China balloon & Airship Development

The Chinese spy balloon that was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean in early February was built, at least partly, using American off-the-shelf parts, a U.S. official has confirmed to ABC News.

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tankphobia said:

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If it looks like a dog, barks like a dog but it's Chinese then it is a Chinese spy balloon.

The fact that Biden is still barking on about it a few months later knowing it didn't do anything over CONUS is just bizzare.

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For extra hilarity, the balloon had US parts inside.

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American off-the-shelf parts

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It was surely the most bizarre crisis of the Biden administration: America's top-of-the-line jet fighters being sent up to shoot down, of all things, a balloon – a Chinese spy balloon that was floating across the United States, which had the nation and its politicians in a tizzy.

Now, seven months later, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tells "CBS News Sunday Morning" the balloon wasn't spying. "The intelligence community, their assessment – and it's a high-confidence assessment – [is] that there was no intelligence collection by that balloon," he said.

So, why was it over the United States? There are various theories, with at least one leading theory that it was blown off-track.

The balloon had been headed toward Hawaii, but the winds at 60,000 feet apparently took over. "Those winds are very high," Milley said. "The particular motor on that aircraft can't go against those winds at that altitude."

[Recap snipped]

As a U-2 spy plane tracked the 200-foot balloon, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called off a crucial trip to China. On February 3 he called China's decision to fly a surveillance balloon over the Continental United States "both unacceptable and irresponsible."

[More recap]

After the Navy raised the wreckage from the bottom of the Atlantic, technical experts discovered the balloon's sensors had never been activated while over the Continental United States.

But by then, the damage to U.S.-China relations had been done. On May 21, President Biden remarked, "This silly balloon that was carrying two freight cars' worth of spying equipment was flying over the United States, and it got shot down, and everything changed in terms of talking to one another."

So, Martin asked, "Bottom line, it was a spy balloon, but it wasn't spying?"
Milley replied, "I would say it was a spy balloon that we know with high degree of certainty got no intelligence, and didn't transmit any intelligence back to China."

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Dante80 said:

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So the stance appears to be that:

- It didn't intentionally fly over the US
- It didn't have the capability to maneuver against the winds that pushed it over the US
- It never transmitted to China while over the US
- Its electronics were never on while over the US
- They are still calling it a spy balloon

I suppose it's entirely possible that it was a spy balloon intended for Hawaii, but at this pace I'm half-expecting them to admit that there was a radiosonde in there, 7 months from now.

In any case, they should probably order sanctions on Eurus and Zephyrus for their interference at a critical diplomatic moment.

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According to Tom Karako, a senior fellow with the Center for International and Strategic Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank, “high or very high-altitude platforms have a lot of benefit for their endurance on station, maneuverability and flexibility for multiple payloads,” as quoted by Politico.

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During an October 2015 test, the JLENS fire control balloon broke from its tethers due to a failure in its automatic deflation device and high winds, resulting in the balloon floating over rural Pennsylvania, eventually landing in Moreland Township.

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luminary said:

The hot air balloon arms race is on :

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US Covert Long-Dwell Stratospheric Architecture program aims to fill gaps in satellite sensor and communications coverage

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Future study recorded on the PLA's use of near-spacecraft (LAVS) for reconnaissance: probes, balloons, hypersonic platforms

Parts

It is assumed that the PLA has a fleet of LABKs that help China carry out strategic reconnaissance and early warning.

These platforms serve as backup in case of satellite failure and play a vital role in peacetime intelligence gathering. They monitor foreign military activity and collect data on global military trends and capabilities.

LABK are divided into low dynamic platforms (probes, balloons) and high dynamic platforms (hypersonic aircraft) and can be equipped with equipment to collect various intelligence information: images, signals, message interception and data in electronic format.

While PLA military satellites offer robust intelligence-gathering capabilities, LABKs are seen as complementary gaps. They can also act as flexible means of use in the PLA's offensive operations by carrying out high-precision attacks, conducting electronic warfare, organizing communications and logistics.

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