In an era of orbital satellites so advanced that they are able to make out objects half the size of cars from space, a spy balloon might seem like a bit of a relic.
They were a prominent tool for reconnaissance during the Cold War and were even used in a more basic form for intelligence gathering in the Napoleonic Wars more than 200 years ago.
But security experts say the balloons are just the “tip of a revolution” in the development and use of new high-altitude surveillance craft, with the UK even investing millions in a project to develop spy balloons last year.
It comes as the US military on Friday said it was tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon, described as being the size of three buses, that has been flying over northwestern America in recent days.
A senior defence official said the US has “very high confidence” it is a Chinese high-altitude balloon and was flying over sensitive sites to collect information, while China has not immediately denied the balloon belonged to them.
Beijing admitted that the balloon had come from China, but insisted it was a “civilian airship” that had strayed into American airspace and that it was for meteorological and other scientific research.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is postponing a high-profile visit to China which had been due to begin on Sunday.
What are spy balloons?
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The devices are lightweight balloons, filled with gas, usually helium, and attached to a piece of spying equipment such as a long-range camera.
They can be launched from the ground and are sent up into the air where they can reach heights of between 60,000ft (18,000m) and 150,000ft (45,000m), above the flight paths of commercial aircraft in an area known as “near space”.
Once in the air, they travel using a mixture of air currents and pressurised air pockets, which can act as a form of steering.
Why are they still useful in the satellite era?
According to defence and security analyst Professor Michael Clarke, the biggest advantage of spy balloons over satellites are that they can study an area over a longer period of time.
“The advantage is they can stay in one place for a long time,” he told Sky News.
“Because of the way the Earth rotates, unless a satellite is over the Equator, you need three to five satellites going all the time to track the same spot.
“These balloons are also relatively cheap, and much easier to launch than a satellite.”
Will balloons continue to be used in future for spying?
Very much so, according to Professor Clarke.
Despite the wide use of satellite technology, countries including the UK are also focusing on the development and use of spycraft to operate in the upper atmosphere.
In August, it was announced the Ministry of Defence had agreed a £100m deal with US defence company Sierra Nevada to provide high-altitude unmanned balloons to be used for surveillance and reconnaissance.
Professor Clarke said: “(These balloons) are the very tip of the revolution for passive upper atmosphere aircraft.”
He said other defence firms, such as BAE, were working on ultralight solar-powered drones which are able to operate in the upper atmosphere and stay in place for up to 20 months.
Why have China used them now?
According to Professor Clarke, the use of these balloons, if indeed they were launched by China, will likely have been a message to the US following its decision to open new military bases in the Philippines.
“I think it’s a challenge,” he said.
“They (China) are signalling that if the US is going to come closer to them then they will be more aggressive with their surveillance.
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“It is also caused a political issue in the US now, because it will be seen as a sign of weakness not to shoot it down.
“This causes some embarrassment, but the US doesn’t need to respond.”
The balloon was spotted over Billings, Montana,on Wednesday – close to one of the US’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.
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0:19
Mao Ning, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, says that those involved should be ‘cool-headed’
Military and defence leaders said they considered shooting the balloon out of the sky but decided against it due to the safety risk from falling debris.
Professor Clarke added: “I think the debris issue is a bit of an excuse. It was over one of the least densely populated areas of the US and if they needed to they could have asked everyone to stay inside.
“I don’t think they wanted to make it a bigger issue, because China are daring them to shoot it down and make it an international issue.”
Before the service, Mr Trump was also seen shaking hands with former vice president Mike Pence – the first time the pair have been seen in public together since leaving the White House in 2021.
Prior to that, Mr Pence had refused to back Mr Trump’s claim he had won the 2020 election.
Mr Obama and Mr Trump were also seen talking before the service began.
During his eulogy, Mr Biden said Mr Carter taught him the importance of treating “everyone with dignity and respect.”
“To young people, to anyone in search of meaning and purpose, study the power of Jimmy Carter’s example,” the president said. “Character, faith, love – a true patriot.”
Joshua Carter, the former president’s grandson, also said at the service: “He built houses for people who needed homes.
“He eliminated diseases in forgotten places. He waged peace anywhere in the world, wherever he saw a chance. He loved people.”
From 4 January, Mr Carter’s body was carried by a motorcade through Plains, before heading to the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta.
The former president’s remains were then flown to Maryland and transferred in a ceremony to a hearse, which was carried in a motorcade to the US Navy Memorial in Washington to honour Mr Carter’s service as a lieutenant in the Navy.
He has since been lying in state at the Capitol Building, where the public could pay respects from Tuesday evening through to Thursday morning
Mr Carter’s body will now be returned to his hometown in Georgia for a second service and burial.
There, a private ceremony will be held at Maranatha Baptist Church before another procession through Plains, where supporters are being encouraged to line the streets for the motorcade.
Mr Carter will then be buried on his property next to his late wife, Rosalynn, who died in 2023.
Hollywood celebrities are among thousands of people who have been evacuated in Los Angeles, some fleeing homes now burned to the ground.
Paris Hilton and actor Billy Crystal have both lost their houses as fires rip through parts of California, including exclusive suburbs home to film stars and billionaires.
Oscar-winning songwriter Diane Warren, talk show host Ricki Lake, actor Cary Elwes, and reality stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag have also confirmed their homes have been destroyed.
US media is reporting that Eugene Levy, and Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, have lost their homes. The stars are yet to confirm this.
Sky News’ US correspondent Martha Kelner reported that Tom Hanks, Ben Affleck and Reese Witherspoon were among those evacuated.
The blaze in Pacific Palisades, a hillside area between Santa Monica and Malibu dotted with celebrity homes, is one of at least five raging in California.
Thousands of firefighters are trying to contain the flames, with a new fire breaking out overnight in the Hollywood Hills, threatening a host of tourist sites including the Walk Of Fame.
‘The loss is overwhelming’
Hilton said she was “heartbroken beyond words” to see her Malibu home, where she has brought up her young children Phoenix and London, “burn to the ground on live TV”.
In a post on social media, she said: “This home was where we built so many precious memories. It’s where Phoenix took his first steps and where we dreamed of building a lifetime of memories with London.
“While the loss is overwhelming, I’m holding onto gratitude that my family and pets are safe.”
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In a joint statement, US actor Crystal, known for films including When Harry Met Sally and Analyze This, and his wife Janice confirmed their home of 46 years was gone.
“Words cannot describe the enormity of the devastation we are witnessing and experiencing,” the couple said.
They added: “We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can’t be taken away.”
The Hills stars Pratt and Montag documented the escalation of the fire at their home on Snapchat, with Pratt saying: “I’m watching our house burn down on the security cameras.”
“I talked to my neighbour last night and she told me that [Palisades Charter High School] had burnt down, and that’s directly behind me, and so had Gelson’s Supermarket which is adjacent,” she said.
“I just can’t reach anyone to see if my house is okay. I just Googled it and it said that it’s destroyed and terrible… I don’t know if my house is there.”
Jamie Lee Curtis confirmed her home was safe but said “our beloved neighbourhood is gone” as she shared videos of the blaze on her Instagram.
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Writer and actor Steve Guttenberg told Sky News he witnessed panic attacks and despair as he tried to help residents as the flames closed in.
The Police Academy star said: “There were mothers trying to find their kids.
“There were panic attacks. It was terrible. And that’s when the fires just lit up.”
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8:50
Guttenberg calls on national guard
Other celebrities who have fled their properties include the award-winning actor James Woods, who said he had been safely evacuated from his home in Pacific Palisades.
But he added in a post on X: “I do not know at this moment if our home is still standing.”
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Actor Mark Hamill, best known for playing Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars films, also posted on social media on Wednesday saying he evacuated his home in Malibu and his family were “fleeing for our lives”.
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This Is Us actress Mandy Moore was also forced to leave her home with her children and pets, saying on Instagram they had found temporary refuge with friends.
The actress said: “Trying to shield the kids from the immense sadness and worry I feel.
“Praying for everyone in our beautiful city. So gutted for the destruction and loss. Don’t know if our place made it.”
According to Velvet Ropes, which maps celebrity properties, Matt Damon, Steven Spielberg, Hilary Swank and Sally Field all have homes close to where fires are raging.
Dr Dre, Tyra Banks, Martin Short, Anna Faris, Milo Ventimiglia, Linda Cardellini, Mary McDonnell, Adam Sandler, Miles Teller, and Jennifer Love Hewitt are also said to have houses in affected areas.
In neighbouring Malibu, which was also affected by fires in December, stars including Beyonce and Jay-Z, Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish are said to be among the celebrity residents.
The Palisades blaze has already burnt through nearly 16,000 acres of land, while the Eaton fire, covering over 10,000 acres, has caused the death of five people.
Three other fires, the Hurst fire, Lidia fire and Sunset fire, are all raging as emergency services battle to bring them under control.
At least five people have died in a wildfire in Los Angeles, officials have said, with firefighters now facing new blazes, including one in the city’s famous Hollywood Hills.
With firefighters struggling to bring the blazes under control due to strong winds and dry conditions, more than 130,000 people across the wider Los Angeles area are now under evacuation orders.
The new evacuation areas include parts of the Hollywood Hills, where a new fire, dubbed the Sunset Fire, broke out on Wednesday, as well as parts of Santa Monica – famous for its pier.
Los Angeles Fire Department chief Kristin Crowley said on Wednesday that the largest of the fires, the Pacific Palisades blaze to the west of downtown Los Angeles, was now over 15,800 acres “and growing”.
Meanwhile, firefighters continue to battle the Hurst Fire, to the north, now at 700 acres, while firefighters from the Los Angeles County continue to battle the Eaton Fire, near to the city of Pasadena, as well as a new blaze near Acton.
Los Angeles County fire chief Anthony Marrone said the five people who were killed all died in the Eaton fire.
At a news conference, Los Angeles’ chief of police James McDonnell told reporters: “This is a tragic time in our history here in Los Angeles, but a time where we’re really tested and see who we really are.
“It’s critical that at these times we be patient, that we come together, that we focus on saving lives and to be able to the very best job we can.”
He then urged those under evacuation orders to take them “very seriously”, saying they make “the difference between living and not”.
The fires have torn across significant swathes of the city, fanned by high winds.
Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass, said on Wednesday: “As we head into tonight, we are still facing strong and erratic winds.
“In Palisades and Sylmar (Hurst), we are very much in an active firefight.”
However, she said that the Woodley Fire in the Sepulveda Basin was now under control.
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2:41
LA Fires: ‘Do you owe citizens an apology?’
Among the areas affected by the fires are neighbourhoods known to be popular with celebrities and wealthy residents.
A number of celebrities are reported to have lost their homes in the fires, including socialite Paris Hilton, who shared the news on the X social media platform.
She wrote: “Sitting with my family, watching the news, and seeing our home in Malibu burn to the ground on live TV is something no one should ever have to experience.
“This home was where we built so many precious memories. It’s where Phoenix [her son] took his first steps and where we dreamed of building a lifetime of memories with London [her daughter].”
“While the loss is overwhelming, I’m holding onto gratitude that my family is safe. My heart and prayers are going out to every family affected by these fires.”
Wall Street giant JP Morgan has also said preliminary estimates suggest insured losses from the wildfires could approach $10bn (around £8bn).
Meanwhile, officials said on Wednesday that three people had been arrested for allegedly looting within the evacuation areas.
He faced criticism, including from president-elect Donald Trump, over claims that firefighters did not have enough water in their fire hydrants.
Sky News’s US correspondent Martha Kelner attempted to quiz Mr Newsom on the claims but did not receive a response, while correspondent David Blevins also attempted to put the question to mayor, Ms Bass, but received no response.
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0:15
Sky correspondent challenges governor over empty hydrants
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has been briefed on the fires while in the state to announce the creation of two new national monuments.
He will miss his trip to the Vatican to meet The Pope in order to remain in Washington to help coordinate the White House’s response to the fires.