China’s spy balloon could be a 120-foot helium-powered blimp outfitted with spy tools
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The Pentagon’s rejection of China’s claim that a balloon detected floating over US nuclear sites is a ‘civilian’ blimp raises further questions about its surveillance capabilities.
Analysts predict the balloon is about the size of ‘three buses’ and could be equipped with high-tech equipment including cameras, sensors and radar.
The use of balloons to carry out espionage missions dates back to the Cold War, but modern systems can take advantage of the latest advances in surveillance technology.
The balloon hovered about 60,000 feet above the center of the continental United States at noon Eastern time Friday, the Pentagon said. The balloon’s trajectory had taken it over Montana, raising fears it was gathering intelligence on nuclear missile sites in the state.
China claimed Friday morning that it is a civilian balloon used for meteorological and meteorological research. But at a Pentagon briefing several hours later, Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said: “We know it’s a surveillance balloon.”
The Chinese surveillance balloon is estimated to be about the width of three buses. The balloon is equipped with solar panels to power equipment on board, which could include cameras and long-range radar. It was traveling at an altitude of around 60,000 feet on Friday afternoon, but balloons can reach heights of around twice that.
The balloon is believed to have launched from mainland China before crossing Alaska and Canada and then reaching the mainland United States.
Worryingly, defense analysts have previously claimed that a balloon could be used as a “launching pad” for nuclear weapons.
The Pentagon said the balloon was floating at about 60,000 feet on Friday afternoon.
A 2015 report by the American Leadership & Policy Foundation said balloons launched by rogue states could carry nuclear payloads over the United States that could use launch attacks or interfere with the power grid.
The report’s author, Air Force Maj. David Stuckenberg, wrote: “Using a balloon as a [weapon of mass destruction] The platform could provide adversaries with a palette of altitudes and payload options with which to maximize offensive effects against the US.
“A high-altitude balloon could be designed, created and launched in a matter of months. There is nothing to prevent several hundred pounds of weapons material from reaching height.
Stuckenberg said Friday that China’s balloon was “probably some kind of rehearsal intended to send a strategic message to the United States.”
The size of the balloon currently floating over the US is roughly the equivalent of the length of three buses, said defense expert John Parachini.
Assuming a typical bus is around 40 feet long, that suggests the spherical balloon could be around 120 feet by 120 feet. That would line up with the dimension of other balloons used for high-altitude operations.
The balloon was about 60,000 feet above the central United States on Friday afternoon, around Kansas City in Missouri.
Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told a Pentagon news conference: “We know it’s a surveillance balloon.”
Images taken from the ground show that a device attached to the balloon is equipped with large solar panels, which power the onboard monitoring equipment and also a system to maneuver the balloon.
The Pentagon has said the balloon “has the ability to maneuver,” though it’s unclear how well it can be controlled. The jet streams at such high altitudes make it extremely difficult to control the balloon’s trajectory. China has also claimed that the balloon ended up over the US due to its limited steerability.
The equipment fitted to such a spy balloon is likely to include a long-range radar and camera to determine the presence and movement of more difficult-to-detect objects.
Such a balloon would also be equipped with a communication device that can transmit findings in real time to its controller.
Interestingly, officials believe the balloon is no more effective than Chinese satellites, which can also be used to monitor the United States.
The Chinese spy satellites carry sensors similar to those US officials believe are on the spy balloon, raising questions about why Beijing would risk such a brazen act on the eve of Blinken’s now-postponed visit.
Still, the Chinese spy balloon has taken a flight path that would take it over several sensitive sites, authorities say. One of those sites could be military bases, including in Montana, which is home to ICBM silos.
A Pentagon official said: “Clearly, they are trying to fly… this balloon over sensitive sites… to gather information.”
A missile warning facility near Belt, Montana. Officials feared the spy balloon could be used to gather intelligence on nuclear sites in the state while it floated overhead.
The balloon was detected days before a planned historic meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Billings, Montana airport on Wednesday issued a ground stop while the military mobilized assets, including F-22 fighter jets, in case Biden ordered the balloon shot down.
The balloon is believed to have reached the continental United States after flying over the Aleutian Islands in the North Pacific Ocean, and then crossed Canadian airspace into the United States.
One model suggests it is likely to shift further into the Midwest. She had arrived in Missouri on Friday afternoon. But the nature of the device and the changing climate make long-term predictions difficult.
Military chiefs considered taking it down, and President Joe Biden was reportedly interested in the idea, but decided against it due to the security risk. The prospect has not been completely ruled out.
“Montana plays a vital role in national security by hosting nuclear missile silos at Malmstrom AFB,” State Senator Steve Daines wrote in a letter to the Pentagon, raising the alarm.
Malmstrom Air Force Base is located in Cascade County in the US state of Montana. It is located about seven miles from Great Falls and is home to the 341st Missile Wing.
The balloon is large enough to destroy it and spew debris, putting the safety of people on the ground at risk, US officials said.
China’s claim that the balloon is a civilian weather monitoring device is not entirely unfounded, although it has been rejected by the Pentagon. Weather balloons, which can be similar in shape, size, and appearance, are common tools for meteorological research.
China has sent other such spy balloons over the United States in recent years, the senior Pentagon official said.
The official did not share details, but indicated that the flights were detected from the administration of former President Donald Trump.
However, the official added, this is the first time a Chinese balloon has stayed in US airspace for an extended period.
The situation is also believed to be the first time such a balloon has traveled through the central United States. Previous raids have included a balloon that briefly hovered over Florida and others that were detected near Hawaii and Guam.