Surprise!

[JasonPratt]

From behind the Epoch Times paywall. (Note that they have Chinese ex-pats who are VERY anti-CCP, for good reason but keep potential bias in mind.)

The Chinese surveillance balloon that floated over U.S. airspace is maneuverable and is currently in the central United States, a top Pentagon official told reporters on Feb. 3.

The balloon, which had hovered over the state of Montana where nuclear silos are housed, has a "large payload underneath the surveillance component" of the balloon, according to Defense Department spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder.

It is currently heading eastward at an altitude of about 60,000 feet, Ryder said, adding that he expects the balloon's continued presence in the United States over the next few days.

He didn't provide a specific location of the balloon, saying that it's changing by the hour.

"We know the balloon has violated U.S. airspace and international law, which is unacceptable," Ryder said in a press briefing. "We have conveyed this directly to the PRC at multiple levels, and in terms of specific locations I will not be able to go into specific locations other than to say it is moving eastward at this time," he said, using the acronym of the People's Republic of China.

He said the balloon is "maneuverable" and "has changed its course, which is why we are monitoring it," but refused to go into the timing of such change or how the Pentagon has been tracking it, when pressed by reporters.

"We know this is a Chinese balloon and it has the ability to maneuver," Ryder said. "We assess the balloon does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. We will continue to monitor and review options."

The balloon flew from China, then to the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and through northwest Canada before arriving somewhere in Montana on Wednesday, according to reports.

The balloon has a surveillance device underneath "large enough to be concerning if there were a debris field," according to Ryder. He said his department is monitoring the balloon "closely" and reviewing options.

The Pentagon previously said it considered shooting down the balloon but eventually decided against the idea due to the potential risk for civilians on the ground posed by the debris.

Ryder declined to say whether such action is still under consideration, maintaining that this is classified information.

A defense official also said the Pentagon had assessed that the balloon has "limited" value in terms of providing intelligence it couldn't obtain by other technologies, such as spy satellites. The Pentagon also put in place unspecified mitigation measures, the official said.

It remains unclear how much or what sensitive information the balloon has gathered. The Chinese regime on Friday claimed the device is a civilian balloon doing meteorological research that had "deviated far from its planned course" due to forces beyond its control.

"Once the balloon was detected, we acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information," Ryder said.

Earlier on Friday, Washington postponed a planned trip to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken in response to the balloon's discovery. President Joe Biden, at a press briefing focused on the U.S. economy on Friday morning, ignored a question about the visit's postponement.

"The presence of this balloon in our airspace is a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law, and it is unacceptable that this has occurred," a senior State Department official told reporters.

Ryder, when asked about Beijing's statement, reiterated the same position.

"We are aware of the PRC statement. The fact is we know it is a surveillance balloon," he said. "We know the balloon has violated U.S. airspace and international law, which is unacceptable. we have conveyed this directly to the PRC at multiple levels."

{Author Eva Fu "is a New York-based writer for The Epoch Times focusing on U.S. politics, U.S.-China relations, religious freedom, and human rights."}

Aphoto caption: "A high altitude balloon floats over Billings, Mont., on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. The U.S. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a couple days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to risks of harm for people on the ground, officials said Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. The Pentagon would not confirm that the balloon in the photo was the surveillance balloon. (Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP)"

[JasonPratt]

Now, the most concerning part of that article to me (the author doesn't comment on it, it isn't that type of article, just reporting known statements and facts), is:

"The balloon, which had hovered over the state of Montana where nuclear silos are housed, has a "large payload underneath the surveillance component" of the balloon, according to Defense Department spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder."

This is the last time the "large payload" is mentioned. The surveillance component is (supposedly) large enough to risk a debris field if the balloon is shot, but what's below that component is relatively a "large" "payload" -- two words that do not bode well together in Defense Department contexts.

[Gusington]

Does 'payload' automatically mean 'weapon'?

[steve58]

I believe scientists/researchers also use the term 'payload', so no, not automatically weapon(s)...in this case 

[Gusington]

Eek:

pay·load
/ˈpāˌlōd/
Learn to pronounce
See definitions in:
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Aviation
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noun
1.
the part of a vehicle's load, especially an aircraft's, from which revenue is derived; passengers and cargo.
2.
an explosive warhead carried by a missile.

[JasonPratt]

I believe scientists/researchers also use the term 'payload', so no, not automatically weapon(s)...in this case 

True, which is why I qualified that with the context OF THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT. What's the other payload, hanging below the sensor suite (thus theoretically in the way of the sensors)? Normally I'd guess that's the small pump motor (and maybe heater) for adjusting the altitude by adjusting the gas. Why not say that? And why would that be below the sensor package?

(If it turns out to be the body of a little Chinese man painted green.... ;)

[GDS_Starfury]

so Gus would be a small payload. 

[GDS_Starfury]

it isn't to high for an F-15 or F-22 to get a gun kill on it.

[Gusington]

^Some of the news outlets said it was too high to shoot down with an F-15 or F-22 but I trust you all more than news outlets.

And yes I am a small payload in all respects. Almost.

[JasonPratt]

...that particular icon disturbs me in that context...

Maybe this is revenge for us raiding their New York "police" offices twice last year? They had to shut down the office this week.

A covert overseas police station run by the Chinese regime in New York has been shuttered following a reported raid by the FBI.

"The FBI has confirmed that the 'overseas police station' in New York linked to Fuzhou has closed," a State Department spokesperson said in an email to The Epoch Times.

"We continue to be concerned about PRC [People's Republic of China] transnational repression efforts around the world and are also coordinating with allies and partners on this issue."

The closure of the facility in New York's Chinatown comes just weeks after The New York Times reported that FBI agents raided and searched the building at an undisclosed time last fall.

The facility and more than 100 others like it form a network of covert facilities from which experts believe that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is conducting a campaign of transnational repression.

According to two reports published in October 2022 and December 2022 by Safeguard Defenders, a nonprofit organization, the overseas police outposts are used to collect intelligence and even forcibly repatriate Chinese dissidents to the mainland to be imprisoned.

"We are aware of reports regarding alleged PRC 'overseas police stations,'" the State Department spokesperson said.

"We take this issue very seriously. Establishing so-called overseas police stations without the invitation or approval of the country in which they are operating raises serious issues of respect for the sovereignty of that country."

The spokesperson referred The Epoch Times to the FBI and Justice Department for further information. The Justice Department didn't respond to a request for comment by press time, and the FBI declined to comment on the matter.

Chinese authorities maintain that the facilities, which operate in 53 nations, assist Chinese immigrants in foreign nations with tasks that would normally be handled by a consulate, such as renewing driver's licenses and visas.

However, the stations have been linked to the CCP's United Front Work Department, an agency that works to advance the regime's interests abroad by spreading propaganda, conducting foreign influence operations, suppressing dissident movements, gathering intelligence, and facilitating the transfer of technology to communist China.

As such, many nations have voiced concern that the facilities are a threat to national security and a violation of sovereignty.

Irish, Canadian, and Dutch officials have called for China to shut down similar police operations in their countries. Likewise, FBI Director Christopher Wray has characterized them as a violation of U.S. sovereignty.

"I'm very concerned about this," Wray said during a November 2022 hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

"I have to be careful about discussing our specific investigative work, but to me, it is outrageous to think that the Chinese police would attempt to set up shop—you know, in New York, let's say—without proper coordination. It violates sovereignty and circumvents standard judicial and law enforcement cooperation processes."

He refrained at the time from commenting on the legality of the overseas police stations but said they were part of the CCP's campaign of global transnational repression and linked them to CCP efforts to spy on Americans.

"The reason this is so important is because we have seen a clear pattern of the Chinese government, the Chinese Communist Party, exporting their repression right here into the U.S.," Wray said.

"We have seen plenty of situations ... where the Chinese government, under the pretext of going after corruption, have essentially used that as a vehicle to surveil. We've had situations where they've planted bugs inside Americans' cars."

There are three other similar facilities in the United States operating in New York and Los Angeles, according to Safeguard Defenders. It's unclear if they also have been a target of the FBI.

Note: probably not, but this is another example of the CCP doing suspicious things on our territory.

[GDS_Starfury]

^Some of the news outlets said it was too high to shoot down with an F-15 or F-22 but I trust you all more than news outlets.

Ive heard that for whatever reason it cant be hit with a missile.  however the F-15 has a service ceiling of 65k feet so it could possibly get a gun kill.  publicly the F-22 is rated at 55k feet but I suspect its at least as capable at the F-15.

for the giggles I looked up the Streak Eagle project.  a stripped down F-15 got to 103k after a full burn climb in under 4 minutes.

so how far would a 20mm shell go from 65k feet up?

[steve58]

Just a few holes in it would sink it...eventually. 

[GDS_Starfury]

kinda hard to leave just "a few holes" with a Vulcan.
easy to leave lots.

[bobarossa]

Would a Blackbird flying by it at Mach 3 cause problems for its structural integrity?
 

[JasonPratt]

Can't be targeted with a heat-seeking missile; can't be targeted with a radar-guided missile (the software is programmed to ignore things like clouds, which the balloon would resemble in behavior.) A laser-guided missile should work, but that doesn't seem to be in our.... cough... payloads. ;)

When I got back from dinner a few minutes ago, the news was saying it's over (or has passed) Cape Girardeau (which I can never spell, not being French), on its way toward Memphis generally. So it'll be floating over or near me in West TN tonight.

If it sets off the New Madrid faultline somehow, I won't be able to let anyone know, but I'm sure you'll hear about it anyway. 

(More likely, some of my countrymen here or in West KY will consider bringing it down to be a worthy challenge!)