Technology from the 18th century – 5 points about the US spy balloon Burglary on 4 wheels: “As if they went shopping by car”

What’s wrong?

The US military has spotted a Chinese spy balloon over the northern US. The Pentagon announced Thursday that the balloon had been spotted over the state of Montana in the northwestern United States. The trajectory of the balloon is closely monitored.

He was still over the United States, it said. Shooting him was considered, but advised against due to the danger of falling debris. However, the government did not remain idle. Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder informed:

What information could the spy balloon in the skies over Montana have collected? There is a US Air Force base in the north of the US state. According to the Wall Street Journal, 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads are stored there. Such sensitive locations are usually shielded, the newspaper reported, citing a senior defense official. The balloon’s spy systems nevertheless provided “limited value” compared to information that can be gathered from low-Earth satellites.

Where does the balloon come from?

It is certain that the balloon comes from China, the Pentagon said. Similar incidents have occurred in the past. The difference this time is that the balloon will stay over the United States longer than usual. According to the Wall Street Journal, he was first sighted by civilians in a commercial airliner.

Pentagon spokesman Ryder said the balloon poses no military threat or danger to people on the ground. The balloon would also be safe for aircraft because of its high flight altitude. The US is in contact with China about the incident.

The balloon sighting came just days before a planned trip to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to US officials.

What Are Spy Balloons?

Spy balloons are flying balloons used to collect information. The technology is ancient: the first use of such a balloon, recorded by historians, took place as far back as 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars. The oldest preserved balloon dates from the time of the American Civil War (1861-1865). Despite the old technology, it is still in limited use today – although it reached its peak during the First World War.

It was also used during World War II, when the Japanese military tried to use the balloons to drop incendiary bombs on American soil. Your plan failed. Military targets were unharmed, but several civilians were killed when one of the balloons crashed into an Oregon forest.

During the Cold War, the use of balloons flourished again. The United States military began investigating the use of high-altitude spy balloons. Large-scale missions were carried out under the name Project Genetrix, with the balloons flying over the Soviet bloc in the 1950s.

How do the balloons work?

The balloons typically operate at an altitude of 24,000 to 37,000 meters, Reuters reports. This puts them far above commercial air traffic, which almost never flies above 12,000 meters. Where in the past the balloons flew through the air with a man, nowadays this happens without a pilot. Direct control of the balloons is not possible. They can be guided roughly to their intended targets simply by detecting different air currents through air level changes.

Although satellites are now more commonly used to collect information, the “old school” version still has some advantages. This allows the balloons to cover large areas up close and spend more time over a target area, according to a 2009 report to the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College.

Moreover, launching the balloons is not expensive. In contrast, launching the satellites into the sky requires launch vehicles that cost hundreds of millions of dollars each time.

Where else have the balloons been sighted?

The Canadian Forces reported late Thursday that they may have observed a second spy balloon incident. In their statement, they assured the Canadian people of safety. Like the US, they took immediate action to protect Canada’s sensitive information from threats.

The second possible incident is being closely monitored by several partners, including the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint US-Canada air surveillance agency.

(saw with material from the sda ​​and dpa news agencies)