Chinese spy balloon

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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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.

Beijing has not issued an outright denial and said it was 'learning about the verification of the matter' and had 'no intention' of violating US air space.

The Pentagon decided not to shoot down the balloon because of concerns about hurting people on the ground.

It could be seen drifting in and out of clouds and had what appeared to be a solar array hanging from the bottom, said Gazette photographer Larry Mayer. has assessed that the balloon has “limited” value in terms of providing intelligence that couldn’t be obtained by other technologies, such as Not least on that list of irritants are China’s tacit support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, its refusal to rein in North Korea’s expanding ballistic missile program and ongoing disputes over trade and technology. On Thursday, a senior American defense official told Pentagon reporters that the U.S. prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot down the balloon if ordered. The ministry said the airship has limited steering capabilities and “deviated far from its planned course” because of winds.“ airspace due to "force majeure,” the statement said, citing a legal term used to refer to events beyond one's control. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. [Antony Blinken](https://scrippsnews.com/stories/blinken-meets-with-netanyahu-in-israel/) was expected to make his first trip to Beijing this weekend. In a leaked memo, U.S. The discovery further strained already tense relations between Beijing and Washington. Mike Minihan said "my gut tells me we will fight in 2025."

The Biden administration postponed Secretary of State Antony Blinken's upcoming trip to Beijing after detecting a Chinese surveillance balloon that was ...

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

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The U.S. is tracking a Chinese balloon that was discovered over the continental United States, a discovery that risks adding further strain to tense ...

Canceling U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken long-planned trip underscores how seriously the White House views the incident.

The statement did not make clear whether it was the same balloon that the U.S. “It is appearing to hang out for a longer period of time, this time around.” The Canadian Department of National Defense said late Thursday it had also detected a high-altitude surveillance balloon that was being “actively tracked” by NORAD, which is a military organization that draws on intelligence from the U.S. Despite the public disclosures, U.S. In the end, following recommendations of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley and General Glen VanHerck, commander of U.S. “It’s happened a handful of other times over the past few years, to include before this administration,” a senior defense official said on Thursday. “The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure. “It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes,” the ministry said, adding that the slow-moving, unmanned, white balloon had limited ability to course-correct its flightpath. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy demanded a briefing for the “Gang of Eight,” a colloquial term for the Republican and Democrat Congressional leaders who are informed on classified intelligence matters from the executive branch. The state is home to Malmstrom Air Force Base, one of three bases that host nuclear-tipped Intercontinental ballistic missile fields. “I can tell you that the balloon continues to move eastward and is currently over the center of the continental United States,” Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder said Friday. defense officials told reporters the military was tracking its flightpath, which was detected above the Aleutian Islands near Alaska, then through Canada, and ultimately into the United States.

China says a suspected spy balloon is actually a wayward "civilian airship" used for weather monitoring.

It will be the first visit to the country by a Biden administration cabinet secretary. "I thought maybe it was a legitimate UFO," he said. "The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure."

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).

A Chinese spy balloon has changed course and is now floating eastward at about 60000 feet (18300 meters) over the central United States, demonstrating a ...

The last visit by a U.S. Chinese spy satellites carry similar sensors to what U.S. "I condemn any attempts the Chinese make to spy on Americans. airspace for a few more days, Ryder said, declining to speculate on what options the U.S. Ryder said the U.S. WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - A Chinese spy balloon has changed course and is now floating eastward at about 60,000 feet (18,300 meters) over the central United States, demonstrating a capability to maneuver, the U.S.

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.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a visit to China that had been expected to start on Friday (Feb 3) after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was ...

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the spy balloon incident on the eve of his China trip was an “irresponsible act” by China.. PHOTO: EPA-EFE.

“I am calling on the Biden administration to quickly take steps to remove the Chinese spy balloon from US airspace,” he said in a statement The last visit by a US secretary of state was in 2017. “I condemn any attempts the Chinese make to spy on Americans. He said people in any given US state could look up into the sky if they wanted. “The first step is ... It is unacceptable this occurred.”

The high-altitude balloon now floating at 60000 feet over the continental US is part of a broader Chinese spying program that's seen many such devices sent ...

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.

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a visit to China that had been expected to start on Friday (Feb 3) after a suspected Chinese spy ...

He said it would likely be over the country for a few more days. “The first step is ... It is unacceptable this occurred". Advertisement Jean-Pierre said the US administration was aware of China's statement "but the presence of this balloon in our airspace, it is a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden was briefed on Tuesday about the balloon flight over the United States and there was an administration "consensus that it was not appropriate to travel to the People's Republic of China at this time".

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his upcoming trip to China in response to the flying of a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the United ...

He also said that what makes this surveillance balloon different from other similar balloon activity in the past is the “duration and the length of which it has been over US territory.” It is also not the first time a surveillance balloon has appeared over the United States. The US official said there were similar incidents with suspected Chinese surveillance balloons over Hawaii and Guam in recent years. Ryder added on Friday that the balloon “has changed its course which, again, is why we’re monitoring it.” He added that the US military will not get into “hour-by-hour” updates on the location, but said the public can look up and see it. The balloon is assessed to have “limited additive value” from an intelligence collection perspective, the official added. Earlier this week, the State Department summoned China’s charge d’affaires in Washington, Xu Xueyuan, “to deliver a very clear and stark message” regarding the discovery of the spy balloon, a second US official told CNN. A US military official said the incident is serious because of the “audacity” of the Chinese government, rather than any intelligence gain. We also engaged our close allies and partners to inform them of the presence of the surveillance balloon in our airspace.” The balloon was spotted in Missouri on Friday and is moving toward the East Coast. The Chinese foreign ministry claimed Friday that the balloon spotted over the US was a “civilian airship” used mainly for weather research that deviated from its planned course. The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure,” the Chinese foreign ministry said.

A suspected Chinese surveillance balloon in the skies over the continental United States has sparked national security and diplomatic concerns, adding to ...

“We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon.” “It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes. One of the officials said it could exit the East Coast on Saturday. But that’s not to say that it couldn’t be [State Department official said](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/03/politics/china-us-balloon-intl/index.html) that the US has acknowledged China’s “statement of regret” but that the presence of the balloon in US airspace was “a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law, and it is unacceptable that this has occurred.” [plans to hold a hearing](https://www.tester.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/tester-announces-defense-hearing-on-chinese-spy-balloon/) on the balloon and how it was able to violate US airspace. It is unclear exactly where over Latin America the balloon is, but a US official told CNN it does not appear that balloon is currently heading to the United States. Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course. [shot down eventually](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/03/politics/us-monitoring-chinese-balloon/index.html); a senior defense official said Thursday that the US has “options to deal with this balloon” if the risk assessment changes. [had advised Biden](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/02/politics/us-tracking-china-spy-balloon/index.html) not to shoot the balloon down due to fear over the debris posing a safety threat. [postpone his highly anticipated trip](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/03/politics/china-us-balloon-intl/index.html) to China, saying Friday that the high-altitude Chinese balloon entering US airspace “created the conditions that undermine the purpose of the trip.” Pat Ryder has flatly denied the Chinese government’s claim that the balloon serves a civilian research purpose, saying that the US knows it is a “surveillance balloon.”

A high-altitude research balloon from the US is now among the world's most-tracked aircraft, after thousands of internet users mistook it for the suspected ...

US fighter jets have shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon, but the tensions linger in the world's most important bilateral relationship.

A decade into a militarized and pressurized South China Sea, after the global acceptance of the PRC’s denials and assurances that it had no military intentions or applications there, should make it painfully obvious that the United States must do much more to push back against this increased aggression, and it must draw red lines with actions and costs, not words. The United States should take action to limit the ability of China to gain sensitive information from the balloon. The United States must take appropriate, firm, and relevant moves against these brazen actions, or else it invites them to multiply. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had already [canceled a planned trip](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/03/world/asia/china-spy-balloon.html) to China amid concerns over the balloon. But what is likely front and center right now is the ongoing battle over who will lead in the development of advanced technology such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and semiconductors. This action may suggest a shift in Chinese nuclear strategy to plan to target US nuclear weapons before they can be used, and it shows a brazen belief in Beijing that the CCP can violate US airspace without consequences. The cancellation of Blinken’s diplomatic engagement in China is appropriate but will not be enough. The scuttled trip would have been Blinken’s first to China in two years as secretary of state and [reportedly would have included](https://www.ft.com/content/663bcc8f-1d44-4131-a9e5-43aeb02a79dc) a sit-down with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. In fact, it gave Beijing the ability to better map US intercontinental ballistic missile silos for future targeting and to gauge the US response. Due to its self-perceived economic, diplomatic, and even military strength, the PRC continues to take steps that brazenly violate US sovereignty. - Recover and exploit the balloon for both intelligence and counterintelligence value, while also not squandering an opportunity to directly refute the PRC’s preposterous claims that this was a weather research balloon. [shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon](https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-51e49202f2a0a50541cde059934c4cfb) over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday after it had floated across the United States.

The balloon brought Americans out to squint at the sky, caused a diplomatic visit to be canceled and opened a political debate.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry says that the machine was a civilian weather balloon that had strayed far — very far — off course and entered U.S. Biden, after news of the balloon became widespread, for not taking harder action against the balloon and against China, and some demand that Mr. Austin III, in the Philippines at the time, calls a meeting of senior military and defense officials to review options, per Mr. officials convey to Chinese officials several times that the U.S. Blinken tells a Chinese diplomat in Washington in the evening that the American government has the right to take any actions to protect its interests. One Pentagon official calls the balloon a blatant, and poorly concealed, effort at spying. The balloon makes its way to the skies above Billings, Mont., which alarmed Pentagon officials because the state is home to the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, one of three U.S. The arrival — and extended stay — of the balloon over American territory prompted furious calls from senior U.S. The president asks for military options, including the immediate destruction of the aircraft. By Wednesday, the balloon was hovering over Montana, and a full-blown diplomatic crisis was underway. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, alerts President Biden. The spy balloon starts a controlled drift into American territory, entering Alaskan airspace near the Aleutian Islands.

America don shoot down one giant Chinese balloon wey dem say bin dey spy on key military sites across US.

Di object bin dey spotted for di US state of Montana, wey be home to a number of sensitive nuclear missile sites. Di official add say "capable Navy divers" fit dey deployed to assist in di operation. Defence officials also reveal on Saturday say di balloon bin first enter US airspace on 28 January near di Aleutian Islands, before moving to Canadian airspace three days later, and re-entering di US on 31 January. Two naval ships, including one with heavy crane for recovery, dey di area. US President Joe Biden bin dey under pressure to shoot di balloon down since defence officials first announce say dem dey track am it on Thursday. Inside one Pentagon statement, one senior US defence official say, "while we take all di necessary steps to protect against di PRC [China] surveillance balloon collection of sensitive information, di surveillance balloon overflight of US territory dey of intelligence value to us.