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US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

bbc.com

491–500 of 526 posts

Re: US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

#491

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could but confirming US has that capability is significant. The purpose is to gather intelligence after all. E: Lunar ranging = ground stations. Not feasible to cover CONUS with network of ground based laser for forseeable future. If anything, balloons will try to bait responses from SHiELD/air based laser ABL interception (YAL1) that can be extrapolated to IndoPac theatre.

Not feasible to cover CONUS with network of ground based laser for forseeable future. It is also not feasible to keep using million dollar missiles to shoot down thousand dollar balloons. I kind of doubt that the planes are cheaper than ground based lasers. Even so, a mobile ground station could avoid giving away the US position and allow them to cover more area. Not sure how feasible that is.

Even if eventually technically feasible, imo it will take multi decades to acquire finish program and acqure platforms in sufficient numbers. Missiles feasible short term because there's airframes and stockpiles. It's a function of what's available. I think PRC can mass weaponize balloons to drope guided munitions much sooner than US can build up economic counter measures. Silly as meme is, balloon gap might eventually be real.

Re: US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

#492
post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What does that have to do with the price of tea in China? What does this mean? I don’t see a reference to tea in the comment you are replying to.

It’s a euphemism for a nonsequitor, OP is asking what balloon size has to do with it being okay to shoot it down since there’s nothing about size in protected airspace laws. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/price_of_tea_in_China

Maybe would have been clearer to use a nonseqiotor that doesn't involve China- for a second there I thought that there was something linking these balloons to tea trade or sanctions or something

Re: US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

#493

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Evidence etc?

I recommend that you expend the tiny bit of effort required to inform yourself, rather than asking others to spoon-feed you.

I tried but couldn't find any evidence. Thanks for your useful advice though.

Re: US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

#494
post #459

Earlier quoted context omitted.

assuming the 100% clipboard-exfiltration-at-all-times and other data harvesting reports are true Woah! Even on iOS?

Nah. I remember this went viral at a point when the first developer betas of iOS 14 (or was if 13?) came out and IOS started reporting clipboard accesses. For a while during those early betas, it seemed TikTok was accessing the clipboard every few minutes. Apparently it turned out to be innocuous—the app qas checking for TikTok links on the clipboard to show them to the user? Something like that. Other apps had the s…

Telegram doesn't do that, atleast not for me, since android reports (via toaster popup) clipboard access now too.

Re: US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

#495

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Evidence etc?

> "It had multiple antennas to include an array likely capable of collecting and geolocating communications," the official added. https://www.ft.com/content/96992b83-58f7-4cdb-9900-a2bc59677...

It had multiple antennas? Holy cow that's bad. That definitely rules out weather balloons then.

Re: US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

#496

I think China erred by sending such a large balloon that was visible to the naked eye, causing the American public to demand it be shot down. There's no hard rule about where national airspace ends and space begins.. a lot of times they fly too high for planes to reach, and under certain circumstances balloons are allowed through national airspace.. so if the balloon isn't causing a problem (like being a hazard to ai…

> just like we never cared about the 3 during the previous administration

Trying to stir up an impeachment case over the response to the first balloon is just projection as usual from the GOP.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/border-free-biden-republica...

Re: US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

#497

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Specifically, this could be amazing to map out non-public comms, radar and AA systems. This could provide the sort of information you'd want for a future military conflict. I hope I'm completely wrong about this.

You are probably not wrong about this since we know China wants to take Taiwan at some point in the future. It makes sense that they would map out any vulnerabilities of potential adversaries who might be involved in defending Taiwan since the battle for Taiwan will not be easy.

China invades Taiwan and the entire free world beats it into submission, no contest whatsoever. Straight up steamroll.

That’s why China wants to triple their Nuclear stockpile in less than 10 years. They know they don’t stand a chance otherwise.

https://www.politico.com/amp/news/2022/11/29/pentagon-china-...

Re: US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

#498
post #370

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

These articles are making me realise just how much of the HN demographic is Chinese. Either that or simply naive when it comes to international affairs.

You can't be serious

Re: US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada

#500

I think China erred by sending such a large balloon that was visible to the naked eye, causing the American public to demand it be shot down. There's no hard rule about where national airspace ends and space begins.. a lot of times they fly too high for planes to reach, and under certain circumstances balloons are allowed through national airspace.. so if the balloon isn't causing a problem (like being a hazard to ai…

There are absolutely hard rules about national airspace, what the hell do you think the ICAO exists for? https://www.icao.int/APAC/Documents/edocs/International%20Ai...

Conspicuously absent from that document are any vertical measurements. At exactly what altitude national airspace stops is not clearly established.
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