Washington: Across the United States and in the focus of a concerned national and global public, a giant Chinese balloon has changed Americans’ awareness of all things floating in the air and how defense officials watch for and respond to it.
President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the US is updating its guidelines for monitoring and responding to unidentified aerial objects.
The discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over the country led to the American shootdown of that balloon and the high-stakes drama that followed three short days later.
Biden said Thursday that officials suspected the latter three balloons were normal.
This means it can be used for research, weather, entertainment or commercial purposes.
Officials have been unable to recover any of the remains of those three balloons, and the US military announced late Friday that it had ended the search for the items that were reported to have been found between Deadhorse, Alaska and Lake Huron on February 10 and 12. was shot near.
Overall, the episode opened the public’s eyes to two realities.
A: China operates a military-linked aerial surveillance program that has targeted over 40 countries Biden Administration. China denies this.
Two: There’s a lot more junk floating around.
A look at why there are so many balloons up there – launched for purposes of war, weather, science, business or simply goofiness; why they are gaining attention now; and how the US sees and reacts to moving slow-flying objects.
What are all those balloons doing up there?
Some are there for espionage or fighting. Humans have carried bombs on balloons since at least the 1840s, when winds blew away some of the balloon bombs launched against Venice on Austrian launchers. In the American Civil War, Union and Confederate soldiers floated to the front lines in balloons to assess enemy positions and direct fire.
And when it comes to peacetime uses, the cheapness of balloons makes them a preferred aerial platform for all kinds of uses, serious and frivolous.
It includes everything from “there’s nothing better to a college fraternity and $10,000,” jokingly Rep. jim himes of Connecticut, ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
Himes’ role on the committee involved him in the most credible intelligence and military review of unidentified aerial phenomena, or UFO sightings.
Himes said that review also brought home to him and other lawmakers “how much stuff is out there floating around, especially in balloons.”
For the National Weather Service, balloons are the main means of above-ground forecasting.
Forecasters launch balloons twice daily from about 900 locations around the world, including about 100 in the United States.
High-altitude balloons also help scientists peer into space from near the edges of Earth’s atmosphere.
NASA operates a National Balloon Program Office, which helps coordinate launches from eastern Texas and other sites for universities, foreign groups, and other research programs. School science classes launch balloons, wildlife watching balloons launch.
Commercial interests also send up balloons – such as Google’s attempt to provide Internet service via giant balloons.
And $12 gets hobby balloonists—those who use balloons for ham radio or just for the joy of launching and tracking—balloons capable of reaching 40,000 feet and more.
That’s roughly around the altitude at which the US military says the three smaller balloons were when the US missiles ended their flights.
Most pilots probably would not even be aware of hitting such a balloon Ron MeadowsWhich makes balloons — with popsicle stick-sized transmitters — for middle schools and universities to use for science education.
It all “reports its location and speed,” Meadows said. “It’s not a threat to anyone.”
Among hobby balloonists, the suspicion that a balloon declared missing by the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Brigade was one of those was first reported by the publication Aviation Week Network.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday that the administration was not able to confirm those reports
And it’s not just the mylar, foil and plastic overhead of the United States. Wind patterns known as westerlies sweep things airborne, from the tailpipe soot of Beijing and the burnt-out plumes of Siberian wildfires looming over the Arctic and the United States.
China says that its large balloon was a meteorological and research one that was picked up by the westerlies. The US says the balloon was at least partially maneuverable.
Why are we seeing all these balloons right now?
Short answer: Because we’re looking for them right now.
Ballooning’s rise to global prominence began over the years. Congress instructed the Director of National Intelligence to bring together everything the government had learned about the unidentified aerial incident. This included creating a Defense Department UAP task force.
Last year, in the first congressional hearing on unidentified aerial objects in half a century, the deputy director of naval intelligence, Scott W. Bray told lawmakers that improvements in sensors, an increase in drones and other non-military unmanned aerial systems, and yes, “aerial clutter” including random balloons was leading to people noticing more unidentified aerial objects.
This awareness acted quickly this month after the US military and then the American public saw Chinese balloons floating down from the high north. While the US says that previous Chinese balloons have entered US territory, this was the first of them to slowly cross the United States in front of the public.
That balloon, and growing official awareness of a balloon surveillance campaign involving the Chinese military that targeted dozens of countries, prompted U.S. officials to alter radar and other sensor settings, as well as slow movement in the air. Examined more closely for items with The fast ones
Sidewinder Missiles: A Long-Term Balloon Strategy?
After the large Chinese balloon, US defense officials are expected to conduct extensive surveillance so that the balloons stay on the radar but fine-tune the response.
Biden’s order to the Air Force to shoot down three small aerial objects with Sidewinder missiles sidelined him from Republican accusations that he was overjoyed.
Biden says all four shootdowns were warranted because the balloons could pose a threat to civilian aircraft. Hobby balloons with a payload of only a few pounds are not covered by many FAA airspace regulations.
Biden says the US is developing “faster rules” to track, monitor and potentially shoot down unidentified aerial objects.
He directed National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to lead an interagency team to review the procedures.
President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the US is updating its guidelines for monitoring and responding to unidentified aerial objects.
The discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over the country led to the American shootdown of that balloon and the high-stakes drama that followed three short days later.
Biden said Thursday that officials suspected the latter three balloons were normal.
This means it can be used for research, weather, entertainment or commercial purposes.
Officials have been unable to recover any of the remains of those three balloons, and the US military announced late Friday that it had ended the search for the items that were reported to have been found between Deadhorse, Alaska and Lake Huron on February 10 and 12. was shot near.
Overall, the episode opened the public’s eyes to two realities.
A: China operates a military-linked aerial surveillance program that has targeted over 40 countries Biden Administration. China denies this.
Two: There’s a lot more junk floating around.
A look at why there are so many balloons up there – launched for purposes of war, weather, science, business or simply goofiness; why they are gaining attention now; and how the US sees and reacts to moving slow-flying objects.
What are all those balloons doing up there?
Some are there for espionage or fighting. Humans have carried bombs on balloons since at least the 1840s, when winds blew away some of the balloon bombs launched against Venice on Austrian launchers. In the American Civil War, Union and Confederate soldiers floated to the front lines in balloons to assess enemy positions and direct fire.
And when it comes to peacetime uses, the cheapness of balloons makes them a preferred aerial platform for all kinds of uses, serious and frivolous.
It includes everything from “there’s nothing better to a college fraternity and $10,000,” jokingly Rep. jim himes of Connecticut, ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
Himes’ role on the committee involved him in the most credible intelligence and military review of unidentified aerial phenomena, or UFO sightings.
Himes said that review also brought home to him and other lawmakers “how much stuff is out there floating around, especially in balloons.”
For the National Weather Service, balloons are the main means of above-ground forecasting.
Forecasters launch balloons twice daily from about 900 locations around the world, including about 100 in the United States.
High-altitude balloons also help scientists peer into space from near the edges of Earth’s atmosphere.
NASA operates a National Balloon Program Office, which helps coordinate launches from eastern Texas and other sites for universities, foreign groups, and other research programs. School science classes launch balloons, wildlife watching balloons launch.
Commercial interests also send up balloons – such as Google’s attempt to provide Internet service via giant balloons.
And $12 gets hobby balloonists—those who use balloons for ham radio or just for the joy of launching and tracking—balloons capable of reaching 40,000 feet and more.
That’s roughly around the altitude at which the US military says the three smaller balloons were when the US missiles ended their flights.
Most pilots probably would not even be aware of hitting such a balloon Ron MeadowsWhich makes balloons — with popsicle stick-sized transmitters — for middle schools and universities to use for science education.
It all “reports its location and speed,” Meadows said. “It’s not a threat to anyone.”
Among hobby balloonists, the suspicion that a balloon declared missing by the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Brigade was one of those was first reported by the publication Aviation Week Network.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday that the administration was not able to confirm those reports
And it’s not just the mylar, foil and plastic overhead of the United States. Wind patterns known as westerlies sweep things airborne, from the tailpipe soot of Beijing and the burnt-out plumes of Siberian wildfires looming over the Arctic and the United States.
China says that its large balloon was a meteorological and research one that was picked up by the westerlies. The US says the balloon was at least partially maneuverable.
Why are we seeing all these balloons right now?
Short answer: Because we’re looking for them right now.
Ballooning’s rise to global prominence began over the years. Congress instructed the Director of National Intelligence to bring together everything the government had learned about the unidentified aerial incident. This included creating a Defense Department UAP task force.
Last year, in the first congressional hearing on unidentified aerial objects in half a century, the deputy director of naval intelligence, Scott W. Bray told lawmakers that improvements in sensors, an increase in drones and other non-military unmanned aerial systems, and yes, “aerial clutter” including random balloons was leading to people noticing more unidentified aerial objects.
This awareness acted quickly this month after the US military and then the American public saw Chinese balloons floating down from the high north. While the US says that previous Chinese balloons have entered US territory, this was the first of them to slowly cross the United States in front of the public.
That balloon, and growing official awareness of a balloon surveillance campaign involving the Chinese military that targeted dozens of countries, prompted U.S. officials to alter radar and other sensor settings, as well as slow movement in the air. Examined more closely for items with The fast ones
Sidewinder Missiles: A Long-Term Balloon Strategy?
After the large Chinese balloon, US defense officials are expected to conduct extensive surveillance so that the balloons stay on the radar but fine-tune the response.
Biden’s order to the Air Force to shoot down three small aerial objects with Sidewinder missiles sidelined him from Republican accusations that he was overjoyed.
Biden says all four shootdowns were warranted because the balloons could pose a threat to civilian aircraft. Hobby balloons with a payload of only a few pounds are not covered by many FAA airspace regulations.
Biden says the US is developing “faster rules” to track, monitor and potentially shoot down unidentified aerial objects.
He directed National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to lead an interagency team to review the procedures.