What is known about the mysterious objects shot down by the United States?

Demolition of a huge chinese hot air balloon off the US coast, and then two smaller objects over Alaska and Canada, raised security concerns North America and further aggravation of relations with China.

This is what we know so far:

What were these three items?

The incidents began at the end of January, when giant Chinese globebranded a spy by Washington officials, drifted through US skies for several days before being shot down by an F-22 off the US coast on February 4. South Carolina.

China insisted that balloon He did meteorological research.

The Pentagon said it has a gondola the size of three buses and weighing more than a ton, as well as multiple antennas and solar panels large enough to power various intelligence gathering sensors.

Then on Friday the fighters Americans shot down another object north of Alaskathe army said, adding that it was “in sovereign airspace and over territorial waters USA”.

The facility lacked any propulsion or control system, authorities said.

Saturday, American aircraft F-22following Canadian and Canadian orders, shot down a “high-altitude aircraft target” over the central Yukon Territory in Canadaabout 160 kilometers from the US border, given that it posed a threat to civil aviation.

Canada he described it as cylindrical and smaller than the first globe. Defense Minister Anita Anand declined to speculate about whether he was of Chinese origin.

Senate Majority Leader USACharles Schumer, briefed by the Biden administration after the latest incident, said Sunday that the last two objects were likely balloons “but much smaller than the first” and that both were flying at about 40,000 feet.

civil servants Americans They described two new objects the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.

What has been recovered?

Military teams operating aircraft, boats and mini-submarines travel through shallow waters South Carolina. Military footage showed the extraction of a large piece of the balloon.

federal office The investigation took over the storage of the remains for analysis.

Operations to retrieve the second object are ongoing on sea ice near Deadhorse, Alaska. “Arctic weather conditions, including cold winds, snow and limited daylight hours,” the military said.

Rescue teams with support Canadian Patrol CP-140are looking for the remains of a third site in the Yukon, Anand said on Saturday. The Pentagon noted that the FBI is working closely with the Canadian police.

What was the purpose of the items?

US officials say images of the first balloon show it consisted of surveillance equipment that could intercept telecommunications.

Minister of Defense Lloyd Austinassured that his mission was to “surveillance of strategic objects in USA continental”.

This was stated by former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen. Chinaor some members of his military leadership deliberately sought to undermine Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s planned visit to Beijing.

USA he claims that the balloons were part of a “fleet” that traveled across five continents.

Some analysts say this could be the start of a major Chinese surveillance effort to scrutinize foreign military capabilities in anticipation of potential tensions over Taiwan in the coming years.

Why are there so many now?

Analysts say intelligence USA and Canada it constantly receives large amounts of raw data and usually discards some to focus on the threat of incoming missiles rather than slow moving objects such as balloons.

“Now, of course, we track them. So I think we’ll probably find more material,” Jim Himes, the top Democratic representative on the House Intelligence Committee, told NBC. House of Representatives.

Authorities have indicated that three balloons are currently known to have briefly flown over the United States during the Donald Trump administration without being detected at the time, and one during the Joe Biden.

On Saturday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) sent fighter jets to investigate a “radar anomaly” over Montana but found no associated objects.

How will this affect US-China relations?

The United States suspended Blinken’s visit to Chinawith the intention of stabilizing bilateral relations, and has imposed sanctions on six Chinese organizations that he believes support China’s military programs. spy balls.

Beijing condemned the launch of the first balloon, saying it “seriously violates international practice.” He reserved the right to “use the necessary means to deal with such situations.”

There has been no Chinese response to the last two downings.

What about internal consequences?

Republicans criticize Biden for waiting so long to shoot down the first balloon, even though on Sunday the president Committee House intelligence officer Mike Turner said the U.S. military has gone from “forgiving” to “easy-shooting.”

Schumer defended Biden’s approach to the crisis, telling ABC that analyzing the balloon debris found could deal “a big blow to USA”.

But Biden has faced calls from both camps to show more transparency. “I am very concerned about why the administration does not disclose everything that it knows,” Himes said.

AFP