WASHINGTON — The U.S. Defense Department says it’s monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon, as of Friday floating over the Central U.S. and underscoring mutual suspicion between the world’s two largest economies just as top diplomats had prepared to hold talks in Beijing. Here’s what we know so far:
1. What’s a surveillance balloon?
Cheap, quiet and hard to reach — balloons have long been used for reconnaissance purposes, including in conflicts like the American Civil War. The practice became widespread during World War I and was used extensively during the Cold War, when the U.S. launched hundreds of balloons to gather intelligence on the Soviet Union and China. While their use has declined with the rise of unmanned drones and satellites, many countries still employ spy balloons. The Pentagon is expanding investment in high-altitude inflatables, Politico reported last year. Modern balloons are generally unmanned, but they still generally lack propulsion and are subject to wind currents.
