Aerospace experts say that satellite images taken three months before a Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina showed a never-before-seen Chinese military blimp.
A large blimp developed by the Chinese military has been spotted for the first time at a remote base in the desert of northwestern China, exclusive new satellite imagery obtained by CNN shows.
Aerospace experts say the images, taken three months before a Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina, could signal a notable advancement in China’s airship program, demonstrating a more versatile and maneuverable craft than previously seen or known.
The images, taken in November 2022 by US satellite imaging company BlackSky, show a roughly 100-foot long blimp in the middle of a nearly kilometer-long runway at a desert military complex in northwestern China. CNN presented the imagery to a number of aerospace experts, who confirmed they show a blimp and runway, bookended ...