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US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

bbc.com

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Re: US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

#262

"Some pilots said the object “interfered with their sensors” on the planes" "Some pilots also claimed to have seen no identifiable propulsion on the object, and could not explain how it was staying in the air, despite the object cruising at an altitude of 40,000 feet." https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/11/politics/unidentified-object-... "It was described as "cylindrical and silver-ish gray" and seemed to be floating, a U.…

Related https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/40054/adversary-drones...

Re: US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

#263
post #226

I wonder if they're trying to figure out what we can detect and we're giving them all the information they need by publically shooting these down.

I'm convinced that's why the balloons haven't been shot down in the past. Learning our detection abilities is probably way more important for China than anything they would be able to take a picture of.

People can see these with the naked eye (or with cameras). If our sophisticated defense systems are failing to match the naked eye... something is wrong.

Re: US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

#264
post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Funny, they confirmed it was unmanned but they refuse to confirm whether its a balloon. Bit weird don't you think?

"well, technically we recovered an alien so it was 'unmanned' because there were no men onboard"...some defense department lawyer

[deleted]

Re: US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

#265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Says a lot about the RCAF though: they can't even defend their territory properly.

Did you even read the article? > The Pentagon said the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected the object over Alaska late Friday evening. U.S. fighter jets from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, monitored the object as it crossed over into Canadian airspace, where Canadian CF-18 and CP-140 aircraft joined the formation.

I did read the article, yes. It was the US plane that did the actual take down. Of course RCAF planes joined, how much more pathetic would it have been if only foreign planes did the work. Did Canadian planes join in the other day when the Alaska one was shot down? Of course not, because the USAF is able to do it on their own, unlike the RCAF, which was my original point.

Re: US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

#266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you honestly think shooting down a balloon in your own airspace is an aggressive act?

Three public shoot downs certainly signals something new.

It suggests that there is something new in the air, deliberately obscuring its source and mission.

Re: US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

#267

"Some pilots said the object “interfered with their sensors” on the planes" "Some pilots also claimed to have seen no identifiable propulsion on the object, and could not explain how it was staying in the air, despite the object cruising at an altitude of 40,000 feet." https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/11/politics/unidentified-object-... "It was described as "cylindrical and silver-ish gray" and seemed to be floating, a U.…

Lmao "seemed to be floating".

Re: US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

#268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm convinced that's why the balloons haven't been shot down in the past. Learning our detection abilities is probably way more important for China than anything they would be able to take a picture of.

Yeah, I don't think that's it. Detecting a balloon doesn't take any exotic technology. Now a hypersonic missile, or a stealth plane -- that would be a test. But losing one of those would be pretty expensive.

I suspect finding a small balloon in the mind-boggling huge space that is American airspace is, can be surprisingly challenging.

My understanding is that these UAFs are much smaller than that first Chinese balloon last week.

It probably also costs a lot more money to shoot down a balloon than it costs China to put a balloon in the air.

Re: US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

#270
post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm convinced that's why the balloons haven't been shot down in the past. Learning our detection abilities is probably way more important for China than anything they would be able to take a picture of.

People can see these with the naked eye (or with cameras). If our sophisticated defense systems are failing to match the naked eye... something is wrong.

My understanding is that only the balloon from last week was huge and easy to see with the human eye. I believe the other UAFs are much smaller. Also there were 3 or 4 during the Trump administration and noone noticed them with their naked eye
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