The words “balloon” and ‘’aerostat’’ suddenly became a new trend in the world information space. Moreover, seemingly long-forgotten attributes of World War II military practice almost led to a conflict between the nuclear powers of the United States and the People’s Republic of China.
☝️ An aerostat is an aircraft that rises up thanks to the lighter-than-air gas contained in its shell. A distinction is made between controlled (with engines) and uncontrolled (balloons that move freely in air currents) balloons. Traditionally, aerostats (balloons) are used for scientific purposes, but recently they are increasingly used for surveillance and intelligence gathering. Aerostats with corner reflectors, the specific design of which are made for reconnaissance and diversion of air defense from real targets, are gaining popularity.
Thus, the incident on February 10, when a Chinese hot air balloon was shot down by the US Air Force, received worldwide attention. And while Beijing claimed the balloon was being used for atmospheric research and simply drifted off course, analysis of its remains revealed high-tech equipment capable of “collecting communications signals and other sensitive information.” The incident caused a rise in tensions between Washington and Beijing, and the visit of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to China was postponed. For his part, the official representative of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said at a briefing on February 13 that during 2022, US balloons illegally entered the territory of China more than 10 times. The White House called the statements of the Chinese Foreign Ministry a lie.
Why were aerostats actively used for military purposes?
Firstly, this method is relatively cheap, and balloons with radar reflectors can be used for various purposes (disrupt the infrared guidance systems of missile systems, interfere with reconnaissance aircraft and satellites, etc.).
Secondly, balloons have certain advantages compared to reconnaissance satellites. They are closer to the surface of the Earth, they are more difficult to detect with the help of radars, they can hover over the territory, which provides high quality images, with the help of aerostat equipment you can listen to communication channels that are not available for listening from satellites due to their distance from the Earth.
However, balloons also have significant disadvantages – they move in air currents at a low speed and change direction depending on the strength and direction of the wind, which allows air defense to easily detect and shoot them down.
What is behind the situation with the balloons and what does Ukraine have to do with it?
American intelligence agencies have concluded that China regularly uses balloons for intelligence purposes in various parts of the world. Chinese balloons have been spotted over Central and Latin America, South and Southeast Asia, and Europe. Over the past few weeks, 4 unidentified objects have already been shot down over North America, the last of which flew in close proximity to important US military facilities.
On February 14, Ukrainian air defense detected numerous balloons with angle reflectors over the territory of Ukraine, which were launched by the russian air force. The spokesman of the Ukrainian Air Force Yu.Ignat reported that the same objects were observed in the sky of Ukraine, which were observed over the Dnipropetrovsk region on April 12 last year. It is characteristic that on the same February 14, aerial surveillance of the Romanian Air Force detected targets similar to russian balloons that could fly up under the influence of the wind.
As Ignat explained, the occupiers use such flying objects to conduct reconnaissance and distract and exhaust the Ukrainian air defense with false goals. Attempts to defend against the fire strikes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from long-range HIMARS launchers with the help of corner reflectors installed on the ground are being observed.
According to the Secretary General of the Alliance J.Stoltenberg, China and russia are increasing intelligence and surveillance activities against NATO member states through various channels. “Cyberspace, satellites and now balloons have already been used,” he noted. Taking into account the worsening of relations between the United States and the russian federation against the background of the events in Ukraine and the non-public support of aggression by China, American intelligence allows the involvement of russia in the joint application of the program developed by the People’s Republic of China to collect intelligence data using high-altitude observation balloons. It is not for nothing that China recently demonstrated balloons similar to the russian ones, equipped with radar signal reflectors, during exercises.
❗️ The use of russian balloons in Ukraine indicates the exhaustion of the technical capabilities of the russian army, which forces the use of World War II-era balloons for reconnaissance and detection of air defense positions instead of drones. The Ukrainian Air Defense Forces observes these air targets by radar and is ready to shoot them down if the appropriate decision is made.
