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--- transportation:balloons [2024/01/05 01:40] – [Selfie / U2] timb
+++ transportation:balloons [2024/02/27 22:21] (current) – [Balloon - Utah (2024)] timb
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 ====== Chinese Surveillance Balloon ======
+===== Taiwan 2024 =====
+== Three Chinese balloons float near Taiwanese airbase ==
+Also: Remember that balloon over the US last February? It might have used a US internet provider
+Laura Dobberstein - Thu 4 Jan 2024 10:15 UTC
+Four Chinese balloons have reportedly floated over the Taiwan Strait, three of them crossing over the island's land mass and near its Ching-Chuan-Kang air base before disappearing, according to the Taiwan's defense ministry.
+An appearance of a similar Chinese balloon caused quite a stir in the US last February (see sidebar).
+Up, up and away
+Last week, CNN reported that an American intelligence assessment found the balloon that was shot down in US airspace last year used a commercial US internet provider to send navigation and location data to China – a report that has been at least partly disputed by other media.
+The balloon was found to be full of readily available American hardware.
+Following the incident, the US Department of Commerce added six entities to its black list "for their support to China's military modernization efforts, specifically the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) aerospace programs including airships and balloons and related materials and components."
+Beijing denied that the balloon's entry into US airspace was intentional – an argument that was initially challenged as the device had a propulsion system and steering capability.
+The Pentagon eventually revealed the balloon did have intelligence gathering equipment, but had not relayed any information back to China, nor collected information while over the United States.
+The three that passed over land held altitudes between 12 and 23 kilometers. The balloons were accompanied by People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and navy (PLAN) vessels, according to the Ministry. Two of the aircraft crossed over into Taiwanese airspace, and by Thursday, the ministry had detected six ships.
+"The Chinese military uses mission aircraft, ships and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor and respond," wrote the governemnt org.
+https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/three_chinese_balloons_float_near/
+===== United States 2023 =====
 == The Pentagon Claims a Chinese Surveillance Balloon Has Been Floating Over the U.S. for Days ==
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-===== US 2023 =====
 ==== Selfie / U2 ====
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 https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/12/politics/lake-huron-high-altitude-object/index.html
+====== Balloon - Utah (2024) ======
+== The U.S. Military Is Monitoring Another High-Altitude Balloon ==
+Military officials intercepted the balloon over Utah and said it was not a threat to national security.
+Jody Serrano - 23 February 2024
+It seems almost too comical to be true, but this is the world we live in. One year after the U.S. shot down a Chinese spy balloon that ignited a national frenzy, the military has spotted another balloon in American skies.
+Officials are tracking a high-altitude balloon flying over the Western U.S., CBS News reported on Friday afternoon. Earlier in the day, the balloon was allegedly flying over Colorado and sparked concern among military officials. The military sent personnel to inspect the balloon and concluded that it was not a threat, the outlet stated, although its origin and purpose are still unknown.
+https://gizmodo.com/high-altitude-balloon-spotted-western-us-colorado-1851283135
+== Unidentified balloon belongs to amateur balloonist: US official ==
+Officials previously said the balloon, which is hovering at between 43,000 to 45,000 feet, does not appear to pose a national security threat to the U.S.
+Courtney Kube, Mosheh Gains, Megan Lebowitz and Allie Raffa - Feb. 23, 2024, 2:59 PM PST / Updated Feb. 24, 2024, 9:49 AM PST
+The high-altitude balloon flying over the western U.S. is the property of an amateur balloonist, a U.S. official told NBC News Saturday.
+Prior to Saturday, the U.S. military said it was monitoring an unidentified "small" balloon flying at high altitudes over the west, according to two U.S. officials and a defense official.
+A fighter aircraft was sent to observe the balloon after it was spotted over Utah this morning. The balloon, which is hovering at between 43,000 to 45,000 feet, does not appear to pose a national security threat to the U.S., the officials said.
+The balloon is not maneuverable and has a small box-like payload, the officials said.
+https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/us-monitoring-high-altitude-balloon-west-rcna140275
+== It is a bird, a plane or a Chinese spy balloon? None of the above ==
+One year on, balloon fever remains alive and well in the US
+Brandon Vigliarolo - Mon 26 Feb 2024 16:30 UTC
+Just when you thought the skies over America were finally free of Chinese spy balloons … well they are, at least in this latest case of a mystery object that was spotted while flying over the western US.
+Officials at the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) observed the balloon, reportedly floating at an altitude between 43,000 and 45,000 feet, late last week and on Friday scrambled a fighter jet to intercept it to get a closer look. The jet determined there was no threat to US national security, finding it was likely a hobbyist balloon.
+"After yesterday's fighter intercepts, and in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, [NORAD] monitored the likely hobby balloon via ground radars until it left US airspace overnight," the agency said in a statement sent to multiple outlets over the weekend.
+https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/26/norad_scramb/