611–620 of 1001 posts
How incredibly dumb. Imagine all the delicious ELINT that balloon relayed about the APG-81 RADAR and the missile, which assuredly coat much more than the balloon drone.
At the same time, maybe we know that the balloon has no capabilities in this regard and decided to flex.
Who knows.
How incredibly dumb. Imagine all the delicious ELINT that balloon relayed about the APG-81 RADAR and the missile, which assuredly coat much more than the balloon drone.
This is dumb. Same airship design has been seen around the world for years, https://twitter.com/BalloonSciDan/status/1479218147098038278 There are many companies building and launching balloon airships of similar size. The US weather service alone puts hundreds of balloons over China, https://www.weather.gov/jetstream/radiosondes
You can see in the video about the NOAA weather balloons how small they are.
The balloon that was just shot down was huge and was being actively maneuvered.
I have been in "no politics, no news" mode for over a month. I try to do this about once a year. I have yet to tell my wife I do it, but when I am on this limited media consumption she always comments how pleasant I am to be around. I think it is a good thing for all of us to do once in a while, until 80 years ago most news was at best three or four days old, go back 120 years and you're getting only last weeks top t…
I have been in "no politics, no news" mode for over a month. I try to do this about once a year. I have yet to tell my wife I do it, but when I am on this limited media consumption she always comments how pleasant I am to be around. I think it is a good thing for all of us to do once in a while, until 80 years ago most news was at best three or four days old, go back 120 years and you're getting only last weeks top t…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This isn't the first balloon with equipment on it that has overflown US territory (which should also put to rest the 'rogue weather balloon' theory). China has been doing this ever since Trump started levying import taxes on Chinese goods. This particular balloon was brazen enough to be loitering over military targets for some time. It makes sense to do a shoot down over the ocean so you can have a better chance to r…
Since you appear to believe this balloon had a surveillance mission, please explain what data it could conceivably have collected that isn't much easier to collect some other way. The military targets over which you suggest this aircraft intentionally loitered do not even have restricted airspaces. Anyone could get in a plane and fly right over them at whatever altitude they choose and nobody would even notice. You c…
Im pretty impressed that it made it all the way across the continent in a couple days, i had no idea high altitude balloons could move that fast.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Technically the ballon isn't moving itself in anyway at all, it instead is depending on the wind. As the atmospheric pressure lowers the maximum speed of the wind can increase greatly. For example the speed of the jet stream commonly exceeds 275 miles per hour. It looks like the strongest jet winds were closer to canada, had the jet been in the US it could have made it across the country in a day.
Imagine the earth is also spinning under the balloon?
This is dumb. Same airship design has been seen around the world for years, https://twitter.com/BalloonSciDan/status/1479218147098038278 There are many companies building and launching balloon airships of similar size. The US weather service alone puts hundreds of balloons over China, https://www.weather.gov/jetstream/radiosondes
China is quite obviously lying about this being a weather balloon. You can see in the video about the NOAA weather balloons how small they are. The balloon that was just shot down was huge and was being actively maneuvered.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
When an aircraft doesnt have a transponder, doesnt respond to radio calls, no flight plan on file, and seems to be adrift, it is a hazard to navigation irrespective of altitide. Such things get intercepted and, if in any way dangerous, are shot down. Post-9/11, there are even protocols for shooting down unresponsive airliners.
Name one plane that flies at more than 60,000 feet, I'll wait.