Exploring the Global Reach of Suspected Chinese Spy Balloons

FILE PHOTO: A jet flies past a suspected Chinese spy balloon hovering offshore at Surfside Beach

A jet flies past a suspected Chinese spy balloon floating offshore in Surfside Beach, SC, on February 4, 2023. Credit – Randall Hill – Reuters

The alleged Chinese spy balloon shot down after crossing the continental US has raised questions about whether other airships like it have flown into other countries’ airspace in the past.

At least four other governments have reported more cases of possible surveillance balloons. US defense officials also reported several previous sightings of these devices in recent years.

However, few details are publicly known about many of these sightings. These balloons usually fly much higher than airplanes; The youngest balloon in the United States soared at an altitude of 60,000 feet – almost twice that of most commercial airliners.

Experts point out that these types of balloons can be difficult to spot if you’re not looking for them. Unlike missiles and aircraft, military radar operators like US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) are not as attuned to detecting inflatable airships.

The alleged Chinese spy balloon has sparked numerous reports of other balloon sightings around the world.Lon Tweet-TIME

Here’s what we know about the other possible spy balloon sightings.

Other US incursions

General Glen VanHerck, commander of US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), confirmed Monday that the Chinese government had sent previously undetected surveillance balloons over the US. “Every day as NORAD commander, I am responsible for identifying threats to North America,” he said at a briefing. “I will tell you that we have not detected these threats. And that’s a domain awareness gap that we need to figure out.”

While acknowledging there were other possible incursions, the Pentagon has released few details, including details of when they happened.

Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Washington said post that lawmakers and military officials spoke Saturday to discuss previous instances of similar surveillance balloons in the United States. A Chinese spy balloon reportedly found its way to Texas and Florida during the Trump administration, military officials said Sunday. Another such balloon made it to Guam. One crashed off the coast of Hawaii four months ago, Fox News reported.

Ballon reported over Latin America

US officials also said Friday that a Chinese balloon had been sighted somewhere over Latin America, but did not give an exact location.

The Colombian military said on February 4 it had detected a balloon-like object in its airspace. Local media in Costa Rica reported that hundreds of people had spotted a balloon in the sky on February 2 similar to the one the US had identified over Montana.

About Canada

Canada announced on February 2 that it was tracking a “potential second incident.” The balloon shot down by the US was previously in Canadian airspace before arriving in the US

In the most recent incident in the US, a Chinese spy balloon was sighted about 60,000 feet over Billings, Montana on February 1. He flew through Alaska and Canada and parts of Idaho and Missouri before the military shot him down over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina.

Balloons reported in Asia

The balloon controversy in the US has raised alarms in Taiwan, which is increasingly under pressure from flights by Chinese People’s Liberation Army planes. Taiwan is a self-governing island that China claims as its own territory. Some Taiwan lawmakers are calling for official investigations into whether Chinese spy balloons could be used to surveil Taiwan.

Director-General of Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau Cheng Ming-dean said they saw a similar balloon in Taipei in September 2021 and possibly March 2022, according to Taipei Just.

In Japan, officials are investigating whether reports of a flying object in June 2020 were a spy balloon, a government spokesman said Monday, Kyodo News reported.

Source