balloon was not military Or a physical threat – an admission that he was not carrying weapons. He said, “Once the balloon was discovered, the United States government Act immediately to protect against the group of sensitive information. “
Even if unarmed, the balloon represents a risk to the United States, says Retired Gen. John Ferrari is a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He said that the flight itself can be used test America ability To detect incoming threats and find vulnerabilities in Country air defense warning system. maybe also allow That the Chinese feel the electromagnetic emissions higher-to rise satellites Cannot be detected, such as low power radio frequencies that can help understand them how Various US weapon systems communicate.
he also He said that the Chinese probably sent the balloon “to show us They can do that, maybe next The time he could have a weapon. So now we have to spend money and time on It’s developing defenses.
Let it fly, shoot down?
Senior administration officials said President Joe Biden is first wanted to launch the balloon down. And some members of Congress has echoed that sentiment.
But top Pentagon leaders strongly advised Biden against that move because of risk on safety of people on Earth, and Biden agreed.
One official said the sensor package The balloon weighs up to 1,000 lbs. And the balloon is big enough and high enough in the air That the field of potential debris can stretch for miles, with Do not judge over Where you will eventually land.
For now, officials said, the United States will be watching. using “diversity of Including airplanes. Pentagon also He said that the balloon is not a military Threat and no give China does not have any surveillance capabilities already Owns with spy satellites.
But the United States keeps it options open and will continue to monitor the flight.
Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on House Intelligence Committee, you might as well valuable to try and capture balloon to study it. “I’d rather have a Chinese observation balloon than clean up one up over “A 100-square-mile debris field,” Himes said.
How did I get here?
Deliberate or accident? there also disagreement.
As far as wind patterns go, China has accounted for it global air The currents — winds known as Westerlies — carried the balloon out of its territory and into the western United States, said Dan Jaffe, A.D professor of Atmospheric chemistry at the university of Washington. Jaffe lesson role Same wind patterns play in Pregnancy air Pollution from Chinese cities, wildfire smoke from Siberia, and dust from sandstorms in the Gobi Desert into the United States. for two decades.
“It’s totally consistent with everything we are know Jaffe said. “The transit time from China to the United States will take about a week.” “the higher “Go ahead, hurry up,” said Jaffe. he said that weather And research Balloons usually contain range of Orientation capabilities depending on Their evolution, from no directive to limited directive ability.
The United States is basically my mother on this issue But he insists the balloon is maneuverable, suggesting that China somehow deliberately moved the balloon into or into US airspace.
date of Spy balloons
Spy balloons are not new The primitive ones are history back centuries, but they came to the greatest use in World War II. Administration officials said on Friday that there have been other similar incidents of chinese spy balloons, with one saying what happened twice During the Trump administration but never was made public.
At the Pentagon, Ryder confirms that there have been other incidents where the balloons have come close to or crossed the United States border. However, he and others agree that what makes this different is the length of it is time over The territory of the United States and how Far away in the country you penetrated.
Craig Singleton, a senior co-worker for Defense of The democracies said that many Chinese observation balloons have been seen times over the past five years in different parts of Pacific Ocean, including the sensitive United States military Facilities in Hawaii. He said that the high-altitude inflatables serve as low-cost intelligence-gathering platforms, and some of them can be used to detect hypersonic missiles.
During World War II, Japan shot thousands of Hydrogen balloons carry bombs, and hundreds are over up in United States and Canada. Most of them were ineffective, however one It was fatal. In May 1945, six Civilians died when found one of balloons on the earth in Oregon that exploded.
In the aftermath of The war, America’s balloon efforts ignited the strange stories and lore associated with Roswell, New Mexico.
according to military research Documents and studies, the United States began using Giant trains of Balloons and sensors that have been tied together and stretched more From 600 ft. as part of Early attempt to detect Soviet missile launches during post- World War II era. They called it Project Mogul.
One of balloon trains crash- Landed at Roswell Army Airport in 1947, and the Air Force personnel unaware of the program found debris. However, the experience is extraordinary equipment made It is difficult to recognize and leave the pilots with Unanswered questions that with the help of UFO enthusiasts, took on life of Their own. According to the military Reports, the answer was simple just over Sacramento Mountains at Project Mogul launch site in Alamogordo.
In 2015, an Army drone surveillance balloon broke away from its mooring at the Aberdeen Proving Ground. in Maryland. float over Pennsylvania for hours with Two fighter planes on his tail, causing a power outage as he pulled his rope across it power lines. Then, as the residents contemplated, the 240-foot balloon came down in to cut in Muncie, Pennsylvania, countryside. It still contained helium in When his nose fell off, the state police used shotguns—about 100 rounds—to deflate it.