On February 7, 2023, the U.S. Navy released photos of salvaging the wreckage of the CCP spy balloon. (Petty Officer 1st Class Tyler Th/US NAVY/AFP)
[The Epoch Times, February 13, 2023](Reported by Epoch Times Special Feature Department reporter Jiang Feng) On February 11, the United States blacklisted six CCP entities as part of an operation to counter the CCP’s spy balloons flying over U.S. airspace. This comes two days after the U.S. State Department said it was considering taking action against entities linked to Chinese spy balloons. It’s also the latest battle over military technology in near space.
The companies blacklisted by the U.S. Department of Commerce are: Beijing Nanjiang Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd., the 48th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, Dongguan Lingkong Remote Sensing Technology Co., Ltd., Iridium Gessmann Aviation Technology Group Co., Ltd. and Shanxi Iridium Gesman Aviation Technology Co., Ltd., and Guangzhou Tianhaixiang Aviation Technology Co., Ltd.
The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security said the six Chinese entities were blacklisted because they support the Chinese military’s aerospace programs, including airships and balloons and related materials and components.
The Chinese military “is using high-altitude balloons (HAB) for intelligence and reconnaissance activities,” the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security said.
On February 2, the Pentagon announced that it had found a Chinese spy balloon floating over Montana. On February 4, the US U-2 reconnaissance plane shot it down.
An investigation by The Epoch Times found that the above-mentioned six companies were involved in the production of airships, balloons and related components and materials, and all of them had close ties to the Chinese Communist Army.
Beijing Nanjiang Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd.
The first company to be sanctioned by the United States was Beijing Nanjiang Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. It is a holding subsidiary of Huali Family Co., Ltd., established in February 2015, and is a high-tech enterprise dedicated to the development and application of adjacent space. Nanjiang Aerospace claims that it aims to develop a series of products and create a new industry in near space through the construction of research and development, manufacturing and test bases for near space vehicles.
What is adjacent space? Generally speaking, conventional aircraft fly at a height below 20 kilometers from the ground, while the space in which spacecraft operate is more than 100 kilometers above the ground, and the area between 20 kilometers and 100 kilometers above the ground is called adjacent space. It is the transition zone between aviation and aerospace space.
Near space has become a new battlefield for military competition among countries in recent years. In December 2017, the President of the United States signed the National Defense Authorization Act, requiring the Department of Defense to step up the development of conventional rapid global strike weapon systems, including near-space weapons, and to form early combat capabilities by September 2022.
China Military.com, the only news portal of the Chinese military approved by the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, reported in 2018 that “proximity space vehicles can avoid most ground attacks, and at the same time can effectively carry out ground attacks and strikes against spacecraft. It is an ideal area for aerial military activities.” “China Military Network” reported in 2020 that near space “has become a new battlefield of modern warfare and an important part of the national security system.”
“China Military Network” also discussed in detail the advantages of near-space weapons over traditional weapons:
First, it has a high degree of advantage. The reconnaissance field of view and strike coverage of near-space weapons are much larger than traditional aircraft, and they have strong stealth capabilities, making them difficult to be discovered and identified by radar, infrared and other detection equipment;
Second, with the help of wind power, atmospheric buoyancy, solar energy, etc., near-space weapons consume less energy, have a long self-sustaining time, and are easy to carry out various tasks for a long time without interruption;
Third, in fast-paced modern warfare, near-space weapons can effectively make up for the deficiencies of existing remote strategic weapon platforms, making it easy to maneuver and adjust at any time according to operational needs to achieve rapid and efficient deployment;
Fourth, near-space weapons are not limited by orbital mechanics, and do not require expensive ground launch equipment. Near-space weapons such as balloons and airships use helium as the upward power, which is cheap and reusable.
On October 13, 2015, Beijing Nanjiang Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. tested a “new general-purpose airship for military and civilian use”, claiming that it could replace suborbital satellites.
The CCP’s official media “Science and Technology Daily” reported that China’s first military-civilian new near-space platform “Yuanmeng” was launched in Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia. The article claims that this is the world‘s first near-space airship flight with continuous power, controllable flight, and reusable capabilities. It is equipped with the customer’s broadband communication, data relay, high-definition observation, space imaging, and air situational awareness systems.
The report said that “Yuanmeng” is a huge silver airship with a volume of 18,000 cubic meters and is lifted into the air by the buoyancy of helium. It uses three propellers with six-dimensional motors, powered by solar energy after liftoff.
The report also said that from the perspective of national defense and security, steerable aerostats in near space can be used for early warning, wartime communication support or attack platforms by virtue of their altitude advantage.
The report revealed that “Yuanmeng” was jointly developed by Beijing Nanjiang Aerospace Science and Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Inner Mongolia Xilin Gol League. Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics is one of the so-called “National Defense Seven Sons” of the CCP. It developed the CCP’s first sounding rocket, the first unmanned aircraft, and the first new type of near-space airship. It was listed by the United States as early as May 2001. The Entity List is the earliest of the 13 Chinese universities included in the US Entity Sanctions List.
The 48th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group
The second company sanctioned by the United States is the 48th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation.
According to the official website of China Electronics Technology Group Co., Ltd., the group is an important state-owned backbone enterprise directly managed by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
The group’s official website claims that CETC “keeps in mind the fundamental nature of CETC’s surname as the party”, closely focuses on the fundamental standard of “being able to fight and win wars”, and implements the task deployment of achieving the “hundred-year goal of building the army” in 2027, “comprehensively supporting joint operations, all-domain operations, serving national defense and military modernization.”
The 48th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group is located in Changsha, Hunan, covering an area of 224 acres. It is the research and development and production institution of the Chinese Communist Party’s national microelectronics, solar cells, optoelectronic materials, power electronics, and magnetic materials. It is the main semiconductor equipment of the Communist Party of China. Supply base, the largest solar cell manufacturing base.
The U.S. State Department stated in a statement on February 9 that before shooting down the Chinese spy balloon, the U-2 surveillance plane of the United States photographed it. The pictures show that the balloon’s equipment is “clearly used for intelligence reconnaissance, which is different from the equipment carried by weather balloons”. The State Department also said the balloon had an array of antennas that “may be able to collect communications and locate them.” The State Department also said the solar panels carried on the balloon were large enough to generate enough power to run “multiple active intelligence-gathering sensors.”
Iridium Gessmann Aviation Technology Group and other three companies
There are three other companies on the U.S. sanctions list, namely: Dongguan Lingkong Remote Sensing Technology Co., Ltd., Iridium Gesman Aviation Technology Group Co., Ltd., and Shanxi Iridium Gesman Aviation Technology Co., Ltd.
All three are Gessmann companies. According to public information, Gesman Aviation Technology Group Co., Ltd. was established on March 25, 2004. It was founded by the former vice president of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Professor Zhe led a group of doctoral and master talents from top universities in China to establish.
Iridium Gesman companies are mainly engaged in the development, production and sales of aircraft stealth equipment, mobile ground stealth protective equipment and aircraft stealth performance monitoring and maintenance systems. The business layout covers various use states such as aircraft air combat, airport deployment and maintenance support. Under the stealth demand environment.
The registered capital of Iridium Gesman is 196 million yuan. The headquarters and R&D center are located in Beijing’s Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park, with an area of about 3,000 square meters. The company has participated in more than ten pre-research and scientific research projects in stealth-related fields such as the Equipment Development Department of the Chinese Communist Party Military Commission, the Navy Equipment Department, China Aviation Industry Corporation, China Ordnance Industry Corporation, Air Force Engineering University, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, and China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The company’s products have provided guarantee for major events such as “93 Military Parade” and “APEC Meeting”.
Guangzhou Tianhaixiang Aviation Technology Co., Ltd.
The sixth company sanctioned by the United States is Guangzhou Tianhaixiang Aviation Technology Co., Ltd. Guangzhou Tianhaixiang Aviation Technology Co., Ltd. was formerly known as the “Guangzhou Military Region Caili Aviation Technology Development Center” established in December 1993. The Guangzhou Military Region of the Communist Party of China cooperated with the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics of the National University of Defense Technology to jointly develop vehicle-mounted unmanned reconnaissance aircraft. In 1999, “military-enterprise decoupling”, the center was renamed “Guangzhou Caili Aviation Technology Co., Ltd.”, under the leadership of the Equipment Department of the Guangzhou Military Region of the Communist Party of China. In 2006, the company reorganized and changed its name to “Guangzhou Tianhaixiang Aviation Technology Co., Ltd.”
Tianhaixiang Company aims at the development and production of air platforms such as military and civilian UAV systems and manned aircraft, and is committed to aviation aircraft, flight control equipment, ground control stations, UAV/satellite data links, mission loads , Airborne navigation and positioning equipment and unmanned combat systems and other technical research, product development, production and manufacturing, have been supported by the State Council of the Communist Party of China, the army and the armed police force.
U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that China’s spy balloon program is a global reconnaissance effort aimed at gathering information about military capabilities around the world, with targets including the territories of Japan, Taiwan, India and the Philippines. Some officials believe China is most interested in U.S. military bases, which also collect data from other countries in times of conflict or tension, and that the balloons are part of the plan.
Responsible editor: Lian Shuhua#