The China Thread

[mongers]

Breaking News:

High altitude Chinese 'spy' balloon over Montana, White House has considered shooting it down. 

[mongers]

Breaking News:

High altitude Chinese 'spy' balloon over Montana, White House has considered shooting it down. 

AP News has this:
https://apnews.com/article/chinese-surveillance-balloon-united-states-montana-47248b0ef2b085620fcd866c105054be#:~:text=A%20senior%20defense%20official%20told%20Pentagon%20reporters%20that,missile%20silo%20fields%20at%20Malmstrom%20Air%20Force%20Base.

Pentagon: Chinese spy balloon spotted over Western US
By TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR
14 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a couple days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down over concerns of hurting people on the ground, officials said Thursday. The discovery of the balloon puts a further strain on U.S.-China relations at a time of heightened tensions.

A senior defense official told Pentagon reporters that the U.S. has "very high confidence" it is a Chinese high-altitude balloon and it was flying over sensitive sites to collect information. One of the places the balloon was spotted was Montana, which is home to one of the nation's three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information.

Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, provided a brief statement on the issue, saying the government continues to track the balloon. He said it 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."

ADDS PENTAGON RESPONSE THAT IT WOULD NOT CONFIRM - A high altitude balloon floats over Billings, Mont., on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. The U.S. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a couple days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to risks of harm for people on the ground, officials said Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. The Pentagon would not confirm that the balloon in the photo was the surveillance balloon. (Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP)

[Tonitrus]

Better than shooting it down would be to find a way to snag it for examination.

[Josquius]

Doesn't China have spy satellites?

[The Brain]

The best anti-balloon weapon is another balloon.

[mongers]

The best anti-balloon weapon is another balloon.

Too late, the balloon has already gone up. 

[crazy canuck]

They are testing an update of the circa WWII Japanese weapons platform.

[mongers]

"Russia is the weather, China is the climate"


Heard a lord ruskin (?) say he got the quote off someone else.

[mongers]

Breaking News:

They've shoot it down:

BBC News video page

[Sheilbh]

"Russia is the weather, China is the climate"


Heard a lord ruskin (?) say he got the quote off someone else.

I think that variation has been used by the DG of MI5 and head of German intelligence - but I think it's from something else and I can't remember what

[Legbiter]

Breaking News:

They've shoot it down:

BBC News video page

F-22 popped it. Will it count as a kill? 

[Admiral Yi]

F-22 popped it. Will it count as a kill? 

Didn't they keep separate tallies of balloons and planes killed during WWI? 

It would be cool if they painted a balloon on the side.

[Valmy]

I do have to wonder is this a joke? Is China making fun of us? Who uses a spy balloon? What is this? 1862?

[Jacob]

Well apparently it's been going on for a while, so it may have worked okay. Basically it's a low cost alternative to a spy-satellite.

[Admiral Yi]

Yeah, I can see how it's cost effective.  Radio the data back, write off the balloon.

Wonder how the folks who were backing the Chinese side when our P3 was rammed by a Chinese jet back in the Parodox days are framing this one.