Chinese spy balloon

Washington had been tracking a balloon since it entered United States airspace a couple of days ago, including by observing it with manned US military ...

"We do not doubt that this is a [People's Republic of China] balloon. In Billings, Chase Doak said he saw a "big white circle in the sky" that he said was too small to be the moon. Without providing specifics, the Defense official said what concerned them about this launch was the altitude at which the balloon was flying and the length of time it lingered over a location. The Defense official said the spy balloon was trying to fly over the Montana missile fields, but the US has assessed that would have "limited" value in terms of providing China intelligence that it couldn't already collect by other means, such as spy satellites. "Clearly the intent of this balloon is for surveillance," said a senior US Defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The Pentagon has been tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon that has been flying over the United States but has decided it is too risky to shoot it down.

Local reporter Travia Forte recounts the local community's reaction and speculates what interested the surveillance vehicle.

"We are confident that this high-altitude surveillance balloon belongs to the [People's Republic of China]," the senior defence official said.

"We have communicated to [Chinese officials] the seriousness with which we take this issue. We have to do the risk-reward here," the official said. "So we wanted to make sure we were coordinating with civil authorities to empty out the airspace around that potential area." Our assessment is it does not. The senior defence official said on Thursday that if the risk level changes, the US "will have options to deal with this balloon." The US government has engaged with the Chinese government both through the Chinese embassy in Washington and the US diplomatic mission in China, according to the official.

The US is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted flying over sensitive sites in recent days. Defence officials said they ...

It will be the first visit to the country by a Biden administration cabinet secretary. US media have reported another US official comparing it to the size of three buses. It confused social media users in Montana, with some posting images of a pale round object high in the sky. Top military leaders, including Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, met on Wednesday to assess the threat. Canada said on Friday that it was monitoring "a potential second incident" involving a surveillance balloon, but did not say which country could be behind it. It was most recently seen above the western state of Montana.

A senior US defence official said Washington was “confident that this high altitude surveillance balloon belongs to the PRC”, using an abbreviation for China.

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One of the places the balloon was spotted was Montana, which is home to one of the nation's three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The ...

The senior defense official said the U.S. He added that the U.S. has "engaged" Chinese officials through multiple channels and communicated the seriousness of the matter. He said similar balloon activity has been seen in the past several years. One of the places the balloon was spotted was Montana, which is home to one of the nation's three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S.

The sheer size of a stratospheric balloon makes it all but invulnerable, and it may be resistant to the weapons available. Such spy balloons, now spreading ...

The fact that the U.S. gave for the ['weather balloons'](https://stratocat.com.ar/bases/81.htm) in its spying program in the 1950s. The project was not a success, but caused considerable alarm in Russia, which even developed [a ‘balloon destroyer’ version of its M-17 Mystic high-altitude aircraft](https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.php?aircraft_id=1140). Unlike satellites, they can remain over a site of interest for a prolonged period — but being inside foreign airspace rather than in the international territory of space means they can be downed. Destroying this would put the balloon out of action and prevent it from carrying out espionage. This was not enough to let a significant amount of gas out, and the balloon continued drifting. [WW1 German Zeppelin raids](https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/World-War-One-Zeppelin-Raids/), and the balloon-busting biplane pilots who brought them [crashing down in flames](https://www.queenswood.org/academic-news/local-history-the-first-zeppelin-ever-shot-down-in-potters-bar/#:~:text=2%20September%201916%20saw%20the,a%20mass%20attack%20on%20London.). A volley of 2.75” rockets was equally ineffective, as the high-explosive rockets simply flew though the balloon without detonating. While they might be able to get close enough to fire a missile, the balloon may be too high for them to shoot. In fact, bringing down this type of balloon may be extremely difficult, as it is likely to be highly resistant to the available weapons. [tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64507225) which flew over sensitive areas in Montana in recent days, apparently the latest of several such incursions. The U.S.

News that the Pentagon is monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon in the skies over the continental United States raises a series of questions ...

“Some of these systems use extremely high frequencies that are short range, can be absorbed by the atmosphere and being line-of-sight are very directional. This means they can loiter to a limited extent. Since then the US has used hundreds of them to monitor its adversaries, said Peter Layton, a fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute in Australia and former Royal Australian Air Force officer. “An advantage of balloons is that they can be steered using onboard computers to take advantage of winds and they can go up and down to a limited degree. “Balloon payloads can now weigh less and so the balloons can be smaller, cheaper and easier to launch” than satellites, Layton said. This is not the first time a Chinese balloon has been spotted over the US, but this seems to be acting differently to previous ones, a US defense official said.

China says that a balloon spotted over United States airspace was being used for weather research and was blown off course, despite Pentagon suspicion it ...

"And so the current flight path does carry it over a number of sensitive sites." And so a balloon would actually make sense in that regard." clearly the intent of this balloon is for surveillance," the official told reporters. In a statement late on Friday, China said that the balloon is for civilian meteorological and other scientific purposes and that it regrets that the airship strayed into US airspace. The balloon identified by US defence officials is said to be travelling at an altitude "well above commercial air traffic", which is typical of spy balloons. The US military has tracked "a handful" of other spy balloons over the country in recent years, including before current President Joe Biden took office, according to the senior US defence official. "It's provocative in the sense that the Chinese are flying essentially military hardware across the US — at very high altitude so it's not a danger to commercial air traffic — but nevertheless, it is a Chinese military asset that is gathering intelligence, so it is quite provocative," he said. A US defence official told reporters on Thursday they were concerned the balloon was trying to collect intelligence on the silo fields. According to Dr Davis, Montana is the site of a number of highly sensitive US military facilities. Briefing US reporters on Thursday, a US defence official did not specify the size of the balloon, but said it was large enough that commercial pilots could see it and that shooting it down would create a debris field large enough to put people on the ground at risk. The senior US defence official said the balloon featured a technology bay. [US had previously said in a defence briefing to reporters that it was confident the balloon belonged to China](/news/2023-02-03/china-spy-balloon-seen-over-us/101926096) and that they were tracking its movements.

The US is tracking a suspected Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon over the continental United States, a senior defense official said on Thursday.

Mark Milley, not to shoot it down due to the risk to safety of people on the ground. Mark Milley, “not to take kinetic action due to the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field,” the official said. We have communicated to [Chinese officials] the seriousness with which we take this issue. “So we wanted to make sure we were coordinating with civil authorities to empty out the airspace around that potential area.” The balloon is assessed to have “limited additive value” from an intelligence collection perspective, the official added. “We are confident that this high-altitude surveillance balloon belongs to the [People’s Republic of China],” the senior defense official said.

A surveillance balloon attributed to China has been flying over the continental United States for days, but the Biden administration says it poses no ...

Despite this, the Pentagon declined to estimate the dimensions of the flying object. 1 over Montana, Malmstrom Air Force Base, one of three bases in the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information.”

China has bizarrely claimed that an alleged spy balloon spotted over the US is actually a Chinese “civilian airship” which had deviated from its planned ...

However, this one has lingered in US airspace much longer, the senior defence official said. “We have communicated to them the seriousness of the issue,” the official said. But the Pentagon decision was “not to take kinetic action due to the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field,” the official said. It’s violating US airspace. “It’s manoeuverable. “The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure.”

Diplomatic fallout from incursion over the US appears to be far greater than any military benefit for Beijing.

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Antony Blinken delays trip, as China claims balloon was for 'meteorological' purposes and was blown off course.

Once the balloon was detected, the US government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information.” US officials said earlier that the balloon had travelled over part of Canada on its way to Montana. “If balloons from other countries could really enter continental US smoothly, or even enter the sky over certain states, it only proves that the US’s air defence system is completely a decoration and cannot be trusted.” “The Chinese side will continue communicating with the US side and properly handle this unexpected situation caused by force majeure.” “We acknowledge that China has issued this statement of regret,” a senior state department official said. “We had a broad, substantive agenda in mind,” a senior state department official said.

Montana balloon crisis sounds a lot less dramatic than its Cuban-missile counterpart, and not just because the Chinese surveillance balloon spotted over Big ...

[conciliatory statement](https://www.npr.org/2023/02/03/1154114264/chinese-spy-balloon-us-pentagon-china) that it “regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. The balloon is not a nuisance to either commercial airlines or U.S. By exposing the balloon’s existence, the administration has put pressure on China to de-escalate the issue. One definition of crisis is a disruption that affords little time to respond before it turns into a disaster. airspace.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken has now [postponed](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-03/us-to-postpone-blinken-s-visit-to-china-over-its-spy-balloon) his expected visit to China next week. Protections on the ground can deny the Chinese surveillance access to whatever it is they are interested in. Although the balloon lingers somewhere above where passenger jets normally fly, it is in American airspace—which is to say, the American homeland. Emergency management, then, presents two basic choices: Either prevent the disruption or buy yourself more time to minimize its consequences. [armchair analysts and GOP politicians](https://newrepublic.com/post/170391/republicans-response-reported-chinese-spy-balloon) insisting that President Joe Biden was weak in the face of a clearly aggressive action by the Chinese. [Chinese government denies](https://www.euronews.com/2023/02/03/suspected-chinese-spy-balloon-spotted-over-western-us) that it is collecting intelligence. goal is to make China stop doing that while avoiding harm to Americans. Blowing up an adversary’s airborne surveillance equipment over Montana, or even scrambling to capture it, involves different logistical and legal calculations than doing so in an active theater of war.

WASHINGTON — American military officials on Thursday said they had detected a “high-altitude surveillance balloon” launched by China floating in the skies ...

Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations. It is a big enough deal for the State Department to cancel Mr. “The main purpose of the trip was to put some guardrails on the relationship. [said the statement](https://www.mfa.gov.cn/eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/202302/t20230203_11019484.html) on the ministry’s website. The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. “China’s brazen disregard for U.S. Others called for more forceful action. Biden had been briefed and had asked to review military options. WASHINGTON — American military officials on Thursday said they had detected a “high-altitude surveillance balloon” launched by China floating in the skies of Montana, causing a diplomatic panic that led Secretary of State Antony J. “Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course. [is expanding its presence in the Philippines](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/01/world/asia/philippines-united-states-military-bases.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&state=default&module=styln-us-china&variant=show®ion=MAIN_CONTENT_1&block=storyline_top_links_recirc), a sign that the United States is positioning itself to [constrain China’s armed forces](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/02/us/politics/us-china-philippines.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&state=default&module=styln-us-china&variant=show®ion=MAIN_CONTENT_1&block=storyline_top_links_recirc)and bolstering [its ability to defend Taiwan](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/02/world/asia/us-philippines-military.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&state=default&module=styln-us-china&variant=show®ion=MAIN_CONTENT_1&block=storyline_top_links_recirc). [Beijing has the edge](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/01/world/asia/indonesia-china-united-states.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&state=default&module=styln-us-china&variant=show®ion=MAIN_CONTENT_1&block=storyline_top_links_recirc).

US authorities label a high-altitude balloon spotted over sensitive sites as "unacceptable", saying it violates US airspace and international law.

Although the trip, which was agreed to in November by President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit in Indonesia, had not been formally announced, officials in both Beijing and Washington had been talking in recent days about Mr Blinken's imminent arrival. The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the administration had "noted" China's expression of regret. Mr Blinken had been prepared as late as Thursday to travel to Beijing this weekend, but the administration had begun to reconsider the trip following the discovery of the balloon on Wednesday, even before its presence was made public. At present, the US does not plan to shoot down the balloon out of an "abundance of caution". US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a visit to China that had been expected to start on Friday after a Chinese spy balloon was tracked flying across the United States in what US officials call a "clear violation" of US sovereignty. He said it was currently over the centre of the continental US and did not "present a military or physical threat to people on the ground".

The Pentagon's only comments on the balloon's movements are that it's heading “eastward,” and officials do not believe it poses a direct threat.

[ was sent for surveillance](https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/02/03/its-a-spy-balloon-defense-secretary-says-disputing-chinas-civilian-airship-claim/?sh=455c0e6b1e8a), but they have chosen not to shoot it down since the debris field might cause “civilian injuries or deaths or significant property damage.” Beijing on Friday acknowledged the balloon originated in China, but claimed it is simply a “civilian airship” that was somehow blown thousands of miles off course—an assertion the Biden Administration has dismissed. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday the balloon does not pose a “military threat” to the U.S. A suspected Chinese spy balloon hovering over the U.S. [Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon Hovering Over U.S., Pentagon Says](https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/02/02/chinese-spy-balloon-hovering-over-us-pentagon-says/?sh=52de626439ac) (Forbes) [It’s A Spy Balloon, Defense Secretary Says, Disputing China’s ‘Civilian Airship’ Claim](https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/02/03/its-a-spy-balloon-defense-secretary-says-disputing-chinas-civilian-airship-claim/?sh=455c0e6b1e8a) (Forbes) [Blinken Postpones China Visit After Spy Balloon](https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/02/03/blinken-postpones-china-visit-after-spy-balloon/?sh=1d5b9b703e65) (Forbes) 60,000 feet. [ was spotted over Montana](https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/02/02/chinese-spy-balloon-hovering-over-us-pentagon-says/?sh=52de626439ac) on Wednesday after moving over Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and then passing through Canada, according to the Pentagon.

A popular military tool during the Cold War, spy balloons have since fallen out of favor—for good reason.

The senior DOD official noted that the balloon is big enough to cause a potentially dangerous debris field if the US shot down the balloon over an inhabited area. Brigadier General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said on Thursday that, "instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years. A senior US Department of Defense official [told reporters](https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3287204/senior-defense-official-holds-a-background-briefing-on-high-altitude-surveillan/) on Thursday, though, that “clearly the intent of this balloon is for surveillance.” US officials said on Thursday that the spy balloon was floating above commercial air traffic at roughly 60,000 feet and that it does not pose a threat to people or activity on the ground. “You may have noticed that this balloon has caused a massive international incident, and it’s got everyone looking at China and demanding that the US government do something. And unlike satellites, which are out of sight and out of mind for people on Earth, the situation currently playing out with the Chinese balloon illustrates the biggest limitation of surveillance balloons.

Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the ...

One is that you can’t steer it, really, and it only passes over the place that you’re looking at—if you even get lucky and are able to place it correctly—once. So yes, if you want a balloon to end up in a certain place, you can strategically choose where you launch it from and you can have some reasonable degree of control [over where] it’s going to end up. How visible it would be would depend on how big it is, what it’s made of and also the detection technology being employed to track it. China already has capabilities like satellites, and they didn’t seem to think the balloon was going to be dramatically different. and that was flying in the U.S. If it’s a weather balloon, then it would be equipped with sensors to measure things like temperature, and so on. We know this is a Chinese balloon and that it has the ability to maneuver.” And so the only control that a balloon has is: in some balloons, you can control the altitude—you can make it go higher or lower. And that can give you some measure of control—but not anywhere near the level of control that you have [with an airplane]. To the extent that the wind speed and direction varies with altitude, you can change the altitude, within some limits. It adds some more complexity to the whole thing.” In addition to its maneuverability, the surveillance balloon differs from a typical weather balloon in other ways, On Friday the Pentagon’s press secretary said that the balloon is now over the central U.S.

What is known about these surveillance balloons, and what could happen given recent tensions between the US and China?

"The airship is from China. That's what we're focused on." Police also reminded residents that they, "don't have the capability to respond to an altitude of 60k feet to check it out," and "we are pretty sure the Feds would want us to stay out of it." According to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, Mr Wang said the two discussed the incident "in a calm and professional manner." In a telephone call with senior Chinese official Wang Yi, Mr Blinken said he "made clear that the presence of this surveillance balloon in US airspace is a clear violation of US sovereignty and international law, that it's an irresponsible act." However, Mr Blinken said he told Mr Wang that "the United States is committed to diplomatic engagement with China and that I plan to visit Beijing when conditions allow."