SpyVeillance: US Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon Over US Airspace

[grarpamp]

>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-altitude-invasion/

https://defensetechconnect.com/2019/03/28/darpa-tests-wind-sensor-for-stratospheric-balloons/
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.