By The Numbers - part the twenty sixth

One has to wonder how stupid the Chinese are. After all, they're often referred to as the first intelligent civilization, long before fishbelly white Europeans. One might ascribe the 'balloon' to an attempt at asymetric warfare, but we know that the thing was visible from the ground with the naked eye. Did they think that no one would notice?

The reports are that the payload was the size of 3 buses. Let's assume that this refers to standard city buses.
-- The average city bus weighs between 25,000 and 40,000 pounds. so use 30,000
-- that gives a load of 90,000 lbs. or 45 tonnes

So, assume that the Chinese went the safe way and used helium as lift gas. How much would that require?
-- each cubic foot of helium could lift 0.069 pounds.

So, how much volume of helium do we need?
-- 1,304,347 cubic feet, and that doesn't include the weight of the balloon and any other stuff not seen, or we were told about (steering and such).
-- the latest version of the Goodyear Blimp (made by the same folks who brought you the Hindenberg, nation-wise): 297,527 cubic feet of helium

So, the Chinese balloon is almost 4 and ½ Goodyear Blimps. Stealth intelligence.