Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => Politics => Topic started by: MechAg94 on February 03, 2023, 11:09:12 AM
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https://taskandpurpose.com/news/chinese-spy-balloon-united-states/
U.S. military officials have decided to not shoot down a Chinese spy balloon that is hovering over the continental United States to avoid creating debris that could potentially injure people and cause damage on the ground, a senior defense official told reporters on Thursday.
“We have to do the risk/reward here,” the senior defense official said. “The first question is: Does it pose a threat — a physical, kinetic threat — to individuals in the United States, the U.S. homeland. Our assessment is it does not. Does it pose a threat to civilian aviation? Our assessment is it does not. Does it pose a significantly enhanced threat on the intelligence side? Our best assessment right now is that it does not.”
They could be right, but leaving something overhead that may be providing real-time observation isn't the best either.
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They should file a restraining order against the balloon.
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They should file a restraining order against the balloon.
After they find out what it's preferred pronouns are.
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This would have been a perfect opportunity to use those fancy taxpayer funded lasers and fry the sensor package. No worry about debris hitting the ground.
The Chinese claim it's a civilian meteorological balloon. It could be, but with the size of the platform, they could easily add a met package for combat weather while still carrying stuff like an EO/IR and multispectral package. At that low of an altitude, they could get some exceptionally high resolution stuff compared to the same sensor on an orbital platform.
I'd like to hear what's up with Canada. Like if they notified us on the secret squirrel side when it was over their airspace and heading our way.
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They've got a close up image of it now:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FoAIkWAX0AEZBon?format=jpg&name=large)
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:rofl:
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What are they trying to distract us from.
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Random thoughts..
We could feed it misinformation.
Meteorology? We know they're trying to weaponize climate control. Never assume benevolence,
It could be spreading COVID-23.
I'm recalling the Jap balloons over the US in WWII.
Could it detect any subtle surface indications of deep underground activities?
Are they testing development of a way to ship goods to the US besides by ships?
Is it really a balloon Sheldon lost on his and Penny's trip to Disneyland?
Is the story really true in the first place -- could there be a motivation for deception?
"Consider everything, dismiss nothing."
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We could feed it misinformation.
It could be spreading COVID-23.I'm recalling the Jap balloons over the US in WWII.
That was my first thought - the Chicoms making a test run with an updated version of the Jap balloons in WWII. Instead of bombs or incendiaries released by a timer, they could use GPS and command release a bioweapon once the balloon was in range of a vulnerable population. Even as crude as they were, I know at least one of the Jap balloons made it as far as New York (a long-retired colleague said he found it while deer hunting, although he didn't know what it was at the time) and I think the Chicoms in 2023 are more technically adept than 1940s Japs.
And their Wuhan lab is still in operation.
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snip/
And their Wuhan lab is still in operation.
snip/
Whose Who's Wuhan lab?
[tinfoil]
edit because oh *expletive deleted*it, please dont spank me
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That was my first thought - the Chicoms making a test run with an updated version of the Jap balloons in WWII. Instead of bombs or incendiaries released by a timer, they could use GPS and command release a bioweapon once the balloon was in range of a vulnerable population. Even as crude as they were, I know at least one of the Jap balloons made it as far as New York (a long-retired colleague said he found it while deer hunting, although he didn't know what it was at the time) and I think the Chicoms in 2023 are more technically adept than 1940s Japs.
And their Wuhan lab is still in operation.
With the amount of crap they ship us and our lack of border control there are a lot easier, cheaper, and more reliable ways to deliver a package to the US.
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With the amount of crap they ship us and our lack of border control there are a lot easier, cheaper, and more reliable ways to deliver a package to the US.
Yep. And if we had the slightest inkling they’d do that a balloon is quite easy to intercept out at sea and shoot down.
I wonder if it’s even Chinese. And it definitely smacks of something meant to distract us from other goings on.
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The reports indicated that it is even above the altitude where most commercial traffic flies.
If it IS used to release a bioweapon, wouldn't be rather difficult for anything to reach the ground from that altitude?
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I imagine it's a remote sensing package, sniffing... whatever.. off the electromagnetic spectrum and reporting data back to China. What our government knows about it and what they are doing about it are things we don't and won't know.
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I have to wonder what is inside of that balloon. I'd say latch onto it somehow and bring it down intact.
Woody
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If we did fry it with a YAL, we damn sure wouldn't tell Cnn that we had.
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Yeah, I can't think of a worse way to try and bring in a bioweapon than with an uncontrolled, or at best, semi-controlled balloon with a giant signature. If they were gonna do it by air, they would use UAVs with stealth tech and release at low altitude.
But aircraft are a dumb way to do it. Much easier to bring a bioweapon across the Southern border, release it on the ground in various crowded locations, and then make us figure out who brought it in and where.
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I imagine it's a remote sensing package, sniffing... whatever.. off the electromagnetic spectrum and reporting data back to China. What our government knows about it and what they are doing about it are things we don't and won't know.
Just the same thing our government does to us day in and day out. Maybe they have decided to outsource the collection to save a buck or two. You may think I am kidding, am I?
bob
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But aircraft are a dumb way to do it. Much easier to bring a bioweapon across the Southern border, release it on the ground in various crowded locations, and then make us figure out who brought it in and where.
Just use a few semis/tankers going cross country passing through major cities along the way spraying as they go.
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I have to wonder what is inside of that balloon. I'd say latch onto it somehow and bring it down intact.
Woody
What do we have that can grab something that big at over 60,000 feet? I saw on semi local news that it flew over Lake City and then Whiteman here in MO. I heard several jets but never saw the balloon.
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Just use a few semis/tankers going cross country passing through major cities along the way spraying as they go.
In John Ringo's zombie series, the virus was spread by those little scent/disinfectant boxes installed in a lot of public restrooms. They supposedly traced it to one person who put them in airports on both coasts.
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I think Tom Clancy had the Iranians smuggle a bioweapon in in aresol deodorant cans. Which would work pretty well.
Or, if it's persistent, just infect a couple connexs of crap before they ship.
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If I were in the Chinese leadership I'd be particularly sensitive about deploying bioweapons these days.
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If I were in the Chinese leadership I'd be particularly sensitive about deploying bioweapons these days.
Because the last one was so lackluster?
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Because the last one was so lackluster?
Because if you tell the Chinese that they've got another three years of lockdowns to look forward to then Xi is going to have his hands full.
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Because if you tell the Chinese that they've got another three years of lockdowns to look forward to then Xi is going to have his hands full.
And my impression is that it hit them hard if not harder than it did the West.
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Biden Announces U.S. Surrender To Chinese Balloon
https://babylonbee.com/news/biden-announces-us-surrender-to-chinese-balloon/
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'Why, Hello There Beautiful!' Says Eric Swalwell Suavely Approaching Sexy Chinese Spy Balloon
https://babylonbee.com/news/why-hello-there-beautiful-says-eric-swalwell-suavely-approaching-sexy-chinese-spy-balloon
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(https://i.imgur.com/oUbMgsc.jpg)
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Pentagon says another Chinese spy balloon is traveling over Latin America
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pentagon-another-chinese-spy-balloon-traveling-over-latin-america
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Did they shoot the first one down?
Some reports are saying no so what is going in?
'Explosion in the sky' above Billings Montana where Chinese spy balloon was spotted infiltrating U.S airspace - as residents report seeing jet zoom by after officials came under fire for refusing to shoot it down
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11712125/Explosion-sky-Billings-Montana-Chinese-balloon-spotted-U-S-airspace.html
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Compare and contrast the PRC spy balloon with the American spy aircraft that have been flying over the PRC for decades.
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Compare and contrast the PRC spy balloon with the American spy aircraft that have been flying over the PRC for decades.
Flying over mainland PRC?
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Flying over mainland PRC?
Yeah, I was going to say.
They stay in international airspace nowadays unlike what we were doing in the 1950s.
Modern missiles are just too lethal nowadays
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Apparently Canada has reported a potential balloon #2 over their airspace.
https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-china-spy-canada-idUSL1N34J08B
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Did they shoot the first one down?
At this point they might not want to shoot it down as there are Rivet Joint aircraft following it.
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Flying over mainland PRC?
One article describing Blackbird flights over the PRC in the 70's:
https://www.nytimes.com/1971/07/29/archives/us-spy-flights-over-china-ended-to-avoid-incident-missions.html
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One article describing Blackbird flights over the PRC in the 70's:
https://www.nytimes.com/1971/07/29/archives/us-spy-flights-over-china-ended-to-avoid-incident-missions.html
Think everyone just does that with satellites anymore (correct me if I'm wrong), though as previously mentioned lower altitude equipment can probably kick up the resolution.
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Did they shoot the first one down?
Some reports are saying no so what is going in?
'Explosion in the sky' above Billings Montana where Chinese spy balloon was spotted infiltrating U.S airspace - as residents report seeing jet zoom by after officials came under fire for refusing to shoot it down
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11712125/Explosion-sky-Billings-Montana-Chinese-balloon-spotted-U-S-airspace.html
Not a shoot down. Just a weirdly lit contrail buffeted by upper level winds.
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Think everyone just does that with satellites anymore (correct me if I'm wrong), though as previously mentioned lower altitude equipment can probably kick up the resolution.
The U-2 spyplane is still in use today, and for the past several years, there have been rumors that the US is flying a successor to the SR-71, nicknamed the 'Aurora'. The planes are supposed to have higher imaging resolution equipment than the satellites, and can be easily tasked at short notice to go anywhere, as opposed to waiting for the target of interest to come into view of a satellite.
I have read many books on this over the years, and one of the saddest part of US spy overflights is the number of lost planes and crew over the decades. The number is considerable. There are credible rumors of planes being shot down over the Soviet Union and PRC and the crews eventually dying in Communist prison camps.
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One article describing Blackbird flights over the PRC in the 70's:
https://www.nytimes.com/1971/07/29/archives/us-spy-flights-over-china-ended-to-avoid-incident-missions.html
Ah. I took “for decades” as referring to more recent decades.
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Ah. I took “for decades” as referring to more recent decades.
Me too.
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How convinced are some that this a spy balloon and not as the Chinese are claiming a wayward weather balloon?
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Ah. I took “for decades” as referring to more recent decades.
As WLJ mentioned earlier, I think modern ground to air missiles have made spy overflights of Russia and China pretty risky business nowadays. The heyday of spy overflights were the 50's to the 80's. I think the spy overflights of today are over the Middle East, North Korea, and other countries without ground to air missiles capable of very high altitude strikes.
When Francis Gary Powers was shot down in his U-2 over Sverdlovsk in 1960, a salvo of 14 missiles were fired at him and one took down the U-2. At least one of the missiles shot down one of the Soviet fighters sent to intercept the U-2.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_aerial_reconnaissance_of_the_Soviet_Union
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IIRC one of the reason we sold F-14s to pre-revolutionary Iran was to stop recon MiG-25 overflights of that country. F-14s armed with AIM-54s were capable of reaching out and touching them. Once they received the F-14s the overflights stopped.
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No surprise that Clown World has balloons.
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Biden saying once it's over the ocean they're going to shoot it down.
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Biden saying once it's over the ocean they're going to shoot it down.
At that point, what's the point?
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At that point, what's the point?
Someone gets to chalk up a kill.
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Apparently the US knew about this last week, when the balloon entered US airspace in Northern Idaho (sub prototyping center by the way), then went back into Canada before reentering US airspace.
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2023/02/04/report-wh-knew-about-the-chinese-spy-balloon-a-week-ago-but-opted-to-hope-nobody-would-notice-it/
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At that point, what's the point?
Also maybe it is more likely to survive crashing into water so it can be captured?
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What if…
It’s a “trial balloon” (literally) for political antagonism now but also as a possible delivery system , for oh I don’t know say a deadly pandemic virus? Biochem agents? Hmmm?
We already funded the gain of function research for them. (Thank you dr face diaper)
Who knows how much further it goes beyond what we know.
I trust the Chinese only somewhat less than I trust our own government.
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Also maybe it is more likely to survive crashing into water so it can be captured?
Capture won't happen. I guarantee that if it's military, that they have a sterilization system onboard that they can activate remotely and through something like an altimeter trigger as a backup. By the time it hits the surface, even gently, it will be an inert hunk of plastic and metal.
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Capture won't happen. I guarantee that if it's military, that they have a sterilization system onboard that they can activate remotely and through something like an altimeter trigger as a backup. By the time it hits the surface, even gently, it will be an inert hunk of plastic and metal.
Yeah, probably. Unless it is an explosive system, though there is likely to be some value in examining it. If only to see what kinds of sensors it has.
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Apparently over NC now. Folks about 40 miles north of us in Boone were supposedly posting pictures of it on Fecesbook. If that's true, I might be able to see it from my place in Hickory if it's still around 60k feet. I'll take a look if it warms up enough to walk the pups soon.
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I feel dumber just reading this
If the balloon had anti-black history messages stenciled on it, or if it were dropping anti-trans pamphlets down to earth, or if it were broadcasting denunciations of wokeness non-stop, MAGA would be pro-balloon. They’d be welcoming the balloon. They’d be worshipping the balloon.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) February 4, 2023
https://twitchy.com/fuzzychimp-313137/2023/02/04/somebody-broke-bill-kristol-you-have-to-see-his-crazy-chinese-spy-balloon-tweet/
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(https://i.imgur.com/3XNiINY.jpg)
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Seeing on social media that there is a second one and it is in the 30,000 feet commercial airline altitude.
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Seeing on social media that there is a second one and it is in the 30,000 feet commercial airline altitude.
In the Chinese news
Evil Western barbarian airliner rams one of our peaceful weather balloons!
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Apparently over NC now. Folks about 40 miles north of us in Boone were supposedly posting pictures of it on Fecesbook. If that's true, I might be able to see it from my place in Hickory if it's still around 60k feet. I'll take a look if it warms up enough to walk the pups soon.
Nope, didn't see it. Maybe too far east at this point. Lots of cirrostratus and stratus clouds as a backdrop, so it probably wouldn't stand out well even if it was still within visual range.
And it's kind of tough to do a good scan of the sky when you are walking your dogs.
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Pair of KC-135s and a P-8 circling around off the coast of S.C.
Probably other mil aircraft in the area but they're not showing up on FlightRadar24
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I find it perversely amusing that if a gaggle of Chinese or Russian fighters or bombers were to enter U.S. airspace we would probably not hesitate to shoot down as many as possible. But a lone weather balloon is too dangerous to shoot down.
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South Carolina police warn residents not to shoot at suspected spy balloon
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/suspected-chinese-balloon-over-us-02-04-23/index.html?tab=all
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The suspected surveillance balloon is now above Charlotte, CNN affiliate shows
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KC-46 Circling around along the coast of N.C. Another KC-46 further inland.
Tells me there are a few air assets in the area that aren't showing up
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Transmedium UFOs , Anti-Gravity Research, and Fake News!
https://www.youtube.com/live/U3U19gpBBkQ?feature=share
Speaking of spying, I caught most of this video from yesterday. He starts off showing a video of a spy drone designed to be launched and recovered from a submerged submarine. Not new tech these days I assume.
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Apparently everyone but the Chinese are in favor of taking it out, so Biden is considering it…
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Rumble keeps sending me emails about the latest Infowars videos. One of the headlines mentioned the balloon is a possible EMP attack test.
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FAA issues ground stops for 3 airports in the Carolinas for "national security effort"
From CNN's Pete Muntean and Oren Liebermann
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a ground stop for three airports in the Carolinas as a suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts through the area, a spokesperson confirmed in a statement.
The administration also restricted airspace near Myrtle Beach between 12:45 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. ET. for "national defense airspace.”
The affected airports are in Wilmington, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
“The FAA has paused departures to Wilmington (ILM), Myrtle Beach International (MYR) and Charleston International (CHS) airports to support the Department of Defense in a national security effort,” according to a statement from the FAA.
The notice comes as the balloon has been spotted over various parts of the Carolinas as it drifts closer to the coast.
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/suspected-chinese-balloon-over-us-02-04-23/index.html
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Xi is in China laughing his butt off watching the Biden admin.
Xi: Send 12 more
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A couple of K35R aircraft have popped up on my FlightAware receiver. They're in the area of the airspace closures at 21k to 23k feet altitude.
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Right now Charleston, Wilmington and Myrtle Beach airports are in a ground stop due to "security"
bob
https://nasstatus.faa.gov/
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They should have shot it down a week ago over the Pacific. But we are ruled by incompetent dumbasses. I still don't see conformation on the second balloon I've been hearing about since yesterday.
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They should have shot it down a week ago over the Pacific. But we are ruled by incompetent dumbasses. I still don't see conformation on the second balloon I've been hearing about since yesterday.
I haven't heard anyone confirm if we knew it was there a week ago. I figure we should have, but I don't know.
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Shot down
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-military-shoots-chinese-spy-balloon-atlantic-ocean
Since they didn't want to shoot it down I'd hope we at least collected any ELINT available from it.
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(https://irate4x4.com/attachments/fb_img_1675432265230-jpg.641957/)
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Another report on the shoot-down: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11712933/Biden-try-shoot-Chinese-spy-balloon-Atlantic.html
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Shooting it down over the Atlantic when it's finished with its work instead of over the Pacific before it started, is on brand for Brandon.
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A family friend just sent us a still shot their cousin took of the shoot down. The cousin lives at Myrtle Beach, SC, and described the shoot down as very loud. The boom from the missile explosion was quite loud on the ground where they were. The picture shows a smoke trail falling to the ground, not much else besides that.
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Does this guy get to paint a balloon on the side of his plane?
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Does this guy get to paint a balloon on the side of his plane?
I sure as hell would.
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If this becomes a regular thing will we have balloon aces?
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I'm just cracking up that all the usual suspects were attacking conservatives over their paranoia about a civilian weather balloon, and now that Brandon ordered it shot down, they have done a 180 and the news is full of stories about what a hero he is saving the public from the communist menace and how we'll now be able to recover top secret Chinese military tech. :rofl:
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Surprised no one has brought up Lawnchair Larry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawnchair_Larry_flight
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Hey, that was a long time ago.
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Surprised no one has brought up Lawnchair Larry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawnchair_Larry_flight
Would he count as one balloon splash or 40 something?
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On the news, some of the talking heads are heaping praise on the pilot who shot down the balloon - brave, valiant, heroic, etc.
We have arguably the finest military pilots in the world, superbly trained, flying some of the most advanced fighters in the world. Shooting a BALLOON isn't even up to the challenge of a typical training flight - that the pilot went up and took his assigned SIMPLE task seriously enough to do it right the first time, is nothing less than we'd expect. It's WAY below their level of competence.
I'm just wondering two things - one, why was a missile used rather than a (very) short burst of cannon fire, and two, how much did the Chicoms pay someone (the Bidens? Pentagon brass? Someone else?) to let the balloon cross the entire country?
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I'm just wondering two things - one, why was a missile used rather than a (very) short burst of cannon fire, and two, how much did the Chicoms pay someone (the Bidens? Pentagon brass? Someone else?) to let the balloon cross the entire country?
Experience trying to pop a balloon.
https://www.businessinsider.com/runaway-weather-balloon-fighter-jets-history-2023-2?op=1
bob
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^^^Wow, shooting down a balloon is not as simple as it seems.
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On the news, some of the talking heads are heaping praise on the pilot who shot down the balloon - brave, valiant, heroic, etc.
We have arguably the finest military pilots in the world, superbly trained, flying some of the most advanced fighters in the world. Shooting a BALLOON isn't even up to the challenge of a typical training flight - that the pilot went up and took his assigned SIMPLE task seriously enough to do it right the first time, is nothing less than we'd expect. It's WAY below their level of competence.
I'm just wondering two things - one, why was a missile used rather than a (very) short burst of cannon fire, and two, how much did the Chicoms pay someone (the Bidens? Pentagon brass? Someone else?) to let the balloon cross the entire country?
(https://i.imgur.com/cRzpM4C.jpg)
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(https://i.imgur.com/Aawi02G.jpg)
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I read that an AIM-9x Sidewinder was used to down the balloon, and I have just read the Wikepedia article on the Sidewinder missile. It uses an infrared seeker. I would not think a balloon generates much in the way of heat, so I am wondering how the missile hit the balloon.
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I read that an AIM-9x Sidewinder was used to down the balloon, and I have just read the Wikepedia article on the Sidewinder missile. It uses an infrared seeker. I would not think a balloon generates much in the way of heat, so I am wondering how the missile hit the balloon.
The balloon would no doubt be heated by the sun and thus be warmer than the surrounding air plus solar panels tend to get a bit warm in the sun. I have read a AIM-9X can even lock on to the heat generated by air rushing over and under the wings and fuselage, and into the intakes of a fast moving plane in head on shots in many cases. Think that capability started with the AIM-9L and has no doubt been improved on since.
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From what I read, the AIM-9x uses mid, not long wave IR, so heat alone is not the only aiming component. Apparently the Block 2 missiles can also be controlled from the aircraft after launch.
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(https://i.redd.it/zmc6sdvebcga1.jpg)
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Former President Trump and a number of his top national security and defense officials refuted Biden administration officials' claims that Chinese surveillance balloons briefly transited the continental United States during the Trump administration, saying it "never happened."
Trump, top national security officials refute claim that Chinese spy balloons transited US under last admin
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-top-national-security-officials-refute-claim-chinese-spy-balloons-transited-us-under-last-admin
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I read that an AIM-9x Sidewinder was used to down the balloon, and I have just read the Wikepedia article on the Sidewinder missile. It uses an infrared seeker. I would not think a balloon generates much in the way of heat, so I am wondering how the missile hit the balloon.
No warhead to minimize damage to the sensors and examine them later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2xz21HvLs8
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Frank Luke wouldn't have waited days to take action. He'd jumped right into his SPAD and taken care of business [ar15]
(https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a851237a-d285-463f-9613-b0d7b6afa66d/d516h8d-e90ec286-c899-429b-a515-a47cc7722c78.jpg/v1/fill/w_900,h_563,q_75,strp/balloon_buster___frank_luke_by_zulumike_d516h8d-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NTYzIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYTg1MTIzN2EtZDI4NS00NjNmLTk2MTMtYjBkN2I2YWZhNjZkXC9kNTE2aDhkLWU5MGVjMjg2LWM4OTktNDI5Yi1hNTE1LWE0N2NjNzcyMmM3OC5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9OTAwIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.5nexyiqRR_bQLdjXVE_kon69VHTEHLJ8ElugB6s1FwI)
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Not a shoot down. Just a weirdly lit contrail buffeted by upper level winds.
On second thought, it might have been a meteor. They will leave contrails like that as they move through the air at high altitude. They will even "explode" when chunks break off while they plummet through the atmosphere.
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Just Alibaba trying to one up Amazon's delivery drones
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Biden admin getting rocked by news of massive mishandling of classified docs + new info on the Hunter Biden mess.
Squirrel! Look a Chinese spy balloon and we're going to do something Trump refused to do, we're going to shoot it down.
Still not convinced this was anything more than a weather balloon, I mean squirrel
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Still not convinced this was anything more then a weather balloon, I mean squirrel
Supposedly, while the "airship" was transiting a number of our sensitive military installations, our military took measures to prevent the balloon from obtaining any sensitive information.
I would love to know what those "measures" were.
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Supposedly, while the "airship" was transiting a number of our sensitive military installations, our military took measures to prevent the balloon from obtaining any sensitive information.
I would love to know what those "measures" were.
Probably something to do with making sure the preferred pronouns of the people at the various military bases the balloon flew over were easily detectable.
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https://hotair.com/karen-townsend/2023/02/05/trump-others-deny-chinese-spy-balloons-flew-across-the-u-s-during-trump-administration-n528585
As Biden is prone to do, he did nothing. He left it up to the Pentagon to decide when and where to shoot it down. As far as I know, Biden didn’t suggest that the military shoot the balloon in its leg.
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Biden admin getting rocked by news of massive mishandling of classified docs + new info on the Hunter Biden mess.
Squirrel! Look a Chinese spy balloon and we're going to do something Trump refused to do, we're going to shoot it down.
Still not convinced this was anything more than a weather balloon, I mean squirrel
Eh, if corporate media wanted to protect the Bidens (and at this point, it seems like they might be happy to get rid of him) I think they could have found a news story that was less of an embarrassment for them.
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Eh, if corporate media wanted to protect the Bidens (and at this point, it seems like they might be happy to get rid of him) I think they could have found a news story that was less of an embarrassment for them.
Seeing too many articles making Biden out to be some sort hero in this
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Seeing too many articles making Biden out to be some sort hero in this
He lost his son Beau in balloon combat with the Chinese, and you're questioning his heroism?
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He lost his son Beau in balloon combat with the Chinese, and you're questioning his heroism?
I now want to see this movie.
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He lost his son Beau in balloon combat with the Chinese, and you're questioning his heroism?
:rofl:
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Maybe this was Biden allowing China to establish a precedent that they get to incur our airspace if they like. If President AnyRepublican, in 2025, encounters any Chinese overflights, he'd have to be an ultra-MAGA crazy fascist to even think about shooting them down before they're done with their spying.
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(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/329202088_3399622800293936_8053250960130522267_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=3fgyZ6zcL_EAX-aeW7M&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=00_AfBcxI-0ClZP_zvx18QCD4nJSCEkeA0hbnFx8N4z9J7U5A&oe=63E5E678)
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https://twitter.com/i/status/1622346407029129216
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https://twitter.com/i/status/1622346407029129216
Is that for real?
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Is that for real?
I don't know, but at this point nothing would surprise me.
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Is that for real?
How fitting that it was posted by “Clown World”.
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I don't know, but at this point nothing would surprise me.
That's the problem nowadays, it might be real no matter how stupid it looks. Why satire is largely dead, it can't stay ahead of the stupid anymore.
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Is that for real?
Every search result seems to come back to that same twitter handle, so I doubt it.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11719221/Chinese-spy-balloon-carried-EXPLOSIVES-destroy-itself.html
And the Pentagon admits that there have been previous balloon incursions, including during Trump's preidency. And we didn't know about them:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-military-failed-to-detect-prior-chinese-incursions-general-says/ar-AA17bb2B
So how the heck could something with a payload "the size of a jetliner" NOT be spotted by NORAD?
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Oh, wait!
It was all just a mistake.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/total-miscalculation-china-goes-into-crisis-management-mode-on-balloon-fallout/ar-AA17bu3p
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Looked to me like that missile hit the payload of the "weather balloon" dead center instead of taking out the balloon itself so we could collect the gear and see what was really up. Now, the evidence is destroyed!
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Frank Luke wouldn't have waited days to take action. He'd jumped right into his SPAD and taken care of business [ar15]
I'm fairly certain a SPAD's service ceiling is well shy of 60,000 ft.
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"Just shoot it down with one of them .50 BMG anti-plane sniper rifles!"
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Do you think the jet could have just fired a burst of gun fire into the balloon so the whole package would just come down?
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Do you think the jet could have just fired a burst of gun fire into the balloon so the whole package would just come down?
There have been previous attempts to shoot down errant high altitude weather balloons from fighter aircraft. Despite it seeming to be a simple task, it really hasn't worked all that well. Below is a link to one occasion where CF-18s (Canuck F-18) expended over 1000 rounds of 20mm and weren't successful in bringing down a balloon.
https://www.businessinsider.com/runaway-weather-balloon-fighter-jets-history-2023-2?op=1 (https://www.businessinsider.com/runaway-weather-balloon-fighter-jets-history-2023-2?op=1)
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Can't compare this to balloon busting in WW-I where the balloons were at relatively low altitudes and filled with flammable hydrogen. They were however usually well protected by AA on the ground so attacking one was considered highly dangerous often to the point of being almost suicidal which is why shooting one down was considered a feat.
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(https://images7.memedroid.com/images/UPLOADED946/63e108e57f9e9.jpeg)
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(https://i.imgflip.com/7a0tgy.jpg)
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(https://offthepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/BIDEN-GIF.gif)
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Moar balloonacy pleez
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I saw this and wondered if we will start seeing narco balloons coming up from the South. The military will take them out at the Northern border.
(https://i.imgur.com/znlzcMq.jpg)
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(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages3.memedroid.com%2Fimages%2FUPLOADED402%2F63e070a6f16bf.jpeg&hash=aea43a543a860a21ce8e409de0931ace0fa94740)
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/index_s1wpMXgtMoU7XstrhWikJp.jpg)
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(https://www.guide4moms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Chinese-Spy-Balloon-Memes.jpeg)
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(https://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/aYVrRAw_460s.jpg)
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(https://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/aYVrRAw_460s.jpg)
Hey, now.
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https://amgreatness.com/2023/02/07/did-biden-tell-china-to-send-the-balloon/
The gist is that Biden decided unilaterally to add China to the Open Skies treaty. He gave them permission to fly the balloon, and was hoping no one would notice.
Just speculation.
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I eagerly await the U2 overflight of China.
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I seriously doubt we'll ever know the whole story or be able to reliably separate the true story from all the noise
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(https://i.redd.it/mndntk746sga1.png)
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There have been previous attempts to shoot down errant high altitude weather balloons from fighter aircraft. Despite it seeming to be a simple task, it really hasn't worked all that well. Below is a link to one occasion where CF-18s (Canuck F-18) expended over 1000 rounds of 20mm and weren't successful in bringing down a balloon.
https://www.businessinsider.com/runaway-weather-balloon-fighter-jets-history-2023-2?op=1 (https://www.businessinsider.com/runaway-weather-balloon-fighter-jets-history-2023-2?op=1)
The History Guy chimes in:
https://youtu.be/yqC9ICdfhQM
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FoLJAkNWIAA47K1?format=jpg&name=large)
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Now Biden is down playing this
Biden says Chinese spy balloon was 'NOT a major breach' because all countries gather intelligence, and defends waiting to shoot it down - despite it being able to collect Americans' communications
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11736281/Biden-says-Chinese-spy-balloon-NOT-major-breach.html
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Now Biden is down playing this
Biden says Chinese spy balloon was 'NOT a major breach' because all countries gather intelligence, and defends waiting to shoot it down - despite it being able to collect Americans' communications
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11736281/Biden-says-Chinese-spy-balloon-NOT-major-breach.html
As one of the pioneers of aerial intelligence gathering, I agree it is somewhat hypocritical of the USA criticizing other countries for doing the same thing. We were also the originators of 'navigational mistakes' explaining why our aircraft just happened to stray across a border and take pictures of intelligence value.
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As one of the pioneers of aerial intelligence gathering, I agree it is somewhat hypocritical of the USA criticizing other countries for doing the same thing. We were also the originators of 'navigational mistakes' explaining why our aircraft just happened to stray across a border and take pictures of intelligence value.
No argument there.
It's the about face that gets me. It's a big deal! then just kidding.
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^
He forgot who he was working for at first.
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And a 3rd "object" shot down over Canada this afternoon.
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The second and third objects were just swamp gas. That's easy stuff to shoot down.
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F-15 Fighter Pilot Explains Why Latest Object Shot Down Over Alaska Is ‘Unusual’
https://www.dailywire.com/news/f-15-fighter-pilot-explains-why-latest-object-shot-down-over-alaska-is-unusual
The unidentified object reportedly had a “cylindrical shape” and was much smaller in size than the Chinese spy balloon that was shot down last week.
“We have no further details about the object at this time, including any description of its capabilities, purpose or origin,” said Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder. “The object was about the size of a small car, so not similar in size or shape to the high-altitude surveillance balloon that was taken down off the coast of South Carolina.”
U.S. Military, NORAD Release New Statement About Object Shot Down Over Alaska
https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-military-norad-release-new-statement-about-object-shot-down-over-alaska
“Recovery operations continue today near Deadhorse, Alaska. U.S. Northern Command’s Alaska Command and the Alaska National Guard, in close coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement, are conducting search and recovery activities,” the statement said. “Arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow, and limited daylight, are a factor in this operation, and personnel will adjust recovery operations to maintain safety.”
U.S. officials said that the recovery operations were happening on sea ice and there was not any additional information at this time about the object, including its capabilities, purpose, or origin.
Strange things are afoot.
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U.S. Military Unable To Find Alleged Object That Caused FAA To Close Airspace In Montana
https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-military-unable-to-find-alleged-object-that-caused-faa-to-close-airspace-in-montana
I hope everyone has their transponders working and stay in communication.
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All of my Mil and GOV contacts have retired so I can't get any info. Is this all distraction or something to worry about?
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All of my Mil and GOV contacts have retired so I can't get any info. Is this all distraction or something to worry about?
It's always a distraction, even when it's something to worry about.
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All of my Mil and GOV contacts have retired so I can't get any info. Is this all distraction or something to worry about?
Yes.
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It's always a distraction, even when it's something to worry about.
I heard someone mention a train derailment in Ohio.
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Interesting that the third "object" could be shot down over land with a 9X without any "but people!" stuff.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pentagon-says-us-detected-third-flying-object-alaska-day-shooting-canada
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Interesting that the third "object" could be shot down over land with a 9X without any "but people!" stuff.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pentagon-says-us-detected-third-flying-object-alaska-day-shooting-canada
Canada is obviously not as worried about their citizens subjects as we are about ours.
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Canada is obviously not as worried about their citizens subjects as we are about ours.
Accidently taking out some useless eaters might be considered a bonus benefit.
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Could be Canadians aren't as sue happy as Americans
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Canada is mostly unoccupied.
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Canada is mostly unoccupied.
An overwhelming majority of Canadiens live within 100 miles of our border.
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An overwhelming majority of Canadiens live within 100 miles of our border.
If you look at the googles maps, there's a pretty good correlation within 50ish miles of the border from Washington to at least North Dakota: Wherever we have a population center (large or small) so does Canada, and wherever Canada has empty lands and no roads, so do we. Depending on where in Montana they would have shot the first balloon down, they would probably have had less chance of hitting a human structure than they would have hitting a boat off South Carolina. =D
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(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsE2K1rFXS3hl3YS11RmPOIj0BlaF61MqUvlkhOVWwAet_w_xfcGet9iGIARFZNkZTNx3FoewwFqBV189MjbDZOuCzwIGu691Gpai3lpaii2hJ6_GeDWQ4dbc0WHvbgCVCpcA5lh9c5vipXIfYIot-QmQcMtyiYnN4MJoB8CdM5nCF3EbMhmhAMr6/s680/FHMY7779.JPG)
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Guess they got another one today.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/us-military-shoots-down-unidentified-flying-object-great-lakes-region
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At this point they've got to be shooting down actual civilian weather balloons or else elaborate youtube prank balloons. Come on, man.
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It's swamp gas, I tell ya'! Swamp gas!
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It's swamp gas, I tell ya'! Swamp gas!
Project Bluebook.
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I saw an excerpt earlier of some unnamed source talking about the military had adjusted their radar software . Supposedly the system was set up to kick out contacts that were moving too slow. Might have been more to it. I don't know anything about modern radar systems. The idea that someone was trying to find ways to penetrate US air defense system isn't too far fetched.
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In other news: The Gondax Galactic Empire has ordered the glassing of earth after it's emissary bearing gifts of infinite energy and wealth, and eternal life to the the people of earth was shot down by earth forces. They had hoped that by coming in a ship made to look like the intergalactic symbol of peace, a balloon, it would be greeted warmly, they were wrong.
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I thought it was the Vogons and told everyone to grab a towel.
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I thought it was the Vogons and told everyone to grab a towel.
Given a choice between listening to Vogon poetry and glassing I'll take the glassing.
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(https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/02/13/13/67631107-11744991-image-a-38_1676293290105.jpg)
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Given a choice between listening to Vogon poetry and glassing I'll take the glassing.
Is that better or worse than Klingon Opera?
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Talked to a buddy who is a retired F-16 driver. First, he's wondering why he didn't get a chance to do some fighter skeet shooting. Then, when the jokes died down, he expressed concerns about someone...and he mentioned the North Koerans, using balloons to fly an EMP weapon/device over here and cause havoc in a major metro area, if not a larger area given how the electric distribution network is so intertwined in CONUS.
Check your supplies, kids. And maybe watch that movie American Blackout that National Geographic put out in 2013.
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That does make me curious how well our air search radar detects balloons whether at high altitude or not. And how good our detection coverage actually is.
As I mentioned above, I saw someone mention that our systems were filtering out stuff the may have included these balloons and we had to make adjustments to stop that.
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I'm thinking they just don't want to admit they've been letting these things float around unhindered for years.
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Here's a thought: What if the big balloon was a delivery 'mother ship" and it dropped off those three other UFO's? Inquiring conspiracy theorists want to know.
Woody
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(https://i.redd.it/w0wdpfxlcuha1.jpg)
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The Biden admin keeps saying there were undetected incursions during the Trump admin. If they were undetected how does the Biden admin know about them?
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The Biden admin keeps saying there were undetected incursions during the Trump admin. If they were undetected how does the Biden admin know about them?
I think Gen. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Trans Staff, told the Biden administration that there is saved radar data stored during the last administration. The military could go through that data and find hits from slow moving targets the tracking software was set to ignore. Finding those slow targets would prove there were balloon overflights during the previous administration. They could do this because OMG TRUMP! is making Biden administration look like a bunch of idiots and it would somehow allow them to save face.
It's not working.
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Easy, Trump created space force because he knew. Now we are shooting up UFOs.
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The Biden admin keeps saying there were undetected incursions during the Trump admin. If they were undetected how does the Biden admin know about them?
^^^THIS^^^ Where's their proof?
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^^^THIS^^^ Where's their proof?
Many radar systems will store all hit data for long periods. The radar tracking software is often set to ignore slow moving hits and display fast movers like aircraft because they are the most important things to track. Going back over stored hit data to find slow movers is probably not all that difficult.
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But somehow e-mails can never be found.
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Many radar systems will store all hit data for long periods. The radar tracking software is often set to ignore slow moving hits and display fast movers like aircraft because they are the most important things to track. Going back over stored hit data to find slow movers is probably not all that difficult.
IMO, that is a military scandal if true. Someone had found a way to penetrate our air space and we were ignoring it either whether on purpose or out of ignorance.
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IMO, that is a military scandal if true. Someone had found a way to penetrate our air space and we were ignoring it either whether on purpose or out of ignorance.
But the really important question in all of that is how to blame Trump.
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Someone Has Just Released The Clearest Images Of The Object That Was Taken Out Above Alaska
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkwnbZH_WVg
Click bait stuff, but representative of some of the stuff out there.
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IMO, that is a military scandal if true. Someone had found a way to penetrate our air space and we were ignoring it either whether on purpose or out of ignorance.
Not really. Lots of slow moving things in the air that are not of concern or a threat. Those are filtered out so they don't overwhelm the system.
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(https://i.imgur.com/U4gCdnKl.jpg)
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New Details Emerge About Unidentified Object That U.S. Military Shot Down Over Lake Huron
https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-details-emerge-about-unidentified-object-that-u-s-military-shot-down-over-lake-huron
“I’m not going to categorize them as balloons. We’re calling them objects for a reason,” VanHerck said. “I’m not able to categorize how they stay aloft. It could be a gaseous type of balloon inside a structure or it could be some type of a propulsion system. But clearly, they’re — they’re able to stay aloft.”
“We assessed taking a gunshot yesterday in that event, as well as today, and the pilots in each situation felt that that was really unachievable because of the size, especially yesterday in the altitude, and also because of the challenge to acquire it visually because it’s so small,” VanHerck said.
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Remember in the sandbox we could get same day gun camera footage? Now they say these objects were shot down over rough terrain. They have recovered zero percent of them, but they are not aliens or enemy governments. Yeah, I believe them.
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Remember in the sandbox we could get same day gun camera footage? Now they say these objects were shot down over rough terrain. They have recovered zero percent of them, but they are not aliens or enemy governments. Yeah, I believe them.
Shot down with modern fighters that have all kinds of positioning equipment such as GPS. And they can datalink their position and the positions of enemies to other friendly aircraft so everyone on our side knows where everyone on their side is located. And I'm sure the pilots have their personal phones or cameras with them.
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Don't the missiles have video cameras in them as well as the HD Video in the plane?
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Don't the missiles have video cameras in them as well as the HD Video in the plane?
For air-to-air missles, I would assume no. Most of those are "fire and forget."
For certain air-to-ground (and ground-to-ground) missles that are steered in, then yes.
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U.S. officials knew about the Chinese spy balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina from the moment it took off, sources said on Tuesday - leading to further questions about why it was not shot down sooner.
The balloon took off from Hainan Island off southern China at the end of January, and entered U.S. airspace on January 28 above Alaska. It briefly entered Canada and crossed back into U.S. territory over northern Idaho on January 30, the day the White House said Biden was first briefed on it.
Why didn't they shoot it down earlier? Biden administration monitored Chinese spy balloon shot down over South Carolina from moment it took off from South China Sea last month
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11752005/Why-didnt-shoot-earlier-Chinese-spy-balloon-shot-SC-seen-taking-off.html
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Why didn't they shoot it down earlier? Biden administration monitored Chinese spy balloon shot down over South Carolina from moment it took off from South China Sea last month
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11752005/Why-didnt-shoot-earlier-Chinese-spy-balloon-shot-SC-seen-taking-off.html
I think it is becoming clear that more people in our government than just Brandon have been bought and paid for by the CCP.
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Fly that puppy in for a "carrier landing" on it and let the tailhook rip the top outta it! Can ya drop the hook with the gear up?
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Other news agencies are picking up the story
BREAKING: CBS News has learned that U.S. intelligence watched the Chinese spy balloon as it lifted off near China's south coast, meaning the U.S. military had been tracking it for nearly a week before it entered U.S. airspace. pic.twitter.com/oaR5yZIRwm
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) February 15, 2023
A new wrench has been thrown into the Biden WH’s Chinese spy balloon spin
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2023/02/15/a-new-wrench-has-been-thrown-into-the-biden-whs-chinese-spy-balloon-spin/
So much for the we had no idea it was there until it was too late narrative
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Fly that puppy in for a "carrier landing" on it and let the tailhook rip the top outta it! Can ya drop the hook with the gear up?
Yes
But if you can get that close just hose it down rather than risk a $100 million aircraft and pilot for a circus stunt
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Last night Tucker claimed that the Biden administration was considering an apology for shooting down the Chinese spy balloon.
IF this is true (note I said IF) it begs the question - is it bribery or is it blackmail by the PRC that would cause Biden to consider this?
From what we can infer about the Biden family being compromised by the PRC it's actually plausible - we'll see if there's anything to this over the next couple of weeks. It could be someone deliberately leaked "disinformation" just to see if Tucker et.al. would bite on the bait and run with it.
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Don't Panic!
President Joe Biden has not addressed the American people about mysterious objects being shot out of the sky because the White House does not want to spark panic.
That was the answer given by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday when she was asked why Biden had not made a televised speech on the issue.
So talking about it is going to spark a panic? Right ;)
And he's, well, just read
Could it be, wondered another reporter, that an 80-year-old president with a history of gaffes was not the right person to deliver sensitive messages like that.
'I will tell you this,' said an irritated press secretary, 'the president is the best communicator that we have at the White House.'
:facepalm:
Karine Jean-Pierre says Biden hasn't spoken about shot down objects because he doesn't want Americans to PANIC - and ends by saying he is 'the best communicator we have in the White House'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11751281/White-House-says-Biden-spoken-shot-objects-doesnt-want-spark-PANIC.html
(https://i.imgflip.com/gkv3e.jpg?a465264)
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"preventing panic" is just a long used excuse to lie and hide embarrassing mistakes.
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"preventing panic" is just a long used excuse to lie and hide embarrassing mistakes.
This is why they keep the aliens hidden from us.
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(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrcOQMznlC-WpORdzkdBJmKJv4HAJE_gl_9O2LWy_tOgIbSmaJWBvGipyTdtQ-5Y54jCnb9pwJ1OiL9t6nSgNhPXZWvaORck03XiNiPABc7-cYW9azm9ssSad7KBvKK9SiwjCerr3zmbXF3QYtW3iNVyz6_x26ODGHnCp3G9wLXEIQggeYSTS3J5KRg/w640-h448/1.png)
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An interpretation of recent events:
The US government is aware of a Chinese surveillance balloon entering our airspace, near the Aleutian Islands. It decides to keep quiet, and monitor the craft’s movements. They don’t wish to upset their masters in Beijing, especially with one of the regime’s ministers about to pay court to the suzerain.
The balloon is noticed by the Americans, and becomes cause celebre. The Biden govt. makes excuses for their failure to act, but these fail to satisfy the unruly populace.
Once the balloon has finished its US tour, the government takes the opportunity to down the vehicle before an appreciative audience. (Perhaps with the prior permission of the Chinese)
To further salve the regime’s embarrassment, it circulates a rumor that “The Former Guy” submitted to previous Chinese balloon flights, and lacked the Bidenesque courage to shoot any of them down. When this doesn’t work out, a plan is formulated between the Canadian and US governments to report multiple new UFOs, and shoot all of them down (or claim to). Even the Chinese report a UFO in their airspace.
In the end, all we know is that, whatever is in the sky, the current regime in the US is on top of it. Thanks, Joe Biden! Thanks, President Harris!
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Just read a comment in a New York Post story that the device downed over Lake Huron was a 36 inch diameter helium balloon with a harmless amateur radio payload. It was supposedly carrying an APRS transmitter and GPS locator, reporting its speed and location while making its seventh trip around the world following upper level winds.
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I'd just like to remind everyone the over 40 years ago Nena predicted this event. And there is going to be more balloons. A LOT MORE. Like 90 something more, and they'll be red.
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Just read a comment in a New York Post story that the device downed over Lake Huron was a 36 inch diameter helium balloon with a harmless amateur radio payload. It was supposedly carrying an APRS transmitter and GPS locator, reporting its speed and location while making its seventh trip around the world following upper level winds.
That sounds about right for a political "We've got to do something!!!!!" response to the media outfall from balloon #1.
I did hear one interesting theory on the teevee this morning though that is worth considering: That the surveillance equipment onboard any of the Chinese balloons is just a bonus, and that one thing they're doing is materials testing: Sending up balloons with various anti-radar components to see how they fare.
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I'd just like to remind everyone the over 40 years ago Nena predicted this event. And there is going to be more balloons. A LOT MORE. Like 90 something more, and they'll be red.
=D
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I'd just like to remind everyone the over 40 years ago Nena predicted this event. And there is going to be more balloons. A LOT MORE. Like 90 something more, and they'll be red.
I'm suprised it took this long. :lol:
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Sending up balloons with various anti-radar components to see how they fare.
Speaking of which
Ukraine's army has said Russia fired 36 cruise missiles on Thursday, a day after six apparently radar-reflecting balloons were spotted over Kyiv.
Images circulating on social media show an unsophisticated design, with a radar-reflecting, cross-shaped structure trailing under the balloon suspended by a line.
Balloons with reflectors have also been spotted over the eastern region of Dnipropetrovsk in recent days.
"These objects could carry radar reflectors and certain reconnaissance equipment," said air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat. "The balloons were launched to detect and exhaust our air defence forces."
Russian balloons over Kyiv in new wave of attacks
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64661145
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/9cc60beef7b724698c5de4f3d94dd2a2.jpg)
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Another premium article, but I have again posted the gist below. Unconfirmed, but the first balloon appears to have not only had some maneuvering ability, but it was similar tech to what Google researched a decade ago. Recall that some years back, Google employees revolted against Google doing anything that would benefit the US military, but were fine providing tech to China, which of course is the same as providing tech to the Chinese military. It will be interesting to see if there is a tech connection here.
The Chinese spy balloon had maneuvering capability and had similarities to the Google balloon project Loon, which utilized AI analytics in its operations, according to Col. (Ret.) John Mills, an author and former director of cybersecurity policy, strategy, and international affairs at the Department of Defense.
“What’s very interesting is in 2012, I was at Google and Google briefed me on Project Loon, their balloon project. And they use their advanced AI and analytics to raise and lower the balloon and they could maintain the position of a balloon by raising and lowering it. And they could also maneuver it,” Mills said in an interview recorded on Feb. 9 on China in Focus, a show on NTD TV, The Epoch Times’ sister media.
He said throughout the “spy balloon” episode that the Department of Defense has very clearly said that the Chinese balloon had maneuvering capability.
The Chinese regime maintained that it was a runaway weather balloon, but the U.S. administration has refuted such claims.
“This was a PRC surveillance balloon. This surveillance balloon purposely traversed the United States and Canada, and we are confident it was seeking to monitor sensitive military sites,” said a senior defense official speaking on background in a statement on Feb. 4, indicating that the balloon could steer itself over the United States.
Mills said that when Google briefed him about the Loon project a decade ago, he was struck by its similarities with the CIA balloon projects of the past.
“This looks a lot like the CIA project from the 50s and 60s. It was called by about 10 different code names—Skyhook, AshCan [etc.]. The Google Project Manager … had left NASA and was working for Google, goes, ‘Yes, we actually FOA’d [Freedom of Information Act] CIA, and they gave us all the plans,” said Mills.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/chinese-spy-balloon-had-maneuvering-ability-and-similarities-to-google-ai-balloon-project-ex-dod-official_5048449.html
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https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/in-1947-high-altitude-balloon-crash-landed-roswell-aliens-never-left-180963917/
Remember that the 1947 Roswell flying saucer alien story was a cover for US balloon recon over the Soviet Union.
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Biden has briefed the press.
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2023/02/16/biden-issues-stern-warning-to-owners-of-weather-balloons-china-not-so-much/
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Bottlecap Balloon Brigade - a Missouri hobby group - claims its $13 weather balloon last pinged near Yukon on February 10 - hours before F-22 brought down UFO in SAME area with $400k missile
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11760443/Did-Joe-Biden-shoot-hobbyists-12-balloon-380-000-missile.html
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Called off the search
Breaking News: The U.S. ended the search for two of the unidentified objects it shot down, raising the possibility that the devices will never be collected. https://t.co/IGIb6xto0B
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 18, 2023
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Pentagon releases selfie taken by US pilot showing Chinese spy balloon in air
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/22/politics/pentagon-china-balloon-selfie/index.html
(https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/230222153202-01-chinese-surveillance-balloon-air-force-pilot.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_720,w_1280,c_fill)
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They couldn't hang a gun pod on the plane and punch a few holes in it?
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They couldn't hang a gun pod on the plane and punch a few holes in it?
Shooting down balloons with cannon fire has proven problematic in the past. Doesn't work nearly as well as folks assume it would.
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They couldn't hang a gun pod on the plane and punch a few holes in it?
The U-2 at altitude has a pretty tight flight envelope. That is the space between falling apart and falling out of the sky. Nothing that changes flight characteristics gets hung on any plane without years of math and testing.
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Shooting down balloons with cannon fire has proven problematic in the past. Doesn't work nearly as well as folks assume it would.
Nothing is a sure thing. Just figured for helium balloons, punching a few holes would make it leak and drop eventually. Depends on if it has make-up gas on board or if there is self-sealing capability.
Of course, doing that over the Pacific would have been a great deal better.
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Nothing is a sure thing. Just figured for helium balloons, punching a few holes would make it leak and drop eventually. Depends on if it has make-up gas on board or if there is self-sealing capability.
Of course, doing that over the Pacific would have been a great deal better.
Might land on a trans POC with the former and on an endangered FOC* the latter
*Fish of Color
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Of course, doing that over the Pacific would have been a great deal better.
What about the whales and the dolphins? Don't you care about the environment?
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What about the whales and the dolphins? Don't you care about the environment?
Nuke all the unborn, gay, communist, whales for Christ.
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https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-ar-15-lower-receiver-noflyzone-15.html
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Take with a grain of salt but it wouldn't shock me if true
Intelligence officials have revealed a Chinese spy balloon that flew across the US for a week in February used an American internet service provider to communicate.
.....
The report stated that the balloon was connected to a US-based company and communicating with China about its navigation.
It further stated that the connection 'allowed the balloon to send burst transmissions or high-bandwidth collections of data over short periods of time' to its home base in China.
The channel has not released the name of the company.
US intelligence officials determined the Chinese spy balloon used a US internet provider to communicate
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12908959/US-intelligence-officials-determined-Chinese-spy-balloon-used-internet-provider-communicate.html
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And here we go again
Military tracks high-altitude balloon over western US
The origin of the balloon and its purpose are not yet known, 2 officials said
https://www.foxnews.com/us/military-tracking-high-altitude-balloon-western-us
U.S. military tracking ANOTHER balloon: Pentagon scrambles jets to investigate high-altitude object of 'unknown origin' over Colorado
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13119491/U-S-military-tracking-balloon-Pentagon-following-high-altitude-object-unknown-origin-Colorado.html
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My immediate thought is to take a Navy carrier-based fighter and replace the tailhook with a sharp blade. Make a couple/few close passes and that should bring the sucker down without firing a shot.
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My immediate thought is to take a Navy carrier-based fighter and replace the tailhook with a sharp blade. Make a couple/few close passes and that should bring the sucker down without firing a shot.
How about updating the bucket catchers so we could recover the spy balloons largely intact? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdsn4snbzjo
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How about updating the bucket catchers so we could recover the spy balloons largely intact? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdsn4snbzjo
I think that would upset Biden's Chinese masters.
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I just wish they would put transponders on the things so that they would show up on the tracking sites. ;) I would like to see how fast they go once in the jet stream, especially right now.
bob
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I just wish they would put transponders on the things so that they would show up on the tracking sites. ;) I would like to see how fast they go once in the jet stream, especially right now.
bob
They're claiming it was some amateur's balloon, though I don't know how they would confirm that. One report said there was some cube of around a meter as the payload.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAqZwA1KosM
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They're claiming it was some amateur's balloon, though I don't know how they would confirm that. One report said there was some cube of around a meter as the payload.
If I were sending up a nuisance balloon, a very light 1 meter cube corner aluminum foil reflector payload could be attached to enhance the radar cross section. Could even hang it below the balloon with a couple of hundred yards of fishing line. Then . . . sit back and wait for UFO reports!
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An oldie but a goodie:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GHSEa0wbEAEZJMZ?format=jpg&name=small)