Originally Posted by
LowandSlow1
Educate me, please.
It’s been reported the balloon was downed using an AIM-9x Sidewinder air to air missile.
As that missile uses passive IR technology to acquire and track the target, why use that missile instead of an AIM-120 AMRAAM?
My question is obviously based on wondering how much heat is produced by that balloon and its payload at 60k feet such that the Sidewinder could lock on and track it?
I would surmise that the attack run was made from the west, and we know it was from below the balloon.
Hence the balloon envelope would be reflecting the afternoon sun (it was ~14:40 local) and would be relatively warm against the easterly sky, also the only such object in view. Presumably the temperature difference was enough for the AIM-9X imaging infra-red sensor to resolve a 'target'