![]() “With the rapid development of modern technology, the space for information confrontation is no longer limited to land, sea, and the low altitude. While questions remain about that incident, an examination of Chinese state media reports and scientific papers reveal the country’s growing interest in these lighter-than-air vehicles, which Chinese military experts have touted for use toward a wide range of purposes, from communication relay, reconnaissance and surveillance to electronic countermeasures.Ĭhinese research on the high-altitude balloons dates back to the late 1970s, but over the past decade there’s been renewed focus on using older technology equipped with new hardware as major powers around the world have bulked up their capabilities in the sky. As analysis of recovered parts from the downed device gets underway, a senior State Department official said Thursday that the balloon “was capable of conducting signals intelligence collection operations” and was part of a fleet that had flown over “more than 40 countries across five continents” – a claim China has flatly rejected. They include stratospheric airships and high-altitude balloons – similar to the one identified over the continental United States and shot down on Saturday.Ĭhina maintains the balloon is a civilian research airship, despite claims by US officials that the device was part of an extensive Chinese surveillance program. ![]() In addition to developing high-tech vessels such as solar-powered drones and hypersonic vehicles, China is also reviving a decades-old technology to utilize this area of the atmosphere – lighter-than-air vehicles. ![]() Lying above the flightpaths of most commercial and military jets and below satellites, near space is an in-between area for spaceflight to pass through – but it is also a domain where hypersonic weapons transit and ballistic missiles cross.Ĭhina has paid close attention to the US’ and other countries’ developments in the region, which has been hailed by Chinese military experts as “a new front for militarization” and “an important field of competition among the world’s military powers.” ![]() ![]() In China’s eyes, the newest superpower battlefield sits between 12 and 60 miles above the Earth’s surface in a thin-aired layer of the atmosphere it calls “near space.” ![]()
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