Chinese military researchers have recently argued in publicly available papers that high-altitude balloons should be further developed and deployed in specific missions.
Thomson ReutersThe suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, S.C., on Saturday.
One paper published last April by researchers in a People's Liberation Army institute focused on "special aircraft" said that one of the useful military applications of balloons was to test enemy air defences. The United States is working to recover debris after one of its fighter jets downed the balloon once it was over water off the South Carolina coast on Saturday. China condemned what it called an "over-reaction" and warned of possible retaliation.