Rishi Iyengar
Suddenly, balloons are everywhere. Ever since the United States spent a week finding, following, and finally shooting down a Chinese surveillance balloon earlier this month, sightings and shootings of similar objects have dotted the military and geopolitical landscape (including, perhaps, some innocent hobbyist balloons). U.S. and Canadian authorities downed three more aerial objects over the weekend over their respective airspaces.
U.S. President Joe Biden said Thursday that those objects were “most likely balloons tied to private companies, recreation, or research institutions” and not tied to China’s spy program but added that “if any object presents a threat to the safety and security of the American people, I will take it down.”
In an era of automated drones and laser-guided missiles, let alone spy satellites, balloons may seem a rudimentary tool of espionage and warfare. But experts note that balloons have a long and lofty history and boast reasons for their continued use even with the advent of far more advanced aerial spying capabilities.
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