US officials have recovered some parts of a Chinese balloon that was shot down. Speed up the study whether it’s a real spy balloon or not.
The US Marine Corps Leaked footage of the recovery of suspicious objects identified as a Chinese “spy balloon” was shot down on February 4 amid criticism from China that the US had acted excessively. Because such balloons are civilian balloons only.
China claims that “this balloon is a civilian balloon for collecting weather data only. and crossed to the border of the United States. due to force majeure It was a complete accident.”
The difference between a “weather balloon and a spy balloon”
China accused the US of doing too much shooting down civilian balloons
The Pentagon reported that China’s ‘spy balloon’ is floating over US airspace
But several defense officials and other intelligence sources said that Chinese explanations are unreliable. And the trajectory of the balloon seems too deliberate.
The US is conducting a careful recovery operation by Ordnance Corps personnel. Because it is not sure if a bomb has been planted or not. and try to collect all the parts of said balloon The recovered parts now include white cloth and the structure of the balloon.
The head of the US Northern Command, Glenn Van Hierg, said based on the preliminary investigation, The balloon is about 60 meters tall and has a set of sensors installed underneath.
In addition, the US Marine Corps is also using the ship to map and scan the seabed for all the remaining pieces of the balloon. for US analysts it can be clearly studied What kind of sensors are placed on the balloon? and to understand how balloons can move.
The incident has raised tensions between the two countries and angered the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken. The planned visit to the Chinese capital had to be postponed.
China said the “decision to launch the balloon had a serious impact and damage to Sino-US relations.”
US intelligence officials believe the newly recovered Chinese spy balloons are part of a wider surveillance operation carried out by the Chinese military. Although the exact size of China’s reconnaissance squadron is unknown,
But sources say the operation has conducted more than 20 missions on at least five continents in recent years, and about five to six of those operations have been in US airspace.
Now, in a US government laboratory in Quantico, Virginia. A team of engineers at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) examines the debris of a salvaged balloon. Trying to learn everything about the information this balloon could collect. And the best way to track spy balloons in the future.
Van Hurg acknowledged that the United States has a “surveillance gap” that would allow balloons to cross into US airspace. not found
Defense officials said the US had some important clues as the balloon passed through US airspace. It uses the technical capabilities of the National Security Agency, along with other agencies, to collect real-time data on the different types of signals a balloon sends out as it moves.
Jim Hymes, US Congressional Intelligence Committee, said, “When we have a balloon in our hands, we can see technology. We can create a new supply chain. Find out who helped build it. What components are important to him? Of course you can also tell me its functions and specifications.”
However, it is currently unclear how much information officers will be able to learn about the information balloons are collecting or trying to collect. It could also depend on the damage of a balloon shot down into the ocean from a height of 60,000 feet.
Sources familiar with the FBI also said that intelligence officials are looking at Does the equipment on the Chinese balloons have any technical similarities to the technology built by the US intelligence and military?
Compiled from Al Jazeera/CNN
Photo courtesy of AFP PHOTO/US NAVY.
