Chinese "Weather Balloon"

[BritDownUnder]

I am interested as to what this is exactly? Whether (no pun intended) it is something more sinister I am not sure. I think this has been a regular occurrence but has been covered up. BBC link here with a few nice pictures. Seems to have solar panels so obviously up there for the long run. Could be carrying viruses, radioactive substances, listening devices or just being a general pain in the ass for America.

The UK made good use of balloons to damage German powerlines in WW2 and Japan used them to try to set fire to American forests also in WW2.



And a possible route.

[adam2]

I strongly suspect that the balloon is there for some nefarious purpose, simply because I do not trust China as a country.

Very surprised that the US air force have not shot it down.

[clv101]

I don't think it's a weather balloon - or at least not just a weather balloon. But I also struggle to imagine what nefarious purpose it could have. China have state of the art satellites which can see whatever there is to see. In terms of transporting physical materials - balloon is pointless, just stick whatever nefarious material you have into a shipping container, or into of the billions of random boxes of Chinese 'stuff' that are distribution across the country each year. Or take it personally with on a tourist visa - same with RF listening equipment, do it covertly in person.

I expect a significant amount of its 'value' to China might simply be to see the American *reaction*. Presumably it is going to come down somewhere in North America, either naturally or by force. No way the Americans will let it float off across the Atlantic.

[clv101]

Very surprised that the US air force have not shot it down.

I'm not surprised they haven't shot it down, yet. America does more spying and surveillance than any other country, It's not in America's interest to adopt a shoot first, ask questions later. They know where it is, they will get hold of it on the ground, but no rush.

[BritDownUnder]

I was thinking about it a bit more while I was building a raised bed this morning down under.
Maybe it is a test of the US's ability to intercept and down an object that is, as far as I understand, at 25 to 37 kilometres in altitude, about the same altitude as a hypersonic bomber perhaps.

Maybe for once the Americans are holding their cards to their chest on whether they have such an ability.

I think balloons are very useful as they are passive, "set and forget" kind of things and have a bit of plausible deniability. I hope the UK sends a few Russia's way just as a check. My preference would be a large powered balloon/airship that can loiter for a long time.

[automaticearth2]

Chinese 'spy' balloon has now been popped by an F22 fighter jet launching an AIM 9 Sidewinder missile. Seems a bit dramatic given the fact that the balloon was at an altitude of around 60000 feet, so could have been popped by a surface to air missile. Speaking to some American friends, China has apparently got the hump because a new US base has been made operational in the Philippines. Oh dear.....

EDIT: What I've said above was just confirmed on Sky News (yeah I know, nothing special). Apparently the US is opening 4 bases, not just one.

[Catweazle]

A thought crossed my mind, a target that was actually being attacked, a balloon for example, would have useful access to all the incoming performance and targeting information, radar frequencies, etc. It might have been why it was shot down with a shorter range weapon.

[adam2]

Unidentified object" over Alaska short down by US forces. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64605447

[BritDownUnder]

A thought crossed my mind, a target that was actually being attacked, a balloon for example, would have useful access to all the incoming performance and targeting information, radar frequencies, etc. It might have been why it was shot down with a shorter range weapon.

Yes indeed. The Argentines put such knowledge from their own Type 42 destroyers to good use to determine just how to destroy HMS Sheffield.

I think the Americans using an IR missile to destroy may have been a factor in how it was destroyed.

Expect more "weather" balloons to keep probing US airspace.

[adam2]

ANOTHER unidentified flying object has been shot down, over Canada this time.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64614098

[BritDownUnder]

ANOTHER unidentified flying object has been shot down, over Canada this time.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64614098

Just a little bit of probing from one of the usual suspects.

[Vortex2]

The latest objects are small metallic balloons.
(I knew they would be .. small, cylindrical, shiny, no propulsion .. either aliens or Mylar balloons)

[clv101]

The question I haven't seen answered yet is if these balloons are anything new. It seems there were a few earlier 'big' balloons in past years that went by largely unnoticed. These 3 (or is it 4 now?) smaller ones, are we only finding out about them now due to heightened awareness? Have these things been floating around in large numbers for years? I mean, many hundreds of radiosondes are launched every day - are these recent smaller 'objects' much different?

[PS_RalphW]

I suspect these latest balloons are nothing to do with China. They can be purchased commercially and are not hugely expensive. They may be nothing more than pranks by locals with too much spare cash.

[automaticearth2]

The response from the US Air Force is a bit odd. First they said it's 'an octagonal structure with strings attached', then they're saying 'it's a balloon inside a structure', and then finally they're saying 'we're not ruling out whether it's of extraterrestrial origin'. Maybe it's the Chinese have got E.T. in their side?