The Chinese spy balloon recently shot down could have been used as a dry-run for an attack, according to Paul Crespo, the president of the Center for American Defense Studies. Those could be electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks.
NTD spoke to Nicholas Eftimiades, a retired senior intelligence officer, who says the balloon’s most likely purpose was intelligence gathering. Eftimiades says satellites can take high-resolution photos, so China wouldn’t use the balloon for this purpose most likely. But he says the balloon could be used to intercept radio communications within the atmosphere and those between U.S. bases and satellites.