Alleged Chinese Surveillance Balloons [updates]

Information from various sources regarding the Chinese balloon traversing through United States airspace.

Feb. 2

NBC

The U.S. military has been monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been hovering over the northern U.S. for the past few days, and military and defense leaders have discussed shooting it out of the sky, according to two U.S. officials and a senior defense official.

“The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now,” Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told NBC News. “We continue to track and monitor it closely.”

“Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information,” Ryder said.

See: Air Force Gen. Minihan: War With China In 2025

Chinese Balloon Backward Trajectory

Feb. 3

Bellum Acta – Intel, Urgent News and Archives – Telegram

🇨🇳❌🇺🇸❗️ — Local medias report that the Mainland Chinese Spy balloon is approaching Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, the main deployment site for B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and tactical nuclear warheads in Mainland United States

🎈”But for “steering” one would either have to estimate air currents or a way to vary buoyancy (like a hot air balloon)”
“Unlike HAB though it is slightly easier at high altitudes were currents are more predictable. And those are apparently easily steerable.” Jeremy Wickersheimer

[CIG – Telegram]

🎈 Anon: The Balloon’s guidance is passive in the sense that the propulsion is from wind, but you should be able to have some authority over it.

Regular weather balloons go up and down to take advantage of wind direction changes at different altitudes.

Location of Chinese Balloon

CBS News

A U.S. official tells CBS News that the piece under the Mainland Chinese balloon conducting the surveillance is the size of 2-3 school buses, but the balloon itself is much larger than that.

Pentagon

“The balloon is maneuverable… and has changed its course. This is a surveillance balloon,” the Pentagon spokesman later added.

Pentagon says that the aircraft has a “large payload” and will probably be over the United States for a few days.

Another Chinese spy balloon over Latin America.

“We are seeing reports of a balloon transiting Latin America. We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon,” press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder says.

Explosion Over Billings, Montana
[7:08 pm ET, February 3. 2023 – Dolly Moore @MMtTreasures]

Second Chinese Balloon

Feb. 4