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☆ Ukraine's Patriot kills of Russian planes and missiles have turned a US air-defense weapon with a troubled past into a hero
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Ukraine's use of the US-made Patriot system has been celebrated. A mixed pastThe MIM-104 Patriot missile system is a ground-based, mobile surface-to-air missile battery that can down crewed and uncrewed aircraft, cruise missiles, and short-range and tactical ballistic missiles. AdvertisementNone of Ukraine's Patriot missile systems have been confirmed destroyed, though there have been Russian claims, but the system has been involved in confirmed kills of Russian aircraft and missiles. "We were again, very much surprised by what we see now, what the effectiveness of the Patriot system seems to be," he said. The problem with Patriot missiles for Ukraine mirrors its main obstacle in trying to fight Russia: A critical shortage of supplies and ammunition.

Persons: —, Frederik Mertens, Justin Bronk, Mertens, Joe Raedle, Bronk, Timothy Wright, Nathan White, Mick Ryan, Gilles BASSIGNAC, Houthi, Wright, Jeffrey Lewis, Tom Karako, ANDREW CABALLERO, REYNOLDS, Ryan, Karako, it's, BI's Jake Epstein, Rajan Menon, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine Bronk, Jan Kallberg, Ukraine Oleksandr Gusev Organizations: Service, Patriots, Patriot, U.S . Army Security, Hague, Strategic Studies, Royal United Services Institute, Iraq's, US Army, Raytheon, Iraqi, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Australian Army, Getty Images, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Airforce, Getty, Defense, NATO, Emergency Service, Centre for, Kyiv, Pentagon Locations: Ukraine, Russia, United States, Iraq, Iraqi, Saudi Arabia, Getty Images Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Monterey, Prince, Al, Kyiv, Russian, UAE

☆ Fishermen delivering possible spy balloon to FBI in Alaska
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Katie Bo Lillis | Evan Perez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Commercial fishermen off the coast of Alaska have found what officials are concerned could be another spy balloon and are bringing it to shore with them, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The existence of high-altitude surveillance balloons burst into US consciousness last year, when a Chinese spy balloon appeared to blow off course and transited across the continental US. The US assessed that the spy balloon was part of an extensive surveillance program run by the Chinese military, as CNN reported at the time. There were three additional shootdowns of unidentified high-altitude objects in the weeks following the Chinese balloon incident. NORAD later said in a statement that the balloon was “likely a hobby balloon” that posed no threat.

Persons: Biden, Trump, Glen VanHerck, CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz Organizations: CNN —, CNN, FBI, Northern Command, North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, Pentagon Locations: Alaska, Quantico , Virginia, China, Taiwan, Beijing, United, American

☆ Ukraine may have risked exposing a precious Patriot launcher to take out 2 prized Russian planes, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine's apparent destruction of 2 Russian planes may have been due to Patriot missiles, experts said. AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool, FileUsing a Patriot like this would be an extremely risky move for Ukraine. Getting close enough to Kyrylivka to be able to shoot down the A-50 would have meant putting the Patriot close enough to the active fighting that Russian weaponry could hit it, the experts said. However, this level of risk is why another expert said it was unlikely that Ukraine used a Patriot. He said that while it was just an informed theory, he thought a decades-old Soviet missile system, the S-200, was more likely to have been used.

Persons: —, Rajan Manon, Mattias Eken, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Eken, would've, Manon, Gustav Gressel, Gressel, Russia doesn't Organizations: Patriot, Patriots, Service, Ilyushin, RAND Corporation, AP, European Council, Foreign Relations, Soviet, REUTERS Locations: Ukraine, Azov, Ukrainian, Kyrylivka, Russian, Russia, Warsaw, Poland

☆ Russia will be scared to deploy its precious command planes after the 'embarrassing' loss of 2 of them, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine said it damaged two Russian command aircraft — a Russian A-50 radar early-warning plane and Ilyushin Il-22 airborne command post — on Sunday, hitting the planes with its air defense systems. A photo that purports to show the wing of a Russian Il-22 aircraft shared by pro-war Russian milblogger Fighterbomber. Considering those losses together, Manon said: "For the Russian Air Force, it's kind of embarrassing." Given the limited supply, the latest developments are "a pretty big loss" for Russia, Manon said, adding that these aircraft are a key resource for Russia. Ukraine says it needs more air defense equipment, with Russia trying to erode Ukraine's stockpiles to clear the way for unobstructed attacks.

Persons: —, Rajan Manon, Manon, Gustav Gressel, Wagner, Sefa, shootdowns Organizations: Service, Business, Ilyushin, European Council, Foreign Relations, UK Ministry of Defence, Russian Air Force, Wagner Group, Anadolu Agency, Getty, NATO, Ukrainian Air Force Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Belarus, Minsk .

☆ Russia's Lancet drone is its most effective weapon in Ukraine, and it's only getting deadlier
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( David Hambling | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Rise of the lancetA Russian Lancet loitering munition shot down in the Zaporizhzhia region in July 2022. At first only a handful of Lancet strike videos were posted each month. Target setUkrainian soldiers shoot at what Ukraine said were Russian Lancet drones in a still image from a video released in May. AdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to Lost Armor, as of October 3 there are 667 Lancet strike videos. These are typically kept several miles back from the front line, but not far enough to be out of Lancet range.

Persons: —, Samuel Bendett, 19FortyFive, Yuriy Sak, Dmytro Smoliyenko, Crews, Bendett, Zala, David Hambling Organizations: Service, Russia, Strategic Communications, Ukrainian Armed Forces, REUTERS, Zala Aero Group, Special Operations Forces, CNA, CNAS, Lancet, Reuters, Ukraine Defense Ministry, Analysts, Publishing, Getty, Artillery, Oryx, Russia's RIA, Telegram, Vostok, Volunteer, Aviation, Forbes, The, New, Popular Mechanics, WIRED Locations: Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia, Syria, Russia, Russian, Ukrainian, German, Kyiv, Lancets, London

CNN —China appears to have suspended its surveillance balloon program following a major diplomatic incident earlier this year, when one of the country’s high-altitude spy balloons transited the United States, multiple sources familiar with US intelligence assessments told CNN. The apparent suspension of the program comes as both the US and China have sought to stabilize an increasingly tense relationship. The US assessed at the time that the spy balloon was part of an extensive surveillance program run by the Chinese military, CNN has previously reported. “We believe that (the balloon) did not collect while it was transiting the United States or flying over the United States, and certainly the efforts that we made contributed,” Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. The more sensitive radar systems led the US military to spot more unidentified objects in US airspace, however, leading to three additional shootdowns of unidentified high-altitude objects in the weeks following the Chinese balloon incident.

Persons: Liu Pengyu, majeure, ” Liu, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Xi “, Xi, ”, Biden, Antony Blinken, Nancy Pelosi, enraging Xi, Christopher Johnson, Johnson, ’ ” Johnson, Pat Ryder Ryder, Trump, Glen VanHerck Organizations: CNN, Communist Party, US, Economic Cooperation, CIA, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Foreign Ministry, FBI, Pentagon, Northern Command, North American Aerospace Defense Command Locations: China, United States, American, Beijing, Taiwan, Hainan, Alaska, Canada, Idaho, Montana, Asia, San Francisco, United

But U.S. and Canadian authorities also announced they had called off searches for three unidentified objects shot down over last weekend, without locating any debris. The last of the debris from the Chinese balloon, which was downed by a Sidewinder missile, is heading to an FBI laboratory in Virginia for analysis, the U.S. military's Northern Command said. Reuters was first to report the conclusion of the recovery efforts for the suspected Chinese spy balloon, which were halted on Thursday. Kirby said the United States had already learned a lot about the balloon by observing it as it flew over the United States. "We will maintain the perspective that we have in terms of what should be the relationship between China and the United States," she said.

☆ Joe Biden’s Unexplained UFO Silence
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Daniel Henninger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A half week after the U.S. government used fighter jets firing Sidewinder missiles to shoot down three “objects” over North America—an event with no precedent—and more than a week after the destruction of a large Chinese spy balloon, it’s obvious the Biden White House isn’t going to tell the American people what this is all about. On Tuesday, the White House’s national-security spokesman, John Kirby said the Alaska, Yukon and Lake Huron shootdowns really were about protecting civilian air traffic, notwithstanding that nothing like this fantastic statistical anomaly has happened in the days since.

☆ In Speech, Biden Says Unidentified Flying Objects Not Linked to Chinese Spy Activity
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Ken Thomas | Catherine Lucey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

President Biden spoke about the shootdowns of a Chinese balloon and high-altitude objects on Thursday in Washington. WASHINGTON—President Biden said the three highflying objects taken down over North America following the shooting down of an alleged Chinese surveillance balloon were likely tied to private companies or related to recreation or scientific research, saying they were removed out of an abundance of caution. Following days of questions about the administration’s response, Mr. Biden said of the three objects that “nothing right now suggests they’re related to China’s spy balloon program.” He said he has directed his team to develop sharper rules for distinguishing objects that present safety risks and require action.

☆ Japan says 3 balloons that floated into its airspace years ago are 'strongly presumed' to have been Chinese spy balloons
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( David Cenciotti | The Aviationist | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Three balloon-shaped flying objects were spotted in Japanese airspace in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Japan's Defense Ministry said Tuesday that they were "strongly presumed" to have been Chinese reconnaissance balloons. "If a balloon enters Japan's airspace without permission, it constitutes an infringement of Japan's airspace. Three additional unidentified objects, later appearing to have been much smaller commercial or research balloons, were also spotted and shot down. The Chinese balloon carried "multiple antennas" capable of collecting signals intelligence, a senior State Department official said, and the balloon maker has proven ties to the Chinese military, according to a CNBC report by Abigail Williams.

☆ What's up there? Possible explanations for mystery objects downed by U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Military officials say that until they are able to recover the debris, they are unlikely to know for sure what the objects were. Scientists use balloons to study wind patterns, air quality, and other aspects of Earth's atmosphere. STILL UNEXPLAINEDThe object downed over Canada on Saturday was described by Canada's defense minister as resembling a balloon. Senator Marco Rubio, leaving a classified briefing on the objects on Tuesday, told reporters that they are no different than the hundreds of benign objects cited in past intelligence reports. "We've never shot down anything in over 65 years of NORAD, and in one week they shot down three things," he said.

WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Monday it had recovered critical electronics from the suspected Chinese spy balloon downed by a U.S. fighter jet off South Carolina's coast on Feb. 4, including key sensors presumably used for intelligence gathering. The Chinese balloon, which Beijing denies was a government spy vessel, spent a week flying over the United States and Canada before President Joe Biden ordered it shot down. The U.S. military has said that targeting the latest objects has been more difficult than shooting down the Chinese spy balloon, given the smaller size and the objects' lack of a traditional radar signature. Austin said the U.S. military has not yet recovered any debris from the three most recent objects shot down, one of which fell off the coast of Alaska in ice and snow. But Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday that the four aerial objects shot down in recent days were somehow connected, without elaborating.

The Chinese balloon, which Beijing denies was a spy vessel, spent a week flying over the United States and Canada before President Joe Biden ordered it shot on Feb. 4. China says the balloon shot down on Feb. 4 was a civilian weather-monitoring aircraft. It has accused Washington of sending its own balloons into Chinese airspace, an allegation Beijing reiterated on Tuesday. 'COMMERCIAL OR BENIGN PURPOSE'The U.S. military said on Monday it had recovered critical electronics from the suspected Chinese spy balloon as well as large sections of the vessel itself. But it has not yet recovered debris from the most recent three objects shot down, with tough weather conditions making recovery operations difficult.

The suspected Chinese spy balloon that flew over the United States earlier this month led politicians to criticize the .S. The Pentagon said there had been four previous Chinese spy balloon flights over the United States in recent years. On Friday, a U.S. F-22 fighter jet shot down an unidentified object about the size of a small car near Deadhorse, Alaska. VanHerck said the military considered shooting guns at the objects, but this was deemed too difficult given the small targets. Whether this is the start of regular shootdowns of unidentified objects over American skies is still unclear.

"I know there have been questions and concerns about this, but there is no, again no indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. On Sunday, a U.S. Air Force general said he would not rule out aliens or any other explanation yet, deferring to U.S. intelligence experts. John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, answers questions during the daily press briefing with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 13, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinMultiple White House officials ruled out the possibility that the objects came from extraterrestrials on Monday. "I don't think the American people need to worry about aliens with respect to these crafts, period," White House spokesperson John Kirby said during a White House briefing with reporters on Monday.

☆ U.S. Military Shoots Down Fourth High-Altitude Object Over North America
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | Paul Vieira | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Pentagon said it began tracking the latest object over Montana. WASHINGTON—The U.S. shot down a fourth flying object Sunday afternoon at 20,000 feet above Michigan’s Lake Huron, the Pentagon said, underscoring its stepped-up defense of North American airspace following the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon. An F-16 jet fighter shot down the object on orders of President Biden at 2:42 p.m., the Pentagon said, with the same kind of missile used in the previous three shootdowns, an AIM-9X Sidewinder.

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