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Previous Chinese spy balloons discovered after the fact

x65943

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https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us...ons-over-united-states-us-general-2023-02-06/

US general reveals past Chinese spy balloons during the Trump and Biden administration were actually discovered after they had transited the United States.

This balloon is the first one discovered in transit, and as such was the first one the US was capable of shooting down in our airspace. The US general said this constitutes a domain awareness issue.

The general did not say how the balloons were eventually discovered to have crossed over the US, or when the first one had transited earlier in Biden's term.

The general also shared that the balloon was not struck down over land because of fear it may have been carrying explosives. The gargantuan balloon was over 200 feet tall with a payload of several thousand pounds.
 

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This is how WW3 will look like:


WW3.png
 

plasturion

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So Trump never knew about it, and Biden didn't know anything about it when it happened the last time. Ok.

Biden knew about it this time though. Days before it even crossed our border.

View attachment 351743
that's different satelitte attached to the baloon, the one from movie record looks like regular ISS with one row of solar panels.
picture is different or faked.
 

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Previous instances went by undetected. This latest balloon was detected using a new, previously unknown and undiscovered method called "looking up." :tpi:

Ole' Don tried to tell people but they just ignored him.

1675763099378.png




You guys think the Chinese were just sending bigger and bigger balloons to see how much they could get away with before anyone noticed? The first one was just a helium Hello Kitty balloon with a note attached, then they got progressively bigger?
 

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I don't get the controversy here. Google maps the entire earth and nobody cares. China does the same (okay... I don't know why it can't just be a weather balloon like they say) and the us does nothing. Then more nothing. And now shoots one down.

... And now threatens China not to send more weather balloons over their air space, because 'or else'.
 
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x65943

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I don't get the controversy here. Google maps the entire earth and nobody cares. China does the same (okay... I don't know why it can't just be a weather balloon like they say) and the us does nothing. Then more nothing. And now shoots one down.

... And now threatens China not to send more weather balloons over their air space, because 'or else'.
The US has said it's not a weather balloon but intended for surveillance of our nuclear sites

Google and other satellite companies purposely blur and otherwise hide sensitive military areas (like our nuke sites in Montana)

Regardless of how you feel about them spying on our nuke capabilities, China sending a 200 ft balloon with multi thousand pounds payload is a national security issue because it could be used to drop explosives or biological warfare agents

If they want to use our airspace they can ask - this is a sovereign nation, they don't have the right to send things over here without permission
 

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The US gov knew about them, but since the citizens didn't notice them(or not enough), didn't disclose them. The FBI and CIA probably had the US gov play dumb, while they tracked them, and fed them false info, while studying them. The US gov most likely was forced to disclose the balloons, because too many people noticed them.
 

djpannda

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I don't get the controversy here. Google maps the entire earth and nobody cares. China does the same (okay... I don't know why it can't just be a weather balloon like they say) and the us does nothing. Then more nothing. And now shoots one down.

... And now threatens China not to send more weather balloons over their air space, because 'or else'.
I don't think its about Actual spying from the Ballon but more about showing off. Most of the Tracking is done by Satellites.
this was a show Piece. More of a game of Spy Chicken or Spy Hide and Seek
Heck the US has over 500 KNOWN spy plane patrols in South China Sea in 2022.

But the fact that China has done it more then 3 times in public display in the last 4-5 years should make Military start developing an actual plan in case it something other then a "spy Ballon" situation
 
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Viri

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I don't think its about Actual spying from the Ballon but more about showing off. Most of the Tracking is done by Satellites.
this was a show Piece. More of a game of Spy Chicken or Spy Hide and Seek
Heck the US has over 500 KNOWN spy plane patrols in South China Sea in 2022.

But the fact that China has done it more then 3 times in public display in the last 4-5 years should make Military start developing an actual plan in case it something other then a "spy Ballon" situation
It's more about a psychological effect. "We can fly balloons over your precious country, the Pacific ocean cannot protect you from us. One of our balloons flew over your entire country, and made it that far, while your incompetent gov did fuck all but panic!"


"Dear Chinese citizens, ignore the fact that you paid for a house that wasn't built yet, and that we bolted you in your house over 0 Covid policies, that lead to people starving, look upon the silly Americans as they freak out at OUR balloons!"
 

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Sounds like our intelligence agencies and/or the military didn't even bother keeping Trump in the loop regarding these balloons, then. Probably for the best.
no im pretty sure it was on the daily Intelliegnce reports. But Trump historically known not to read them unless someone points something directly out
That or they told him they can't shoot it down yet and he did not want to mention in fear it would make him look weak with ":CHI-NA"
 

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The US has said it's not a weather balloon but intended for surveillance of our nuclear sites

Google and other satellite companies purposely blur and otherwise hide sensitive military areas (like our nuke sites in Montana)

Regardless of how you feel about them spying on our nuke capabilities, China sending a 200 ft balloon with multi thousand pounds payload is a national security issue because it could be used to drop explosives or biological warfare agents

If they want to use our airspace they can ask - this is a sovereign nation, they don't have the right to send things over here without permission
Yeah, I know what the US is saying. I'm not just going to presume guilty so easily. As was mentioned in the mean time: satellites can do an equally good and more stealthy job. And it's not like China doesn't have those.

The argument that companies blur sensitive areas is an argument against you. Kind hard to blur without capturing the image first.

I admit it's a security issue. No contest there.
And for what it's worth: I wouldn't like spying on nuclear capabilities regardless of whom by whom. Please don't imply otherwise.

The apparent lacking of courtesy to ask to use the airspace seems the only suspicious thing to me right now. The Chinese should've done that. And that they got away with it thus far certainly doesn't excuse them.
 

mrdude

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no im pretty sure it was on the daily Intelliegnce reports. But Trump historically known not to read them unless someone points something directly out
That or they told him they can't shoot it down yet and he did not want to mention in fear it would make him look weak with ":CHI-NA"
Unless you've been gettting intelligence briefings from ex trump era intelligence staff, that's a mighty bit of speculation going on right there. The facts are your CURRENT president is an idiot and knew about this balloon for a while, and let it cross your entire country before it was shot down due to being shamed.

I like how the Bablylon Bee summed it up:

According to anonymous sources, several Pentagon officials asked how soon they would be able to knock the balloon out of the sky, insisting it was a matter of national security.

"Come on, man! I'll let you shoot it down. Just let me check to make sure the Chinese have what they need and that the million-dollar check for Hunter's painting came through from my buddy Xi. Then, have at it, boys!"

https://babylonbee.com/news/biden-s...py-balloon-as-soon-as-hes-done-letting-it-spy

This just is another pretty embarrassing thing in a long list to come out of US in the last 2 years. Your southern border leaks more than an umbrella made from a colander, and you've got spy balloons sending data back to the Chinese that didn't need to spend billions/trillions on a space program.

Thanks Joe B, the world is now a safer place since you took office. The Taliban are Armed & have night vision capability and a country, Russia has invaded it's neighbour and your tax payer is paying all the bills while your own Army has run out of bullets, and the Chinese have aerial data for your entire countries defences. Good job.
 
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x65943

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Yeah, I know what the US is saying. I'm not just going to presume guilty so easily. As was mentioned in the mean time: satellites can do an equally good and more stealthy job. And it's not like China doesn't have those.

The argument that companies blur sensitive areas is an argument against you. Kind hard to blur without capturing the image first.

I admit it's a security issue. No contest there.
And for what it's worth: I wouldn't like spying on nuclear capabilities regardless of whom by whom. Please don't imply otherwise.

The apparent lacking of courtesy to ask to use the airspace seems the only suspicious thing to me right now. The Chinese should've done that. And that they got away with it thus far certainly doesn't excuse them.
Isn't it also suspicious that this isn't the first time?

And if it was just a weather balloon gone astray like they claim - they would have let us know - hey this drifted into your airspace don't freak out

The fact it was a secret, and they kept it a secret shows their hand

As for why a balloon for imaging - it's possible being closer it could get a slightly better image - it's also possible they are doing drills to practice in a scenario in which their satellites were destroyed (highly likely scenario in a future war setting)

It's also possible they could be practicing potential military maneuvers as a balloon with that payload could carry explosives or biological weapons

Regardless what they are doing or why, it's clear they kept it a secret from us - when non malevolent party would let us know of their "mistake" and incursion into our airspace the first time

But no they let 5 such balloons over and then we discovered them ourselves
 
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Veho

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China does the same (okay... I don't know why it can't just be a weather balloon like they say) and the us does nothing. Then more nothing. And now shoots one down.

... And now threatens China not to send more weather balloons over their air space, because 'or else'.
During World War Two, the Japanese used high altitude balloons to send incendiary bombs and anti-personnel bombs to mainland USA. Most of them failed but the operation did cause six fatalities.

Imagine what a two thousand pound payload could do.

So any unidentified object floating in on the jet stream is a potential danger, or at the least a huge security issue.

And having four "weather balloons" "accidentally" fly over another country's territory without telling anyone is blatant bullshit, China was flexing by dangling its (helium-filled) balls in America's face to see how intimately they could teabag the US before the US would notice and react, so now it's time for a response.
 
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