Spy balloons: Militaries are boosting spending on high-tech aerial surveillance

Military interest in balloon surveillance was on the rise even before China-launched balloons roamed the U.S. mainland

To Jeremy Hsu

Beyond the recent Chinese spy balloon fiasco, surveillance balloons now have their time.

The US and UK armed forces are increasingly funding projects to build high-tech surveillance balloons that operate about 20 kilometers above them. Chinese officials say the balloons at the center of recent incidents were weather balloons, not reconnaissance balloons, although China is also placing more emphasis on surveillance balloons.

“More surveillance capacity…