It is cost benefit trade off. Sure US could get some benefit but at the expense of the similar scenario that is playing out now here. Using balloons over nation

It is cost benefit trade off. Sure US could get some benefit but at the expense of the similar scenario that is playing out now here. Using balloons over national territory is highly escalatory. Whatever they're getting intelligence wise it can't be worth the fallout. Building a capability is not the same as employing it. We have nukes and yet we don't regularly bring them out.