American sources say today that at least four airships have been identified in the United States in the past. These devices were notably equipped with means to capture information of electromagnetic origin.
by Elise Vincent
A week after destruction by the United States of a stratospheric ball of Chinese origin above the Atlantic, the American administration revealed, Thursday, February 9, that it was part of a Large espionage program has been leading for several years throughout the globe, by the Chinese army – the People’s Liberation Army (APL). This analysis is confirmed by the exploitation of the first debris recovered at sea, in particular part of the wing and electronic parts.
Washington says that, contrary to what the Chinese authorities have explained from the start, the intercepted ball was not a simple civil meteorological airship having deviated from its trajectory, but a machine with very sharp equipment to collect Information on ground targets, in particular military sites. It was notably equipped with means to capture information of electromagnetic origin (ROEM), that is to say radar and telecommunications signals.
The Chinese ball was also part of a much wider fleet. According to American authorities, there have been at least one “twenty” Chinese missions since 2018, half of which in the air space of the United States. At least four balloons were spotted above Florida, Texas and Guam. In June 2022, one of them damaged the sea off the Hawaiian islands. Some of its components could have been recovered and analyzed.
Other balloons have been spotted in Latin America, India, Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines and Japan. In 2020, an air object had been detected above the Japanese sky, arousing intense speculation. “Some people thought it was a UFO,” said a Japanese official quoted by the American press. “With hindsight, people realize that it was a Chinese spy ball. But, at the time, it was purely new, no one had seen this,” he added.
These balloons were notably launched from the province of Hainan, in southern China, according to several American officials who expressed themselves under the cover of anonymity. For a long time, the island of Hainan has housed an important base of the Chinese army. Known for its naval installations, it also hosts a military aerodrome scrutinized by the Pentagon. In December 2022, a collision between a Chinese fighter plane and an American recognition apparatus was narrowly avoided off the island.
You have 53.38% of this article to read. The continuation is reserved for subscribers.