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☆ The US military has 6 new air-to-air missiles in the works
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Alex Hollings | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

The US military has at least six new air-to-air missiles in active development. The US's current air-to-air missiles are effective, but they aren't designed for the newest US jets. Russia and China are fielding missiles with incredible rangeChinese-made PL-9C, left, and PL-5E air-to-air missiles at the Airshow China exhibition in November 2000. Peregrine Air-to-Air missileRaytheon's Peregine air-to-air missile has actually been around for a few years already. Modular Advanced Missile (MAM)The Modular Advanced Missile (MAM) is among the newest additions to this list.

☆ Pentagon Spent At Least $1.5 Million on Missiles to Down Three High-Altitude Objects
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The U.S. military said it now believes the three airborne objects were likely recreational balloons. The U.S. military spent at least $1.5 million to shoot down three airborne objects, which it now believes were likely recreational balloons, defense officials said Wednesday. That figure is only for the four AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles used to bring down the objects over Alaska, Canada’s Yukon territory and Lake Huron. It does not include the cost for Navy, Coast Guard, Alaska National Guard and Canadian forces to search for the debris, which likely will add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cost, the officials said.

☆ PHOTO: A U-2 pilot took a selfie with the Chinese spy balloon the day before the Air Force shot it down
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Jake Epstein | Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A US Air Force pilot took a selfie with the Chinese spy balloon before it was shot down. The pilot, flying a U-2 spy aircraft, took the image a day before the balloon was downed by an F-22. A US Air Force pilot looked down at the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon as it hovered over the Central Continental United States February 3, 2023. Photo courtesy of the Department of DefenseThe U-2's involvement in gathering intelligence on the spy balloon was first reported by The Drive on February 6. Just days later, US Air Force fighter jets downed three unidentified aerial objects flying in North American airspace in three separate engagements on February 10, 11, and 12.

☆ Mysterious object destroyed by a $400,000 Sidewinder missile may have been a $12 hobby group balloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The mysterious objects shot down over the US may have been hobbyist or weather balloons. One balloonist club believes its $12 balloon may have been among the objects destroyed. The club said that it had been tracking the course of its silver pico balloon. A pico balloon can cost anywhere from $12 to $180. And they're going to look not too intelligent to be shooting them down," Ron Meadows, whose California company designs pico balloons told Aviation Week.

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.

☆ How unusually mild weather prevented what could've been the first aircraft carrier battle since World War II
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Argentine jets were poised to strike when the usually turbulent South Atlantic winds took a mild turn. Few of the half-dozen Argentine aviators expected to survive the attack, dubbed "Banzai Night" after the famous Japanese battle cry. Government of ArgentinaIronically, the Veinticinco de Mayo was originally a British carrier named the HMS Venerable launched by the Cammell Laird shipyard near the end of World War II. After a damaging boiler-room fire, the Karel was sold in 1969 to the Argentine Navy which extensively modernized and rebuilt the 25-year-old vessel. The Harrier and the Sea DartSea Harrier jump jets aboard HMS Hermes in the South Atlantic on May 1, 1982.

☆ The mystery objects shot down by US fighter jets were 'most likely' harmless civilian objects, Biden says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Three mysterious objects were shot down by the US military in North American airspace last weekend. The three unidentified objects are "most likely" just civilian objects, he said on Thursday. Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023. Biden on Thursday also said he's directed his team to create "sharper rules" for dealing with unidentified objects moving forward, distinguishing between those that pose a security risk and those that don't. In total, four objects — one Chinese surveillance balloon and the three smaller objects that remain unidentified — have been shot down over North American airspace since early February.

☆ Spy Balloons. U.F.O.s. What Else Is Up There?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Eleanor Lutz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

A graphic showing an illustration of the Chinese spy balloon, a party balloon, and a scientific research balloon. A graphic showing an illustration of the Chinese spy balloon, a party balloon, and a scientific research balloon. 40 feet Balloon Parachute Weather balloon Up to about 115,000 feet Every day, weather stations worldwide release balloons to observe the sky. U-2 spy plane Above 70,000 feet The U.S. military used U-2 spy planes to study the Chinese spy balloon and take high-resolution images of its equipment. About the size of three buses 60,000 feet (11 miles) U-2 spy plane Above 70,000 feet The U.S. military used U-2 spy planes to study the Chinese spy balloon and take high-resolution images of its equipment.

☆ The 3 Flying Objects the US Shot Down May Have Been Commercial or Research Craft, White House Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The White House said that three objects shot down over the weekend might have posed no threat. A leading explanation is that they were used for commercial or research purposes, a spokesperson said. US authorities have also found no evidence linking the objects to Chinese spying, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said at a White House briefing. Kirby added that even though the US hadn't determined that the objects were used for spying, authorities couldn't rule that possibility out. Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin 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.

☆ An F-16 fighter jet missed on its first try to shoot down a mysterious object over Lake Huron, top US general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An F-16 fired an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile to take down a flying object over Lake Huron on Sunday. "On the fourth one, over Lake Huron, the first shot missed, the second shot hit," Milley said in response to a reporter's question, confirming earlier reports. "And in this case, the missile landed harmlessly in the water of Lake Huron. Sunday's operation marked the fourth instance in about a week in which a US Air Force fighter jet shot down a flying object over North American airspace. The general leading North American Aerospace Defense Command and US Northern Command offered an explanation on Sunday for why there has been a seemingly sudden increase in flying objects appearing over North American airspace.

☆ The newest Sidewinders have become 'the weapons of choice' against unidentified objects over the US, top general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

To shoot them down, the jets have used the newest version of the Sidewinder missile, the AIM-9X. The high-tech AIM-9X is the best suited to take down the low-tech objects, a top US general says. But the US Air Force F-22 and F-16 fighters that destroyed a Chinese spy balloon and three other unidentified objects didn't use their 20 mm cannon. Instead, they used heat-seeking AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. US airmen move an AIM-9X missile to an F-22 at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida in September 2021.

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.

☆ A top general said the US could use balloons in the Middle East, where the US military has seen suspected Chinese spy balloons
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A top US general said the US military could use balloons for surveillance in the Middle East. His comments come after the US downed a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina. A Thunderhead High-Altitude Balloon System, launched by US Army Pacific Soldiers takes flight during Balikatan 22 on Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, April 1, 2022. The general's comments come a little over a week after the US shot down a high-altitude Chinese surveillance balloon that had crossed over the continental US, fueling tensions between Washington and Beijing. The Pentagon later revealed that the Chinese balloon is part of a broader global network that Beijing operates.

☆ Explainer: What we know about the objects shot down by the U.S. military
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Here is what we know - and do not know - about the objects:WHAT ARE THE OBJECTS? It has been identified by U.S. officials as a balloon that China was using to spy on the United States. F-22s also shot down the objects over Alaska on Friday and Canada on Saturday. IS THE UNITED STATES SENDING BALLOONS OVER CHINA? Washington said another Chinese balloon had been spotted over Latin America.

☆ Here's why mysterious flying objects are suddenly popping up all over the place, according to the military command that's been shooting them down
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Jake Epstein | Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Four suspicious flying objects have been shot down over North American skies in recent days. NORAD changed its radar filters to help spot smaller, slower objects after a Chinese spy balloon drifted over the US. The command has changed the way it looks for them and is now finding more of these objects. Since the US Air Force shot down the Chinese balloon in early February, fighter jets have downed three additional airborne objects. US officials said this object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a threat to civilian aircraft.

☆ 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.

"We don't know who owns this object," said White House spokesperson John Kirby, adding that it was unclear where it began its flight. President Joe Biden ordered the shootdown, which was announced from the White House. Some lawmakers criticized the president for not shooting down the Chinese balloon sooner. The object was shot down off the coast of northeastern Alaska over frozen U.S. territorial waters near the Canadian border. UNMANNED VESSEL[1/4] White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby takes questions during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. February 10, 2023.

☆ After nearly 2 decades in service, the F-22 has its first air-to-air kills — neither against the jets it was designed to fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The F-22, the top US air superiority fighter jet, finally has it's first air-to-air kills. In a week, this jet downed a Chinese spy balloon and an unidentified "object" in two separate engagements. Neither kill was a jet that the F-22 was designed to fight. A US Air Force F-22 prepares for aerial refueling over the Nevada Test and Training Range on March 2, 2011. Despite having operational experience in Syria in the 2010s targeting Islamic State assets, the advanced fighter has never recorded a confirmed air-to-air kill, but now it has two.

REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Democratic and Republican U.S. lawmakers sharply criticized the U.S. military and the Biden administration on Thursday for failing to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon when it first entered U.S. airspace, instead of waiting a week to do so. Pentagon officials said they were able to monitor the balloon's path and protect and conceal areas sensitive to U.S. national security. Republican Senator Susan Collins said the decision to let the balloon trek across the United States sent the wrong message to China and other U.S. adversaries. "In my judgment, U.S. deterrence was weakened when the spy balloon was permitted to transverse Alaska and several other states, included hovering over sensitive military bases and assets," Collins added. Separately, the House of Representatives on Thursday unanimously backed a resolution condemning the incursion of the balloon as "a brazen violation of United States sovereignty."

☆ Watch live: Senate holds first hearing on the suspected Chinese spy balloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Senate on Thursday is holding its first hearing on the Chinese spy balloon that floated over the United States last week before it was shot down over the weekend. The hearing comes as the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard complete a recovery operation of the downed spy balloon roughly six miles off the coast of South Carolina. On Saturday, Biden gave the order to take the 200-foot-tall spy balloon out of the sky. The operation resulted in an F-22 fighter jet shearing a hole in the bottom of the balloon with a sidewinder missile. "In our engagements, we are again hearing from our partners that the world expects China and the United States to manage our relationship responsibly.

☆ The US military didn't know if the missile that took out a Chinese spy balloon would work when an F-22 took the shot, commander says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Jake Epstein | Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An F-22 downed a Chinese spy balloon on Saturday with a single AIM-9X Sidewinder missile. But the Pentagon wasn't sure if the missile would work when the pilot fired it, a top commander said. US Marines transport an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile at Iwakuni in Japan in September. Weapons evaluators for the Air Force could not immediately address Insider's inquiry on the matter. The AIM-120, on the other hand, is a "new generation" missile that succeeded the AIM-7 Sparrow, according to the Air Force.

☆ China has a global spy balloon operation collecting intel on other countries' militaries, including 'strategic bases' in the US, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The downed Chinese surveillance balloon is part of a global network, US officials say. This is what we assess is part of a larger Chinese surveillance balloon program," Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Ryder said the purpose of the Chinese surveillance balloons was to study "strategic sites," including "strategic bases" in the continental US. The Chinese balloon program has gathered information on military assets belonging to the Philippines, Japan, Vietnam, India, and Taiwan, the Washington Post reported. It was not immediately clear when, exactly, previous balloons in other regions were determined to be Chinese surveillance devices.

☆ Spy balloon confirms 'pattern of Chinese behavior' that poses threat to NATO members, Stoltenberg says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg delivers remarks to the news media as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosts Stoltenberg at the State Department in Washington, U.S., June 1, 2022. WASHINGTON – The Chinese spy balloon that drifted across the United States last week presents security challenges for NATO's 30-member alliance as well as other countries around the globe, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday. "We need to be aware of the constant risk of Chinese intelligence and step up what we do to protect ourselves and react in a prudent and responsible way," he said, adding that European countries have seen an increase in Chinese intelligence activities. Stoltenberg's remarks come as the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard complete a recovery operation of the downed spy balloon roughly six miles off the coast of South Carolina. On Saturday, Biden gave the order to take the 200-foot-tall spy balloon out of the sky.

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