SpyVeillance: US Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon Over US Airspace
Watch: US Fighter Jets Shoot Down Chinese Spy Balloon Off Carolinas Watch Live: US Restricts Airspace Near Myrtle Beach For "National Defense Airspace" Operation * * * US fighter jets have shot down the Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast. The best view so far of the spy balloon being shot down. Best video so far of the Chinese spy balloon being shot down pic.twitter.com/MrWB403OqJ — BNO News Live (@BNODesk) February 4, 2023 The balloon is falling back to Earth. Here comes the recovery vessel. The USS Carter Hall (LSD-50) (along with numerous skipper sized surface craft, I assume) is arriving in the splashdown zone for balloon recovery. pic.twitter.com/dq7lWrHzKm — The Intel Crab (@IntelCrab) February 4, 2023 * * * Shortly after President Biden reportedly said, "we are going to take care of it," referring to the Chinese spy balloon that is calmly drifting across US airspace, the FAA has shut down three airports and closed airspace in parts of North and South Carolina: Fighter jets are circling the spy balloon. F-22s returning after a brief holding orbit. pic.twitter.com/bRZ6uq7Knl — The Intel Crab (@IntelCrab) February 4, 2023 CCP balloon over North Myrtle Beach ‼️ Jets are circling ‼️ pic.twitter.com/BaG5VasQUp — SouthernFried (@southenFried) February 4, 2023 Video of what appears to be fighter, jets circling the China balloon above Conway, South Carolina pic.twitter.com/lvjW6WX2Gp — Andy Shain (@AndyShain) February 4, 2023 A US military surveillance plane is circling offshore of North Carolina. A vessel with a large crane might be headed to an area where the military might shoot down the balloon. The USS Carter Hall (LSD-50) is headed south from Beaufort, NC. May be used for balloon recovery efforts. Ship has a 30 ton crane on board. pic.twitter.com/nsCYQ1Tpqb — The Intel Crab (@IntelCrab) February 4, 2023 * * * A suspected Chinese surveillance balloon appears to be heading toward North Carolina, according to ABC News, citing a senior US official familiar with the situation. That official said the US would probably shoot the balloon down over the Atlantic Ocean and retrieve it. Within the last hour, numerous Twitter users have uploaded footage of what appears to be the Chinese balloon floating above North Carolina. Chinese balloon over Shelby North Carolina at 9:35 AM. Moving west south west. pic.twitter.com/EEj8vGk6La — Anne Eskridge (@AnneEskridge1) February 4, 2023 Here’s the #ChineseSpyBallon over Easley, SC around 8:45am this AM. The trajectory forecast I posted last night seems right on. The balloon should be visible anywhere in southern North Carolina and northern South Carolina at some point over the next 6-8 hours. 📸 Jason McDowell. pic.twitter.com/6hspFrIXqG — Ed Piotrowski (@EdPiotrowski) February 4, 2023 Chinese Spy Balloon currently SW of Polkville NC approximately over Kingston NC 9:44 AM #ChinaSpyBalloon @wxbrad pic.twitter.com/8OjdDwsgmN — Brian Branch (@BrianBranch13) February 4, 2023 Local police tell residents don't shoot their guns at the giant balloon. The Gastonia Police Department is asking residents to not shoot at the Chinese spy balloon if it flies over North Carolina pic.twitter.com/lD9VkI299M — Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) February 4, 2023 On Friday, we cited Capital Weather Gang, who accurately predicted the balloon's trajectory while it was floating above the Midwest. Now updated predictions for Saturday morning show the balloon might be headed toward the Atlantic. The balloon's payload is approximately 90 feet long, or the length of two motorhomes, and the balloon itself is much larger. Here's one of the clearest views of the balloon. And there might be more balloons. We noted last night: "We are seeing reports of a balloon transiting Latin America," Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, told Fox News Friday night. "We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon." US officials have not ruled out shooting the balloon down. That might happen as soon as the balloon moves offshore into the Atlantic. Time for Space Force to shine.
From EMP-Delivery To Nuke-Mapping: Potential Purposes Of China's High-Altitude Invasion
https://alt-market.us/chinese-spy-balloons-potential-purposes-for-the-high-a... https://defensetechconnect.com/2019/03/28/darpa-tests-wind-sensor-for-strato... https://futurism.com/the-byte/stratospheric-balloons-darpa https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/13/5681/2020/ https://english.cas.cn/newsroom/news/201901/t20190122_204829.shtml https://stratocat.com.ar/stratopedia/11.htm My home state of Montana was recently featured in news feeds this week as the first to observe and identify what the US Air Force says is a Chinese spy balloon. The Chinese claim it is a civilian weather apparatus that was blown off course and they expressed "regret" for the event, but the equipment visible in photographs suggests that this is a lie. Beyond that, another similar balloon has been spotted over Latin America – One wayward high tech Chinese balloon might be believable, but two is not a coincidence. There are numerous theories as to why such a surveillance platform would be used by the CCP and what it is designed to look for, and I thought I would offer a couple theories based on my years of study into similar projects pursued by the US Department of Defense and DARPA. First, the immediate question is why the Biden Administration has not destroyed the balloon? Why not shoot first and ask questions later? Well, Biden’s silence on this issue suggests he either has no answers or that the truth will make the American public very angry. The most likely reason it has not been shot down is because it is very difficult to shoot down. [It appears the balloon has finally been shot down, but only after the device crossed the entire country - Whatever data the platform was meant to collect, China likely has it now]. High altitude balloons travel at 80,000 to 120,000 feet. The average fighter jet can hit altitudes of 65,000 feet and new generation drones can climb to 50,000 feet. These balloons also emit little to no heat signature, which makes them very difficult to target using missiles. If laser technology exists that has such a range, the US military is not talking about it. It might actually be easier to shoot down a Chinese satellite than one of these balloons. Is there a way? It could be done perhaps with a missile using a large fragmentation-type warhead, but the White House does not seem too interested in exploring options. Another explanation is that the DoD is waiting to see what these balloons do. This is where I would present a few theories as to their purpose. Here is what I think is most likely given the progress of spy balloon technology right now… Chinese ALTA Balloon Program For a few years now DARPA has been playing with a concept for high altitude surveillance balloons using a technology called “Strat-OAWL.” Balloons have been fielded for centuries as surveillance weapons, but unpredictable wind and atmospheric changes push the balloons around, making them useless within a coupe of days for any specific region. To break it down simply, Strat-OAWL is the experimental use of lasers to read wind speed and direction far ahead of a balloon. The balloon then uses that data to increase or decrease altitude to ride airstreams in whatever directing the military wants the balloon to go. This could allow increased navigational control, but the Holy Grail that DARPA seeks is a high alt balloon that can stay in one place indefinitely. I find this idea impractical, like most DARPA projects, if only because wind currents can change faster than any balloon can adjust altitude, but I do see the potential uses here. The Chinese could unleash hundreds of high flying spy balloons with similar capabilities to spy satellites at a fraction of the cost and with less risk of destruction by enemy fire. The CCP may be attempting to test their own version of the DARPA directional balloon tech, while also waiting to see if the US has the means to shoot down the devices. Lidar Observation From A Balloon Platform The Chinese have been messing with lidar technology a lot lately. Lidar uses pulsed lasers to measure small variations in terrain to uncover hidden shapes and structures. It also has a knack for cutting through forest canopy and other obstructions. The problem with lidar is that the platforms commonly used to carry the apparatus are faster moving and only capture a snapshot in time. Also, it cannot see through thick clouds, dust, rain, snow or fog. NASA and DARPA have both been testing lidar from balloons as a means to keep the lasers in the sky longer above a specific area. The Chinese balloon also looks somewhat similar to the equipment used on European lidar balloon experiments. A lidar based spy balloon would explain Chinese interest in Eastern Montana, where there are numerous known nuclear missile silos as well as suspected hidden silos. The Chinese balloon did in fact come near at least one known nuclear missile base near Billings. Lidar could be exploited to find hidden bases in the region. Multispectral Imaging Much like Lidar, multispectral imaging tech is highly dependent on the platform that it is mounted on. MI is used to measure wavelengths of light that are not visible to the human eye and it is tested in many scientific applications. However, there are military applications, including using MI to discover hidden variations in terrain that do not match the surrounding environment. In other words, its meant to sniff out camouflaged buildings, vehicles, fighting positions, etc. China launched two satellites for multispectral imaging in 2019 and may now be trying to test the same equipment on balloons. It’s hard to say if they are looking for a unique target, or if they are just establishing baseline image maps to be used in the future for…who knows? Weapons Delivery Platform High altitude balloons are cheap and relatively effective surveillance platforms that can be used much like satellites but, with the right equipment, could become far more maneuverable. With the CCP’s limited resources it makes sense that they would be utilizing low-cost and low visibility measures instead of expensive and easier to target long range drones or spy planes. However, these systems are not just useful for observation – They can also be used to deliver weapons packages, including EMP weapons, nuclear weapons and biological agents. The US has been testing balloons for nuclear delivery ever since Operation Yucca in 1956. In the event of war between China and the US, the CCP may be looking for a way to strike with weapons of mass destruction with a passive delivery system that’s hard to defend against. The end goal is difficult to figure out. No doubt, the Chinese expect conflict with the US in the near future. The surveillance may be in preparation for an invasion of Taiwan in the near term (next couple years). Or, the entire circus may just be designed to see how America reacts. So far, the Biden White House has done nothing and has said nothing.
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