Chinese spy balloon over US
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They took out the balloon with a missile. If they wanted to recover it couldn't they have taken it out with guns? Or is that an impossible target?
btw lots of theories, conspiracy theories on social media about this but has anyone considered it might actually be a weather balloon?
btw lots of theories, conspiracy theories on social media about this but has anyone considered it might actually be a weather balloon?
I spent 28 years as an airline jock flying into and over China on a regular basis. Observations:
Convoluted air routes to avoid their military bases (not that you could see much as the country is 99% smog).
Sometimes threatening or actually having to declare an emergency in order to get clearance to deviate to avoid thunderstorms.
Narrow, crowded corridors for civvies to fly in with the military controlling the rest of their airspace.
A general impression of a paranoid regime.
My point? I can imagine the squealing from the ChiComms if a huge American ‘weather balloon’ ever overflew their neck of the woods.
Convoluted air routes to avoid their military bases (not that you could see much as the country is 99% smog).
Sometimes threatening or actually having to declare an emergency in order to get clearance to deviate to avoid thunderstorms.
Narrow, crowded corridors for civvies to fly in with the military controlling the rest of their airspace.
A general impression of a paranoid regime.
My point? I can imagine the squealing from the ChiComms if a huge American ‘weather balloon’ ever overflew their neck of the woods.
Chinese spy balloon over US
No doubt there will be lots of wailing from the Chinese about bringing it down. Remember China shot down a Cathay Pacific airliner over the sea near Hainan Island in 1954.
Evertonian
Lots of folks not under the balloon’s flight path and in the political opposition were calling for shooting it down overland on every channel on which they could get in front of a camera. imagine these same folks outrage if it hit anything or anybody.or even came close to anything. Bringing it down as it left the coast was IMO the best option.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...istration.html
Hong KongCNN — China has expressed its “strong dissatisfaction and protest” against the United States’ decision to shoot down its high-altitude balloon, accusing it of “overreacting” and “seriously violating international practice.”
Around July 19, 1979, the US space agency team that was in western Australia searching for debris was issued a citation for littering by the Esperance Shire Council in the amount of $400. Though the citation was in jest, the council hoped NASA would pay the fine as a gift for their museum. They didn’t pay. But the fine was finally settled on behalf of NASA in 2009 by a radio host named Scott Barley of Highway Radio when he got his morning listeners to donate the funds.
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Sad...
But experience has led me to distrust most anything the Pentagon says, or more precisely, what the news media say/says that the Pentagon said.
Reminds me of how Thomas Jefferson wrote in various letters at various times, that in his day, the news media of that time, newspapers, pamphlets and public speeches, were on one day the best defense for a democracy and on the next day, the worst enemy.
Some times some things seldom change.
Reminds me of how Thomas Jefferson wrote in various letters at various times, that in his day, the news media of that time, newspapers, pamphlets and public speeches, were on one day the best defense for a democracy and on the next day, the worst enemy.
Some times some things seldom change.
Last edited by 70 Mustang; 5th Feb 2023 at 08:46.
Why not, The city of Esperance, Western Australia, sent NASA a fine for littering when Skylab broke up there. Some reports say the fine was payed by NASA, others by a DJ who raised funds from listeners. I suspect it was all dtreated in a more light-hearted spirit than this event will be.
btw lots of theories, conspiracy theories on social media about this but has anyone considered it might actually be a weather balloon?
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Shoot it down earlier?
those who popped up and said how "empty" Alaska was, obviously do not live there nor have family living there.
With lawyers ready to jump out from behind every tree, I thought it quite sensible to wait until it was past the coast before it was shot down.
Sod's law is alive and thriving.
Regarding the comparison to the regret of the radar observers at Pearl Harbor, I suspect the technology and its applications are a tad more developed and advanced than then. On the other hand, there is an ongoing undercurrent of suspicion that "they" knew exactly what was happening and let it happen due to the rules of democracy which limited the actions of that current US government.
Then again, many documents are still kept out of public view.
The one thing I'm relatively confident of, is that there is more that our government does not tell us and actively misleads us about than what they are honest about.
With lawyers ready to jump out from behind every tree, I thought it quite sensible to wait until it was past the coast before it was shot down.
Sod's law is alive and thriving.
Regarding the comparison to the regret of the radar observers at Pearl Harbor, I suspect the technology and its applications are a tad more developed and advanced than then. On the other hand, there is an ongoing undercurrent of suspicion that "they" knew exactly what was happening and let it happen due to the rules of democracy which limited the actions of that current US government.
Then again, many documents are still kept out of public view.
The one thing I'm relatively confident of, is that there is more that our government does not tell us and actively misleads us about than what they are honest about.
Last edited by 70 Mustang; 5th Feb 2023 at 08:09.
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Salute!
tartare Back in the day, we only had to wear a p-suit for "sustained flight" above 50K and maybe shorter flights way up there like those NF-104 jets. I am not even sure the Streak Eagle guys wore a p-suit and they toped out aroung 100K, certainly above 90K
Our high altitude profile in the VooDoo and 106 was at 49K and go fast, then pull up for the shot. As a target, we cruised at 49K and 1,1M or so for 10 or 15 minutes in basic flying suit.
Well, guess the crew chief can paint a timny balloon on the side of the jet now.
Gums sends...
tartare Back in the day, we only had to wear a p-suit for "sustained flight" above 50K and maybe shorter flights way up there like those NF-104 jets. I am not even sure the Streak Eagle guys wore a p-suit and they toped out aroung 100K, certainly above 90K
Our high altitude profile in the VooDoo and 106 was at 49K and go fast, then pull up for the shot. As a target, we cruised at 49K and 1,1M or so for 10 or 15 minutes in basic flying suit.
Well, guess the crew chief can paint a timny balloon on the side of the jet now.
Gums sends...
You were flying fast jets before I was born!
Looks like Yemen, Japan and India have had similar visits in recent years.
The good thing is it will be much more intact than if they had shot it down over land. Which might be -besides collateral damage- the reason they waited for it to be over sea. They shot it down close to shore so I'm sure they want to have a closer look at it. Chances are there will be not much to see, though. It was surely clear to the Chinese that it would be shot down and retrieved.
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I'm waiting for it to be reported that it narrowly missed a school. At least the finale provides plenty of opportunity for news editors to use their favourites, "plunged" and "plummeted".