The Patriot Files Forums  

Go Back   The Patriot Files Forums > Military News > DoD

Post New Thread  Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 02-04-2023, 05:22 PM
Boats's Avatar
Boats Boats is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sauk Village, IL
Posts: 21,783
Exclamation Pentagon Reveals Why It Waited Days To Shoot Down Chinese Surveillance Balloon

Pentagon Reveals Why It Waited Days To Shoot Down Chinese Surveillance Balloon
By: Micaela Burrow - Daily Caller News Foundation 02-04-23 - 5:31 ET
Re: https://dailycaller.com/2023/02/04/p...inese-balloon/

The U.S. was able to collect valuable information on China’s surveillance capabilities while observing the spy balloon as it traversed the continental U.S. for several days, a senior military official and senior defense official claimed Saturday.

President Joe Biden asked for possible military options for removing the threat of the suspected Chinese spy balloon Tuesday, but the Department of Defense (DOD) opted against doing so Wednesday over concerns falling debris could endanger civilians, officials said at a briefing Saturday. However, they did not clarify whether a military option was considered when the craft transgressed U.S. airspace over Alaska’s Aleutian Islands on Jan. 28, before crossing into Canada and reentering U.S. territory on Jan. 31 in northern Idaho.

The U.S. was able to “study” and “scrutinize” the balloon and its spying capabilities, which the official described as “broad.” (RELATED: US Bans Chinese Tech That Allegedly Lets China Spy On Military Sites)

Additional information about Chinese surveillance methods could be gathered once U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels recover debris that splashed down in the water, officials said. While recovery efforts had already begun, the officials could not provide an exact timeline.

An F-22 fighter jet from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia took a single shot with an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile from an altitude of 58,000 feet, sending the balloon and its payload plummeting into waters off South Carolina, the officials explained.

In addition, the military had determined it did not pose an immediate threat to Americans and would not provide China with a significant surveillance advantage. They also took “precautions” to minimize the balloon’s collection value.

“At the point we felt it posed a potential threat to us in the continental United States we started developing options, and at that point we decided that the risk-reward was not worth taking it down overland,” the senior defense official said.

The U.S. downed the balloon at 2:39 p.m. Eastern time, when it was roughly six nautical miles off the coast, but still within U.S. sovereign territory, the senior defense official said.

[“This was the first available opportunity to successfully bring down this surveillance balloon in a way that would not pose a threat to the safety of Americans,” the defense official said. The debris field would cover at least seven miles, the senior military official said.]

Waiting to down the balloon “actually provided us a number of days to analyze this balloon, and through a number of means,” the defense official said. “We don’t know exactly all the benefits that will derive, but we have learned technical things about this balloon and its surveillance capabilities.”

The U.S. was able to “study” and “scrutinize” the balloon and its spying capabilities, which the official described as “broad.” (RELATED: US Bans Chinese Tech That Allegedly Lets China Spy On Military Sites)

Additional information about Chinese surveillance methods could be gathered once U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels recover debris that splashed down in the water, officials said. While recovery efforts had already begun, the officials could not provide an exact timeline.

An F-22 fighter jet from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia took a single shot with an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile from an altitude of 58,000 feet, sending the balloon and its payload plummeting into waters off South Carolina, the officials explained.

In addition, the military had determined it did not pose an immediate threat to Americans and would not provide China with a significant surveillance advantage. They also took “precautions” to minimize the balloon’s collection value.

“At the point we felt it posed a potential threat to us in the continental United States we started developing options, and at that point we decided that the risk-reward was not worth taking it down overland,” the senior defense official said.

The U.S. downed the balloon at 2:39 p.m. Eastern time, when it was roughly six nautical miles off the coast, but still within U.S. sovereign territory, the senior defense official said.

“This was the first available opportunity to successfully bring down this surveillance balloon in a way that would not pose a threat to the safety of Americans,” the defense official said.

The debris field would cover at least seven miles, the senior military official said.

China deployed similar balloons in the continental U.S. at least three times during the Trump administration and once at the beginning of the Biden administration, but never for as long as the latest incident, the defense official said.

The Pentagon has identified at least one other surveillance balloon currently transiting Latin America, the officials said.

“These balloons are all part of a PRC fleet of balloons developed to conduct surveillance operations, which have also violated the sovereignty of other countries,” the official said, adding that balloons have been spotted in countries spanning five continents in recent years.

[Tags : Air Force - Biden Administration - China - Department of Defense - The
Pentagon - and the President Joe Biden]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A 2nd post by South China Morning Post on same subject
Re: https://www.scmp.com/news/world/unit...hinese-balloon

Note: “This action was taken in coordination, and with the full support, of the Canadian government,” Lloyd said. “We thank Canada for its contribution to tracking and analysis of the balloon through [the North American Aerospace Defense Command] as it transited North America.” [Go this site and read their report].
-
Personal note: It most likely was transmitting back to China what is was scanning
fore and where possible targets of interest are; should nukes be launched. China
must must be nuts - how would they like it if we did the same? The games afoot
and at least we will get more data after they pick up the debris and see what
it was scanning or - maybe it was sending and any & all recordings & were already
in their China's hands. Now how much of its left after being shot down has yet
to be stated. Actually their are two ballons one over South America I do think
I heard?

Question: With all the spy satellites in orbit - why a baloon? Now we wait and
see what if anything is possible that remains - after being shot down!?
-
__________________
Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 05:15 AM.


Powered by vBulletin, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.