Chinese spy balloon

2023 - 2 - 4

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Image courtesy of "1 News"

Chinese balloon high over US stirs unease down below (1 News)

Initial speculation over its origins ranged from the foreign to the extra-terrestrial.

When the Pentagon said the balloon had since drifted over the central U.S., Zinke raised the possibility China had more than one balloon over the US. The service confirmed it was not a National Weather Service balloon. The heavy anti-China sentiment marks a shift from a just a few years ago, when Montana US Sen. Is it a spy balloon, is it a weather balloon? Ryan Zinke sent a poll to constituents early Friday saying the balloon was still over the state and asking if should be shot down. Jon Tester, who chairs the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said he would hold a hearing to get answers from the Biden administration. A graphic generated by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration online tool was eagerly shared on Facebook, showing the balloon’s trajectory sweep into the U.S. In Montana — home to Malmstrom Air Force base and dozens of nuclear missile silos — people doubted Beijing's claim that it was a weather balloon gone off course. Local National Weather Service offices were asked on Twitter whether the balloon was theirs. When Todd Hewett's 10-year-old son saw it over Billings he thought it was a comet. And online storm chasers, more accustomed to tracking raging systems and funnel clouds, offered updates on the balloon’s path through cloudless skies. Louis TV stations offered grainy live feeds of the balloon.

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Image courtesy of "Evening Standard"

Second Chinese 'spy balloon' spotted over Latin America as ... (Evening Standard)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a trip to China amid a diplomatic row between the two countries.

The last visit by a US secretary of state was in 2017. The US Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, said the spy balloon was alarming but not a surprise. In South Korea on Friday, Mr Blinken said he had spoken with Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, and “made clear that the presence of this surveillance balloon in US airspace is a clear violation of US sovereignty and international law”. A senior official said the US communicated directly with China through multiple levels once the balloon - which the US described as a surveillance satellite - was detected. [Antony Blinken, postponed his trip to China following the discovery of a high-altitude Chinese balloon that was spotted over the US](/comment/us-postpones-blinken-visit-to-china-over-alleged-spy-balloon-b1057854.html). US Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a trip to China amid a diplomatic row between the two countries

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Image courtesy of "Livemint"

Why can't US shoot down China's Spy Balloon? Know all about the ... (Livemint)

The US Defense Department on Thursday said that it is monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon floating over the western state of Montana, ...

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Image courtesy of "Hindustan Times"

What Chinese 'spy' balloons can do that satellites can't. Experts reveal (Hindustan Times)

China spy balloon row: The discovery of the Chinese balloon roiled diplomatic tensions, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelling a rare-planned ...

Speaking to AFP, Kim said that the spy balloon looked like a normal weather balloon but with distinct features and characteristics. The balloons can stay over a spot for months at a time as well, he added. [diplomatic tension between Washington and Beijing](https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/how-china-spy-balloon-over-us-adds-tension-ahead-of-talks-in-beijing-101675398578827.html). The spy balloon was first spotted earlier this week loitering over Montana, home to sensitive airbases and strategic missiles, and another [over Latin America on Friday](https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/second-chinese-spy-balloon-spotted-over-latin-america-says-pentagon-101675480732952.html). Small spy balloons can escape radar detection as well, Peter Layton, former Royal Australian Air Force officer, told CNN. [World News](https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news)along with [Latest News](https://www.hindustantimes.com/latest-news)from [India](https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news)at Hindustan Times.

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Image courtesy of "The Indian Express"

'Spy balloon' is latest flashpoint between US, China: what is this age ... (The Indian Express)

The United States has accused China of flying a “spy balloon” in its airspace. Beijing has responded, calling the object “a civilian airship used for ...

The project flew photographic balloons over Soviet bloc territory in the 1950s – a time before the sheer ubiquitousness of surveillance satellites we see today. For well over a century, before aircraft technology really took off during the Great War, balloons were the primary mode of big-picture reconnaissance, providing perspective on enemy positions and movements simply impossible to obtain from the ground. President Joe Biden was briefed on the matter, but advised against taking “kinetic action” as debris from the balloon could pose a threat to life and property on the ground. These operations are a part of China’s ongoing attempt to intimidate and unsettle Taiwan as well as test the West’s resolve on the matter. No military targets were damaged, but several civilians were killed when one of the balloons crashed in an Oregon forest. Currently, “the balloon is well above commercial air traffic and does not pose a threat to civil aviation,” said Brig. Officials claim the white balloon is the size of three buses and is carrying a “large” payload. From an office window in Billings, Chase Doak said he saw a “big white circle in the sky”, that he said was too small to be the Moon, reported The Associated Press. A local media said that Blinken was playing it safe, not wanting to blow the situation out of proportion by cancelling his visit, but also not wanting the meeting to be dominated by the issue. Word of something unusual in the skies over Billings, Montana first spread on Wednesday afternoon when a “ground stop” was placed on regional airports. As per a CNN report, the exact location of the second balloon is unclear, but it does not look like it is heading toward the United States. Beijing has responded, calling the object “a civilian airship used for meteorological research”.

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Image courtesy of "Greek Reporter"

Americans Take Aim at Chinese Spy Balloon with Rifles (Greek Reporter)

Earlier, the military had advised against shooting down the balloon due to the risk of falling debris, but the situation could change as the balloon moves ...

Follow GR on [Google News ](https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqLQgKIidDQklTRndnTWFoTUtFV2R5WldWcmNtVndiM0owWlhJdVkyOXRLQUFQAQ)and [subscribe here ](https://greekreporter.com/about/newsletter/)to our daily email! officials said, one a defense expert estimates is equivalent to the size of three bus lengths “You would shoot your gun into the air, the bullet would travel (up to about a mile), and then gravity would pull it back down. Vance](https://www.vance.senate.gov/) tweeted an image of himself staring at the sky while posing with a rifle. “We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon.” I imagine they have the capability and the resolve to do it all themselves. I imagine they have the capability and the resolve to do it all themselves.” tweeted to his followers that if the government won’t take down the balloon “perhaps we just let the good people of Montana do their thing… We shoot it down.” [pic.twitter.com/mkF7DIN43q] It is way above the altitude where a bullet could reach it. [February 3, 2023]

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Image courtesy of "Outlook India"

Explained: The Chinese 'Spy Balloon' Over USA, What Are The ... (Outlook India)

The Chinese spy balloon over the United States has raised US-China tensions. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it's 'unacceptable as well as ...

For those looking to replace Biden in the White House, the Chinese balloon story was a gift from above," noted Yahoo's David Knowles. Chuck Grassley said, "If you are puzzled by Biden administraion's passive reaction to Chinese spy balloon hovering over our military bases that makes two of us. Blinken further said that lines of communication with the Chinese government are open but visit is no longer the first priority. The CTV News reported, "Canadian officials have not publicly stated whether the massive high-altitude balloon entered Canadian airspace. But sources told CTV News it had passed over the Canadian Arctic, Alberta and Saskatchewan before it was spotted over Montana on Thursday, as it flew over a nuclear launch site. He said, "If they know Joe freezes at the first sight of a balloon, the next balloon might be filled with another virus. He also said that "once the balloon was detected, the US government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information". Pat Ryder said on Thursday evening that the balloon was not a military or physical threat - an acknowledgement that it was not carrying weapons. President Joe Biden was briefed about the balloon on Friday and was advised to not shoot it down. He said, "America's spy balloons can carry suicide drones and deploy them to take out targets on the ground like a floating hive with killer bees. The DoD has said the balloon is carrying sensors and surveillance equipment. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a visit to China that was supposed to start on Friday night.

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Image courtesy of "USA TODAY"

Surveillance, research, civilian use? What the Chinese balloon is ... (USA TODAY)

“We know that it's a surveillance balloon,” Ryder said. Here's what to know about spy balloons. Chinese spy balloon spotted in US airspace. What are spy ...

Shooting the balloon down might prevent the U.S. “Where the debris might land from that height is hard to predict,” he said. Some of the options, after having observed it, would be to try ensure that whatever technology is being used, is disabled and cannot fulfill its purpose. airspace and lost control of the balloon because of a strong winds or a malfunction, Parachini said. “China wants to remind the U.S. Similar balloons also thought to be of Chinese origin have flown near other military sites in Guam and Hawaii and could be collecting information about U.S. However, there is also a chance China is testing its ability to enter U.S. In 2019, the U.S. Parachini said the surveillance balloon could be seen as “provocative action” to affect upcoming meetings. Air Force set in motion the first “large-scale, unmanned, high altitude balloon intelligence operation” – [Project Genetrix](https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1950-55Intel/d229), during which reconnaissance balloons photographed “Soviet land mass.” After a Chinese surveillance balloon was spotted drifting over the northern United States, the U.S. But even if the balloon is meant for non-military research, that doesn't mean it won’t provide information useful to China’s military, he said.

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Image courtesy of "Economic Times"

'Spy balloon' in US airspace: China urges for cool headed handling ... (Economic Times)

China's Foreign Ministry said, "Maintaining contact and communication at all levels is an important common understanding reached by the Chinese and US ...

The Chinese side is firmly opposed to that." Ryder added on Friday that the balloon "has changed its course which, again, is why we're monitoring it." [Chinese unmanned airship](/topic/chinese-unmanned-airship)into US airspace due to force majeure, the Chinese side has verified it and communicated it to the US side. Some politicians and media in the US have hyped it up to attack and smear China. This is entirely an unexpected situation caused by force majeure and the facts are very clear," said the Chinese Spokesperson. Meanwhile, on Friday evening the Pentagon said that a second Chinese In its response to Blinken's postponement, China's Foreign Ministry said, "Maintaining contact and communication at all levels is an important common understanding reached by the Chinese and US presidents at their meeting in Bali. Biden and national security team officials have discussed options including shooting the balloon down, the official said. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday postponed his upcoming visit to Beijing stating the "presence of the surveillance balloon in "In fact, neither side has ever announced that there would be a visit. The Pentagon said the balloon over the US is being used for surveillance, rejecting China's claim that the aircraft was a "civilian airship" for research that deviated from its course. It is a matter for the US to make its latest announcement, and we respect that," a Chinese spokesperson said.

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Image courtesy of "EarthSky"

EarthSky | Chinese spy balloon? US says yes. China says no. Still ... (EarthSky)

Several media outlets are reporting on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) model for computing air parcel trajectories (NOAA's HYSPLIT ...

[Washington Post reported](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/02/03/second-chinese-spy-balloon-pentagon/) that the Pentagon has spotted a second airborne vehicle over Latin America, similar to the one seen over the continental United States, and has assessed it is another Chinese spy balloon. Bottom line: A mysterious high-flying balloon is crossing the United States. Some of the first videos of the balloon asked if what they were seeing might be a planet. The balloon is sailing through the layer of Earth’s atmosphere called the [#DOD]says high altitude balloon over Montana yesterday was a spy balloon from [#China]. [stratosphere](https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/atmosphere/layers-of-atmosphere). The assessment comes amid a diplomatic row sparked by the first balloon, which was spotted over Montana on Wednesday and has since prompted U.S. Treat yourself!](https://earthskystore.org/products/earthsky-lunar-calendar) The balloon is huge. Pentagon soon announced that it’s a [Chinese spy balloon](https://www.reuters.com/world/suspected-chinese-spy-balloon-flying-over-united-states-us-officials-2023-02-02/), although the Chinese government has claimed it is a [civilian meteorological balloon](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/chinese-spy-balloon-montana-canada-latest-news-b2274997.html?page=3#post-1018900) blown off course. CT ( [12 UTC](https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/universal-time/)) on Saturday, February 4. [Reports](https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1621371652255764480) of a mysterious high-flying object over Montana began flooding in on Thursday, February 2.

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Image courtesy of "Sky News"

Chinese spy balloons: The puzzling theories - and why none bode ... (Sky News)

With some experts arguing that the gains for China in terms of intelligence gathered are likely to be pretty limited, the reason one of its suspected spy ...

US officials insist the channels of communication are still open and that Mr Blinken's visit is simply postponed and not cancelled. Back in 2020, he said the greatest long-term threat to US information and intellectual property was "the counter-intelligence and economic espionage threat from China". Some in Congress have speculated about whether it was sent to test America's response capabilities or to send a message about China's surveillance technology being equal to that of its rival. [China](https://news.sky.com/topic/china-5869) is committed to improving relations with the [US](https://news.sky.com/us), or at least preventing further deterioration. Jeopardising the visit at the last minute will have done nothing to help a relationship already characterised by mistrust. [This incident](https://news.sky.com/story/china-denies-us-spy-balloon-claims-and-insists-it-always-abides-by-international-law-12802661) - and in particular its timing, just two days before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken [was due to touch down in Beijing](https://news.sky.com/video/china-spy-balloon-us-secretary-of-state-antony-blinken-cancels-planned-trip-to-china-12802654) - seems something of a baffling contradiction to China's own efforts and work.

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Image courtesy of "The New York Times"

Before Balloon Sighting, Classified Report Highlighted Foreign ... (The New York Times)

Before a Chinese spy balloon was discovered in the United States, American officials said a rival power may have used advanced technology to surveil U.S. ...

Some American officials remain skeptical that China would risk exposing some of its most advanced technology in any surveillance activity that could be detected by the United States. “There is a documented history of unidentified — and now identified — objects near sensitive military facilities, and we need to move with a sense of urgency to get to the bottom of this.” Hypersonics has been a key technological focus of Beijing and is one area where China has demonstrated capabilities equal or exceeding the U.S. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned that it was something close to a Sputnik moment, referencing the Soviet Union’s successful Cold War satellite launch. Of the 171 reports that have not been attributed to balloons, drones or airborne trash, some “appear to have demonstrated unusual flight characteristics or performance capabilities, and require further analysis.” The sites where unusual surveillance has occurred include a military base in the United States and a base overseas, officials said. official, but none of them were conducting persistent reconnaissance of the U.S. However, American officials said they have assessed it to be a collection device, though not one that could gather the kind of sensitive information that advanced Chinese reconnaissance satellites already collect. A handful of those incidents involved advanced surveillance balloons, according to a U.S. While the report did not attribute the incidents to any country, two American officials familiar with the research said the surveillance probably was conducted by China. The report on what the intelligence agencies call unidentified aerial phenomenon focused on several incidents believed to be surveillance. The classified report to Congress last month discussed at least two incidents of a rival power conducting aerial surveillance with what appeared to be unknown cutting-edge technology, according to U.S.

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Image courtesy of "Associated Press"

China balloon: Many questions about suspected spy in the sky (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — What in the world is that thing? The massive white orb drifting across across U.S. airspace has triggered a diplomatic maelstrom and is ...

According to military research documents and studies, the U.S. One of the balloon trains crash-landed at the Roswell Army Airfield in 1947, and Air Force personnel who were not aware of the program found debris. is largely mum on this issue, but insists the balloon is maneuverable, suggesting that China in some way deliberately moved the balloon toward or into U.S. For now, officials said the U.S. The U.S. He said “once the balloon was detected, the U.S. As far as wind patterns go, China’s account that global air currents — winds known as the Westerlies — carried the balloon from its territory to the western United States is plausible, said Dan Jaffe, a professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of Washington. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, suggested it could be valuable to try to capture the balloon to study it. Even if the balloon is not armed, it poses a risk to the U.S., said retired Army Gen. The balloon is large enough and high enough in the air that the potential debris field could stretch for miles, with no control over where it would eventually land. The Pentagon and other U.S. A number of officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic.

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Image courtesy of "Stuff.co.nz"

China balloon: Many questions about suspected spy in the sky (Stuff.co.nz)

The massive white orb drifting across across US airspace has triggered a diplomatic maelstrom. And now there are claims of “another Chinese surveillance ...

One of the balloon trains crash-landed at the Roswell Army Airfield in 1947, and Air Force personnel who were not aware of the programme found debris. The unusual experimental equipment made it difficult to identify, leaving the airmen with unanswered questions that over time –aided by UFO enthusiasts – took on a life of their own. During World War II, Japan launched thousands of hydrogen balloons carrying bombs, and hundreds ended up in the US and Canada. The balloon is large enough and high enough in the air that the potential debris field could stretch for miles, with no control over where it would eventually land. He said that "once the balloon was detected, the US government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information”. The high altitude inflatables, he said, serve as low-cost platforms to collect intelligence and some can reportedly be used to detect hypersonic missiles. Jaffe has studied the role those same wind patterns play in carrying air pollution from Chinese cities, wildfire smoke from Siberia and dust from Gobi Desert sand storms to the US for two decades. “Transit time from China to the United States would be about a week.” “The higher it goes, the faster it goes,” Jaffe said. For now, officials said the US will monitor it, using “a variety of methods” including aircraft. US officials says the Biden administration was aware of it even before it crossed into American airspace in Alaska early this past week. The US says it was being used for surveillance and intelligence collection, but officials have provided few details. It has loitered over sensitive areas of Montana where nuclear warheads are siloed, leading the military to take actions to prevent it from collecting intelligence.

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Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

China calls for calm amid growing row with US over suspected spy ... (The Guardian)

Beijing says it will 'not accept any groundless conjecture' after balloons spotted over US and Latin America. A suspected Chinese spy balloon in the sky ...

And police in Gastonia city asked people [not to call](https://twitter.com/JoeBrunoWSOC9/status/1621663768051580928?s=20&t=y-SmIeDYyRcZn96KQtvusw) them with sightings, saying they “don’t have the capability to respond to an altitude of 60k feet to check it out”. He said it was unacceptable and “even more irresponsible coming on the eve of a long-planned visit”. Blinken had been due to visit Beijing on 5-6 February for talks on a wide range of issues including security, Taiwan and Covid. He added: “The whole world is watching to see if the United States is serious. The ministry said China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, had spoken with Blinken in a phone conversation and emphasised the importance of maintaining communications. Pull it off, pull it down and let the Chinese Communist party know that they’re not going to walk all over us.”

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Image courtesy of "The Conversation AU"

Chinese spy balloon over the US: An aerospace expert explains ... (The Conversation AU)

A Chinese high-altitude balloon violated U.S. airspace, a serious enough breach to nix a high-level diplomatic meeting in Beijing. The balloon itself ...

The U.S. The balloon doesn’t pose any real threat to the U.S. They are at the mercy of whatever the weather is. Officials of the U.S. 4, officials told reporters that a third Chinese surveillance balloon was operating somewhere else in the world, and that the balloons are [part of a Chinese military surveillance program](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/02/04/chinese-balloon-shoot-down/). The satellites that are in low Earth orbit have the advantage that they’re closer to the Earth so they’re able to see things more clearly than satellites that are farther away. We asked aerospace engineer [Iain Boyd](https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?hl=en&user=0vO6w7MAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate) of the University of Colorado Boulder to explain how spy balloons work and why anyone would use one in the 21st century. For imaging and taking photographs, the closer you are to something, the more clearly you can see it, and this applies to spying as well. [acknowledged that the balloon was theirs](https://www.mfa.gov.cn/eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/202302/t20230203_11019484.html) but denied it was intended for spying or meant to enter U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the balloon’s incursion led him to [cancel his trip to Beijing](https://apnews.com/article/politics-antony-blinken-china-314302278a5f05bdc2df146ed5b35ec6). Navy [planned to recover the debris](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/02/04/us/china-spy-balloon), which is in shallow water. [shot down](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/02/04/chinese-balloon-shoot-down/) what U.S.

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Image courtesy of "WYFF Greenville"

Pictures, video: 'Chinese Spy Balloon' spotted over South Carolina ... (WYFF Greenville)

The "Chinese spy balloon" was spotted above South Carolina and North Carolina on Saturday morning.

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Image courtesy of "CBS News"

Suspected Chinese spy balloon moving over U.S.: What we know so ... (CBS News)

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley recommended not shooting it down due to danger from debris, a senior defense official said.

The U.S. A Chinese official was summoned to the State Department for a formal U.S. The balloon is expected to be over the U.S. has been tracking the balloon "for quite some time" as it entered U.S. However, CBS News has learned the U.S. The Pentagon is still considering ways to "dispose" of it but has "grave concerns" about the damage it would cause if it fell to Earth. It can be maneuvered but it is also subject to the jet stream, which could eventually push it out of U.S. The balloon was flying at an altitude of about 66,000 feet, according to a U.S. By Friday morning, the balloon was no longer over Montana but had moved over the Midwest and is now over "the middle of the country," according to a U.S. A Chinese balloon has never been over the middle of the country before. The only other time a Chinese balloon has flown over the continental U.S. The statement also says that the balloon "seriously deviated from the scheduled route" and expressed regret that "the airship strayed into the United States due to force majeure."

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Image courtesy of "Stuff.co.nz"

Chinese balloon: Many questions about suspected spy in the sky (Stuff.co.nz)

The massive white orb drifting across across US airspace has triggered a diplomatic maelstrom. And now there are claims of “another Chinese surveillance ...

One of the balloon trains crash-landed at the Roswell Army Airfield in 1947, and Air Force personnel who were not aware of the programme found debris. The unusual experimental equipment made it difficult to identify, leaving the airmen with unanswered questions that over time –aided by UFO enthusiasts – took on a life of their own. During World War II, Japan launched thousands of hydrogen balloons carrying bombs, and hundreds ended up in the US and Canada. The balloon is large enough and high enough in the air that the potential debris field could stretch for miles, with no control over where it would eventually land. He said that "once the balloon was detected, the US government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information”. The high altitude inflatables, he said, serve as low-cost platforms to collect intelligence and some can reportedly be used to detect hypersonic missiles. Jaffe has studied the role those same wind patterns play in carrying air pollution from Chinese cities, wildfire smoke from Siberia and dust from Gobi Desert sand storms to the US for two decades. “Transit time from China to the United States would be about a week.” “The higher it goes, the faster it goes,” Jaffe said. For now, officials said the US will monitor it, using “a variety of methods” including aircraft. US officials says the Biden administration was aware of it even before it crossed into American airspace in Alaska early this past week. The US says it was being used for surveillance and intelligence collection, but officials have provided few details. It has loitered over sensitive areas of Montana where nuclear warheads are siloed, leading the military to take actions to prevent it from collecting intelligence.

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Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

In a world of drones and satellites, why use a spy balloon? (The Washington Post)

Spy balloons may sound old-fashioned, but they actually have several advantages. And analysts say Washington has its own reasons for not shooting down ...

[has] been sending spy planes along the Chinese coast and sometimes over Chinese airspace to monitor the Chinese in ways that they couldn’t do very much about,” he said. The U.S. Balloons also have an advantage over satellites because they are more maneuverable, according to Malcolm Macdonald, a professor and space technology engineer from the University of Strathclyde in Scotland. “Had they reacted sooner it would have confirmed to the Chinese that U.S. “Not only are they cheaper than launching satellites into space, but by operating within the bounds of the earth’s atmosphere, closer to the surface, they can obtain better quality images,” he added. In 1998, for example, Canadian, British and U.S. Shooting down balloons has proved difficult in the past. Security Council on the transnational threat of drones, said in an email. But, if you shoot it down you might expose an offensive capability you would rather keep secret.” “You might hope to get something you might not see, or hear, from space.” According to U.S. officials, they have been spotted over U.S.

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Image courtesy of "New Zealand Herald"

US-China tensions 'spy' balloon: China plays down cancelled visit ... (New Zealand Herald)

China says neither side had announced visit; US reports 2nd balloon over Latin America.

the gap is huge.” - AP One wrote wryly: “The US, because of the balloon incident, delays Blinken’s visit to China.” And compared with the US military threat normally aimed at us, can you say it’s just little? “The US is hyping this as a national security threat posed by China to the US. On Saturday, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs again emphasised that the balloon’s journey was out of its control and urged the US to not “smear” it based on the balloon. Many users made jokes about the balloon.

U.S. Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon Off the Coast of the Carolinas (The New York Times)

The airborne surveillance device was first spotted earlier this week over the western United States, setting off a diplomatic crisis.

A senior military official told reporters at the Pentagon that one of two F-22 fighter jets from Langley Air Force Base downed the balloon with a single missile at 2:39 p.m. President Biden has been fending off criticism from Republicans who say that he should have ordered the balloon shot down as soon as it appeared over American airspace. Biden said she was proud of how the military carried out the mission -- “how coordinated it was, how thoughtful it was, that it was decided to wait until it was over water so that civilians weren’t affected.” “If the Chinese look at missile sites with a satellite, they can see a jackrabbit next to the missile silo.” Still, he said downing the balloon sent a signal: “Don’t be peeking at us.” A fighter jet from Langley Air Force Base had downed it with a missile. The Democratic senator of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, said in a statement: “President Biden made the right decision to shoot down this alleged Chinese spy balloon out of range of American civilians and infrastructure. Blinken told the official his government’s spying activities were unacceptable and demanded that China remove the balloon from U.S. Austin III, in the Philippines at the time, called a meeting on Wednesday of senior military and defense officials to review military options, per Mr. Blinken said the entry of the spy balloon was a officials to their Chinese counterparts, criticism from Republican lawmakers, and on Friday, the cancellation of a visit to China by Secretary of State Antony J. Pentagon officials also said they did not view the intelligence threat from the balloon as any more extensive than what China could glean from a satellite. The Chinese foreign ministry declared its “strong discontent and protest” about the United States’ downing of the balloon.

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Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

US may shoot down suspected Chinese spy balloon, officials say (The Guardian)

Biden administration considers plan to bring balloon down safely over Atlantic where remnants could be recovered.

Meanwhile, people with binoculars and telephoto lenses tried to find the “spy balloon” in the sky as it headed south-eastward over Kansas and Missouri at 60,000 feet (18,300 metres). the gap is huge.” “The US is hyping this as a national security threat posed by China to the US. President Joe Biden had declined to shoot down the balloon, following advice of defence officials who worried the debris could injure people below. One wrote wryly: “The US, because of the balloon incident, delays Blinken’s visit to China.” And compared with the US military threat normally aimed at us, can you say it’s just little?

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Image courtesy of "Aljazeera.com"

Biden says US will 'take care of' suspected Chinese spy balloon (Aljazeera.com)

The US president's remark comes after China called for 'calm' over the balloon flying across the US.

The last visit by a US secretary of state was in 2017. It was seen over North Carolina on Saturday morning, according to commercial forecaster AccuWeather which has been tracking it. “In actuality, the U.S. and China have never announced any visit, the U.S. China had expressed regret that an “ US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin first announced the shootdown, saying the balloon was being used by China “in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States”.

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Image courtesy of "Forbes"

Chinese Spy Balloon Shot Down: Biden OK'd Downing (Updates) (Forbes)

A second suspected Chinese surveillance balloon was spotted over Venezuela and Colombia, while the one floating over the U.S. was reportedly seen over North ...

federal airspace](https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/02/02/chinese-spy-balloon-hovering-over-us-pentagon-says/?sh=534f43ef39ac) over Idaho and Montana. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) [argued](https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/2/wicker-statement-on-chinese-spy-balloon-in-u-s-airspace) the Pentagon “failed to act with urgency,” while Sen. territory of Guam last February, [multiple](https://abc7news.com/chinese-spy-balloon-china-over-montana-us/12766077/) [outlets](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/03/politics/china-us-balloon-intl/index.html) reported. [urged](https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/02/03/trump-right-wing-republicans-urge-us-government-to-shoot-down-suspected-chinese-spying-balloon/?sh=69873edb5a3c) the White House to shoot it down, while James Comer (R-Ky.) wildly [speculated](https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3842972-rep-james-comer-blasts-biden-on-chinese-balloon-speculates-if-it-could-be-bioweapons/) in an interview with Fox News the balloon could carry “bioweapons.” Sen. [Where Is The Chinese Spy Balloon? Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) [argued](https://twitter.com/SenTomCotton/status/1621487809709195264) Biden had been “coddling and appeasing the Chinese communists” and former South Carolina Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) argued Chinese “aggression must not stand,” saying the balloon “needed to come down,” and that the recovery of debris should provide answers as to what kind of surveillance China is believed to have conducted with it. airspace and international law.” officials were aware of the balloon when it crossed into U.S. [confirmed](https://twitter.com/alexbward/status/1621664712910848002?s=20&t=EJemqC8Qg_eJybgUA1ORQQ), without providing further details on the balloon, after outlets in Costa Rica [reported](https://www.nacion.com/sucesos/desastres/que-es-el-extrano-objeto-que-cruzo-los-cielos-de/3M7CJ2BWXJA5BD5GHSATATAQTY/story/?outputType=amp-type) seeing what appeared to be a hot air balloon over the Central American country on Thursday. U.S. official familiar with the matter, who also told

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Image courtesy of "Financial Times"

US shoots down Chinese spy balloon and moves to recover wreckage (Financial Times)

Defence secretary Lloyd Austin said US fighter jets had on Saturday afternoon shot down the surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina in American ...

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Image courtesy of "NPR"

The U.S. has downed a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of the ... (NPR)

The downing came shortly after the Federal Aviation Administration said it had "paused departures from and arrivals to" three East Coast airports "to support ...

"The China balloon flying over the U.S. The U.S. "This was a dereliction of Biden's duty, and let's hope the American people don't pay a price." Austin praised Biden's decision to shoot down the balloon. "Your rifle rounds WILL NOT reach it. "Biden's refusal to stop it is a dereliction of duty. — "to support the Department of Defense in a national security effort." From flying balloons to open borders, Biden has no regard for our national security and sovereignty." The Pentagon shared reports on Friday of a second balloon, belonging to China, that officials earlier this week decided against shooting down the balloon after the Biden administration said it did not pose a national security threat. officials "said to me, 'Let's wait 'til the safest place to do it,' " he said. Speaking on Saturday, President Biden told reporters he gave the order on Wednesday.

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Image courtesy of "New Zealand Herald"

US-China tensions 'spy' balloon: US shoots down balloon over Atlantic (New Zealand Herald)

The United States has downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and ...

China has denied any claims of spying, and said it is a civilian-use balloon intended for meteorology research. Experts have said their response is feasible. Blinken was due to visit Beijing for talks aimed at reducing US-China tensions, the first such high-profile trip after the countries’ leaders met last November in Indonesia.

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Image courtesy of "Financial Times"

How much of a threat are Chinese spy balloons? (Financial Times)

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

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Image courtesy of "RNZ"

US shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon (RNZ)

Three airports were closed and airspace was shut down off the South Carolina coast as US military planes targeted the object over the Atlantic Ocean. According ...

It would have been the first high-level US-China meeting there in years. However, China - which says it is a weather ship blown astray - has urged "cool-headed" handling of the dispute. While the Pentagon said the balloon had been "travelling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic" and did "not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground", its presence has sparked outrage. The incident angered top US officials, with Blinken saying he had told Beijing the balloon's presence was "a clear violation of US sovereignty and international law" and "an irresponsible act" on the eve of his visit to China. According to US officials, the balloon floated over Alaska and Canada before appearing over the US state of Montana, which is home to a number of sensitive nuclear missile sites. The US has shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that has flown across America in the past week.

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