Why in news?

• The US military has downed the suspected Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean and launched a mission to recover all the equipment from its debris.
• This has drawn a strong reaction from China which warned of repercussions over America's use of force against its civilian unmanned airship.

What’s in today’s article?

• News summary
• Spy Balloons

News summary

Spy balloon and US China tie

• Why USA is worried?
  • Earlier, the Pentagon said it has detected a surveillance balloon over Montana. It was found to be traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic.
    • Montana is home to some of America's most lethal nuclear Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICMBs).
  • USA claimed that the balloon was being used by the People Republic of China to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States.
  • By shooting down the balloon, USA addressed the surveillance threat posed to military installations and further neutralise any intelligence value it could have produced, preventing it from returning to China.
  • Chinese infiltration of US on the ground and now in the air has stirred disquiet in both strategic and political circles.
    • Proposed land purchases by China in neighboring North Dakota is being opposed by US lawmakers and military analysts.
    • They say that it could be cover for spying on a nearby military facility where drone test flights are conducted.
• What is China’s response?
  • China has said the balloon, spotted over the state of Montana, is merely a "civilian airship" which deviated from its planned route.
  • After USA shot down the balloon, China expressed strong dissatisfaction and opposition towards the US use of force to attack China's civilian unmanned airship.
  • It contended that the use of force by USA was an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.

What are spy balloons?

• A contemporary spy balloon is a piece of spying equipment, for example a camera, suspended beneath a balloon that floats above a given area, carried by wind currents.
• Balloons are one of the oldest forms of surveillance technology. The Japanese military used them to launch incendiary bombs in the US during World War Two.
• They were also widely used by the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
• Modern balloons typically hover between 24km-37km above the earth's surface (80,000ft-120,000ft).

Why use spy balloons rather than satellites?

• For the last few decades, satellites were used on a regular basis. But now lasers or kinetic weapons are being invented to target satellites.
• Hence, there is a resurgence of interest in balloons.
• Although, these balloons don’t offer the same level of persistent surveillance as satellites, but are easier to retrieve, and much cheaper to launch.
• Balloons can also scan more territory from a lower altitude and spend more time over a given area because they move more slowly than satellites.