Pentagon Monitoring Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon Over Northern States for the Past Several Days
WHAT: “Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years.”
The government has been monitoring a Chinese surveillance balloon over the northern states…for the past several days.
Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said during a briefing on Thursday afternoon that the U.S. government has detected a high-altitude surveillance balloon over the continental U.S.
“The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now. The U.S. government to include Norad, continues to track and monitor it closely. The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years. Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information,” Ryder said.
Another person said they believe it belongs to China:
The defense official said that the balloon was recently over Montana, and that officials were considering bringing the plane down with military assets, but decided against doing so because of the risks associated, adding that President Biden was briefed on the situation and asked for military options.
“You did see reports yesterday of a ground stop at Billings Airport and the mobilization of a number of assets, including F-22. The context for that was that we put some things on station in the event that a decision was made to bring this down while it was over Montana. So we wanted to make sure we were coordinating with civil authorities to empty out the airspace around that potential area. But even with those protective measures taken, it was the judgment of our military commanders that we didn’t drive the risk down low enough. So we didn’t take the shot,” the official said.
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The Japanese set off some incendiary weather balloons over the US and started some forest fires, but it was kept out of the press, so the Japanese inferred that it didn’t work and stopped.
A family died …
Monitoring the balloon?
Ha ha. I think the balloon is doing the monitoring.
We have a Chinese double-agent as president. This balloon is chump change.
How many surveillance satellites do you think we have hovering over China right now? Hundreds? Thousands?
Phileas Fong is on board.
Well-played, sir!
What a weak country we have become. Shoot that damn thing down.
Missile or laser.
Agreed.
What would be much funner is to send a plane up there to spray-paint it black, like bangers do to shop cameras during holdups.
Then when that dries, a coat of metallic silver to blind the electronic monitoring.
It would probably be the ultimate troll to tag that sucker like a boxcar, but that is probably too much to ask of anybody but the toppest of top guns.
Agree. Looks another is on its way. The “adults” in charge now don’t understand that which gets rewarded, gets repeated.
Hey, no problem … Xi Jinpeng paid Joe Biden good money for authorization for those balloons. They are special “UPenn” balloons!!
Up up and away in my beautiful, my beautiful ballon…
FJB
1) Being a balloon, it by its nature intruding in our airspace.
2) Foreign aircraft, especially military or reconnaissance, in our airspace without our permission are pretty much by definition a hostile act and can be shot down. q.v. U-2 incident and Francis Gary Powers.
3) It can be conjectured that a choice not to do so constitutes de facto permission by the National Command Authority who has been briefed. That in itself raises a bunch of questions that deserve public answer.
4) The excuse that it is over Montana and cannot be shot down because it might hit someone/thing when it crashes is pure male bovine excrement. There are a large number of empty square miles for it to fall in. It might take out a cow, an elk, or a prairie dog, but the risk is worth it to remove a threat to our national security.
Subotai Bahadur
More like “Shoot it down with what?” It has almost no radar signature, no infrared emission, and although it is at 40k feet, 20mm shells would just zip through it, leaving 20mm holes and falling down randomly across a mile or two of the state.
Followed by “Shoot it down why?” It’s not a menace to navigation, aircraft have lots of space to go around it, and it has no real danger of crashing into anything with national security implications.
So the easy answer, low risk and no effort, is to just watch it float by. Ain’t it pretty?
We’ve got lasers that are decent enough that they could burn through the balloon.
“Shoot it down why?”
Because it’s spying on us. That’s good enough of a reason.
Biden is really weak. Chinkmaster Xi knows that and is laughing.
Biden is bought and paid for. As is Milley.
Bringing down is collecting info on who made it and how it communicates, collects and stores information. Seems like valuable future information to USA military.
It’s probably stolen US technology, but your point still stands.
Because at some future time it could contain an EMP device?
Your knowledge of target acquisition methods and the ordinance employed in air to air engagements is severely lacking. This surveillance balloon and the instrument package it carries can be brought down.
As to why we should shoot down an enemy surveillance platform over the heart of the United States…
Come on.
Really?
It all depends on what the Chinese are trying to learn. The mission might very well be to test our countermeasures and defensive capabilities (if any). After all, the balloon itself is clearly dispensable. Since the Biden Administration has already made a diplomatic response, a military response isn’t necessarily indicated.
If they shoot it down, Xi Jinpeng will have a right to demand a refund from Joey B.
Load Eric Swallwell on it and send it back.
LOL. Risks of a falling balloon. Over Montana!
The HORROR!!!
This is pathetic.
This snowflakery, from the country that dropped Skylab on Australia.
Oh, the humanity!
The risks of the pedophile-in-chief having to answer to his Chinese owners.
Just saw a picture of it. Damn thing is huge. It also has a massive array hanging off it. Whatever the Chinese are doing with it they are gathering massive amounts of data with it.
To not shoot it down should be an impeachable offense.
We used to do things more or less like this, but now we have satellites that have higher resolution equipment that can do anything this balloon can do, faster and better. Let the silly thing fly.
What would the Chinese do if the tables were turned?
That is how we should react.
LMAO! So, the commenter right after me gets 5 upvotes, but my comment which says the same thing gets downvoted. Very amusing.
And yes, just to make my first comment absolutely clear, the Chinese would shoot down any device of ours in a millisecond.
There is tomfoolery afoot in comments.
Hard to believe what I’m reading here from some people.
There is an enemy surveillance platform intruding in American airspace over the heart of our country, and people want to make excuses as to why we should not shoot it down and analyze the onboard equipment?
Just let it go because we have satellites?
What the hell?
No, let it fly because we aren’t the Chinese or Russians (or their satellite countries), who shoot down anything that gets within range.
So we shouldn’t do the smart thing because that’s what the Chinese and Russians would do?
Opinion obviously varies as to whether the smart thing to do is to shoot it down.
Amen brother. Biden sold us out and his Administration especially General Ryder USAF are a bunch of pussies.
Mark my words, if Biden decides to shoot it down it will be over Texas or Florida
Um, what if it is loaded with and/or distributing biological and/or chemical weapons? Everyone seems to be thinking surveillance – I am thinking something more nefarious.
What is the balloon’s payload and who is driving it?
Biological weapons; chemical weapons; nuclear bomb?
Or, the latest in overhead delivery of Fentanyl and the newest strain of Covid-23
If it was carrying any of those things, would it be the smart thing to shoot it down and spread its payload all over the Midwest?
Why is this still floating? Because we are China.
Former President Donald Trump is calling for the Chinese spy balloon floating over the United States to be shot down.
The balloon is now over Kansas. Biden is a pussy.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/02/03/shoot-down-the-balloon-trump-calls-for-chinese-spy-balloon-to-be-shot-down/