What this the same pilot that missed the first shot at the balloon?
U-2 pilot's selfie above China's balloon taken over Missouri
11–20 of 171 posts
Re: U-2 pilot's selfie above China's balloon taken over Missouri
#12Earlier quoted context omitted.
This article has the best we'll probably ever get to see: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/our-best-look-yet-at-t...
That setup is wild. It's pretty ridiculous to claim this was a civilian balloon.
Possibly but I could see a university or research organization constructing this. “Civilian” is a broad umbrella. My hunch is it’s not though and the Chinese got embarrassed.
Re: U-2 pilot's selfie above China's balloon taken over Missouri
#13Earlier quoted context omitted.
This article has the best we'll probably ever get to see: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/our-best-look-yet-at-t...
That setup is wild. It's pretty ridiculous to claim this was a civilian balloon.
Even if it can attributed to a "civilian" company, China is not a free country under Xi Jin Ping's rule. The CCP has many mechanisms to control the Chinese private sector as an arm of the state.
Xi Jin Ping exercises more control over Chinese society than Stalin could have dreamed of in the Soviet Union, with the various coercive systems put into place in the last few decades.
Re: U-2 pilot's selfie above China's balloon taken over Missouri
#14What this the same pilot that missed the first shot at the balloon?
No. A U-2 does not carry missiles.
Re: U-2 pilot's selfie above China's balloon taken over Missouri
#15What this the same pilot that missed the first shot at the balloon?
Unlikely as the u2 is not armed
Re: U-2 pilot's selfie above China's balloon taken over Missouri
#16Has anyone seen a better photo of the balloon?
This is the only picture of the balloon fully intact that exists The reason we sent a U2 Spy plane of all things after it is because it’s about the only plane we have still in service that can fly all the way up to 60,000 ft where the balloon was at the time
The F-15 can regularly climb over FL600 and, under special conditions, has exceeded 100K above MSL.
Re: U-2 pilot's selfie above China's balloon taken over Missouri
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is the only picture of the balloon fully intact that exists The reason we sent a U2 Spy plane of all things after it is because it’s about the only plane we have still in service that can fly all the way up to 60,000 ft where the balloon was at the time
> Although points for style shooting down a spy balloon with a spy plane An F-22 was used for the shoot down.
That used an air-to-air missile, it didn’t have to get to the same level for that
Re: U-2 pilot's selfie above China's balloon taken over Missouri
#18I was hoping for a Google Earth link to the same perspective (altitude, position, camera angle) as the one shown in the selfie. I didn't find one in the article, or in the comments here (yet!)
I started working on it, but don't have the patience at the moment. Anyone else give it a shot?
Re: U-2 pilot's selfie above China's balloon taken over Missouri
#19What this the same pilot that missed the first shot at the balloon?
An F-16 missed the shot at another object, not this balloon. The F-22 didn't miss when it shot this down.
Re: U-2 pilot's selfie above China's balloon taken over Missouri
#20[deleted]