NullNighthawk
Well-known member
US Spies Discover Chinese Spy Balloon Was Capable of Real-Time Transmission
A US spy balloon that crossed into the country in late January was equipped with technology that allowed it to transmit information back to Beijing in real-time, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The balloon, which first entered US airspace over Alaska, then passed through Canada and down into Montana before being shot down by the US off the East Coast on February 4. However, its true intentions remain shrouded in mystery, with officials now acknowledging that it was capable of conducting signals intelligence collection operations during its flight.
Gen. Glen VanHerck, the commander of US Northern Command and NORAD, had previously stated that the balloon did not pose a significant threat beyond what already exists in actionable technical means from China. However, a senior State Department official has revealed that the balloon was indeed capable of collecting signals intelligence while it floated across the country.
The Chinese government has denied that its surveillance program involves deliberately maneuvering balloons into continental US airspace, claiming instead that the one shot down by the US was just a weather balloon thrown off course. Nonetheless, officials believe that China did maintain some ability to control the balloon, and once it reached Montana, it loitered over sensitive sites and tried to collect intelligence.
The incident has further escalated tensions between Washington and Beijing, with the postponement of a diplomatic visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China. While the full extent of what the balloon was able to gather remains unknown, officials have been assessing whether there is any new intelligence that the US is not aware of yet.
In recent years, sources tell CNN that the Chinese surveillance program has conducted at least two dozen missions over at least five continents, with roughly half a dozen of those flights being within US airspace. The US does not know the precise size of the fleet of Chinese surveillance balloons, but this latest incident highlights the growing concern about the capabilities and intentions of China's intelligence apparatus.
This story is developing, and CNN will provide updates as more information becomes available.
A US spy balloon that crossed into the country in late January was equipped with technology that allowed it to transmit information back to Beijing in real-time, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The balloon, which first entered US airspace over Alaska, then passed through Canada and down into Montana before being shot down by the US off the East Coast on February 4. However, its true intentions remain shrouded in mystery, with officials now acknowledging that it was capable of conducting signals intelligence collection operations during its flight.
Gen. Glen VanHerck, the commander of US Northern Command and NORAD, had previously stated that the balloon did not pose a significant threat beyond what already exists in actionable technical means from China. However, a senior State Department official has revealed that the balloon was indeed capable of collecting signals intelligence while it floated across the country.
The Chinese government has denied that its surveillance program involves deliberately maneuvering balloons into continental US airspace, claiming instead that the one shot down by the US was just a weather balloon thrown off course. Nonetheless, officials believe that China did maintain some ability to control the balloon, and once it reached Montana, it loitered over sensitive sites and tried to collect intelligence.
The incident has further escalated tensions between Washington and Beijing, with the postponement of a diplomatic visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China. While the full extent of what the balloon was able to gather remains unknown, officials have been assessing whether there is any new intelligence that the US is not aware of yet.
In recent years, sources tell CNN that the Chinese surveillance program has conducted at least two dozen missions over at least five continents, with roughly half a dozen of those flights being within US airspace. The US does not know the precise size of the fleet of Chinese surveillance balloons, but this latest incident highlights the growing concern about the capabilities and intentions of China's intelligence apparatus.
This story is developing, and CNN will provide updates as more information becomes available.
... okay so they're saying it was just a weather balloon but come on, it was flying around for days over the us and trying to collect intel? that's some major espionage right there 
. and now we know it was capable of real-time transmission, which is super concerning. i mean, what else did they gather from their little flight around montana? were they monitoring our military bases or something? 
. seriously though, this just adds to the tension between us and china, and it's not helping with diplomatic relations at all 
. we should know more about what exactly happened and what china knows and doesn't know from these flights... it's like, super suspicious 
i mean, come on guys, you can't just throw a balloon up in the air and expect nobody to notice. it's not exactly rocket science.
at least now we know for sure that it was capable of collecting signals intel, so yeah maybe there is some new info out there that we don't have yet.
And they're telling us it was just a weather balloon that got lost, but come on... 
I guess we'll just have to wait and see if there are any more incidents like this.
I'm not saying we should be worried or anything 
, but at the same time, it's pretty wild that they had tech to transmit info in real-time. Maybe this is just a big misunderstanding, and China's all like "hey, we're just checking the weather" 
... but what if they were trying to gather intel? 
Still, I don't think we should freak out or anything 
, our guys have got this under control! 
. China's been doing some pretty sneaky surveillance for years now... at least now we know they've got a team of balloon-surfing spies out there 
thats some serious scale.
, i mean come on, a weather balloon thrown off course? 
that's not exactly the most believable excuse. and even if they did happen to stumble upon a "weather balloon", trying to collect intel from a 30,000 ft balloon in US airspace? that's just begging for someone to shoot it down 
.
The US has been warning China about this stuff for years, but do they ever take it seriously? It's like, China does one thing that might be slightly annoying to the US, and suddenly everyone's a hawk. 
And now we're talking about a whole fleet of these balloons flying around the world? 
The fact that they could transmits data in real-time is wild... what else are they gonna do with it?! 
.
. We can't just sit back and wait for China to make their next move... we gotta be proactive about our national security 
.
Like, what's next? A Chinese spy satellite in our backyard?! 
. Can't wait to see how this all plays out! 
like what else are they collecting intel on? 
That's a big deal. And the fact that they were just chillin' over sensitive sites in Montana, trying to gather intel... not cool, China 
.
anyway, it's not like we didn't know the chinese were trying to snoop around... i remember hearing about those balloons a few years ago. still, this one being able to transmit in real-time is a big deal 
guess we'll have to see how this all plays out 
got to say tho, this whole thing feels super fishy