Originally Posted by
Asturias56
Minuteman silos are easily spotted using Google earth - I doubt a balloon would add much info
The “sensitive area” claim is a media distractor. While there’s plenty of physical security sensitive areas associated with Malmstrom AFB, there’s nothing sensitive to aerial surveillance. If you want to photograph an ICBM silo, go rent a C172 and snap away. Much more economical than a high-altitude balloon. Anything “sensitive” associated with the Malmstrom ICBM facilities is underground. The locations of the ICBM silos is widely known; e.g., the U.S. is required to provide its ICBM silo geographic coordinates to Russia (and vice versa) under arms control treaties.