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A party balloon shut down El Paso International Airport; estimated cost –$573k

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Re: A party balloon shut down El Paso International Airport; estimated cost –$573k

#12

Post by Jordan-117 »

More alarmingly, the laser weapon was deployed before the FAA actually shut down the airspace:

https://apnews.com/article/faa-el-paso-texas-air-space-close...

I'd say these trigger-happy clowns chasing tough-guy optics are going to get innocent people killed, but then they already have -- multiple times.

Re: A party balloon shut down El Paso International Airport; estimated cost –$573k

#13

Post by esseph »

joe_mamba wrote: post #5
throwaway0q5347 wrote: post #2

> Who among us hasn’t, at some point, mistaken a party balloon for a cartel drone? Let him cast the first stone.

Firstly, how is the world's most powerful military afraid of "cartel drones"? Don't they already have some sci-fi laser/EW gizmos to take care of those considering how much taxpayer dollars go to the defense sector? Secondly, contrary to popular belief, cartel leaders are smart enough to know not to directly mess with and attract the wrath of the US military when that's not good for their core business.

I am not sure how much the average person realizes that drones in both a reconnaissance and observation role or an attack role have changed the nature of warfare and have threatened localities.

We don't have good tools to deal with them, especially groups.

It would be trivial, right now, for a few fpv drones to cause extreme chaos somewhere like a popular highway in Los Angeles, and the amount of economic damage that could do.

It's a technological shift in how warfare is conducted, but from a protection standpoint, the tools aren't great to counter them yet.

Re: A party balloon shut down El Paso International Airport; estimated cost –$573k

#15

Post by silisili »

milesskorpen wrote: post #8
silisili wrote: post #6

Is there any reputable source for this claim? Apologies if I missed it but didn't see one linked in the article. I ask because it's not what I'd read or understood yesterday.

Yes: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/airspace-closure-followed-spat-... FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford on Tuesday night decided to close the airspace — without alerting White House, Pentagon or Homeland Security officials, sources said. ... Customs and Border Protection used the laser weapon earlier this week after training from the U.S. military, according to multiple sources familiar with its deployment. Officials ha…

Thanks!

Re: A party balloon shut down El Paso International Airport; estimated cost –$573k

#17

Post by kelseyfrog »

The rate of return on this is phenomenal.

A 53" balloon costs $9.99. You could shut down all large and medium hubs in the US for $629.37/day. The asymmetry is astounding and I'm surprised we don't defend against this kind of attack more efficiently.

Re: A party balloon shut down El Paso International Airport; estimated cost –$573k

#18

Post by mlinhares »

Jordan-117 wrote: post #12

More alarmingly, the laser weapon was deployed before the FAA actually shut down the airspace: https://apnews.com/article/faa-el-paso-texas-air-space-close... I'd say these trigger-happy clowns chasing tough-guy optics are going to get innocent people killed, but then they already have -- multiple times.

Yeah, a bit late for that. But this would likely kill more at once than they've had before, so would land a new record.

Re: A party balloon shut down El Paso International Airport; estimated cost –$573k

#20

Post by 2OEH8eoCRo0 »

joe_mamba wrote: post #5
throwaway0q5347 wrote: post #2

> Who among us hasn’t, at some point, mistaken a party balloon for a cartel drone? Let him cast the first stone.

Firstly, how is the world's most powerful military afraid of "cartel drones"? Don't they already have some sci-fi laser/EW gizmos to take care of those considering how much taxpayer dollars go to the defense sector? Secondly, contrary to popular belief, cartel leaders are smart enough to know not to directly mess with and attract the wrath of the US military when that's not good for their core business.

It wasn't the military it was DHS.
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