Chinese Spy Balloon Flying Over the U.S.

What's the use of Jewish Space Lasers just sitting up there in orbit unless we do something with them? Actually there may be a glimmer of truth to that.

 

They can do that from cars - and have done that in Texas.

 

They used a new crack scouting team to find this latest one

 

I bet staff Zoom meetings sounded like Thanksgiving at Donald Duck's house ...

 

The History Guy has a good video about shooting down balloons...


Last bit was interesting: He said that, around the world, between 900 and 1500 balloons are launched *every day*. Most of them are the common weather balloons, of course.

Ron Wanttaja

 

Sounds reasonable. Or maybe a low tech solution?

Not the ship, the chain shot.

 

The introduction has the best idea, shoot cats at it. They will rip it to pieces.

 

I hope we figure out a more cost effective way to shoot them down without expending a bunch of half million dollar side-winders. Not to mention the cost of dispatching an F22, although that F22 would probably be on a training mission anyway, so that cost might be a wash.

 

Better to spend them on drones? Or have our pilots never shoot a real one?

 

I wouldn't think that shooting balloons is such great practice for WW3.

WW4 perhaps.

 

My point is that the weapons will be shot regardless. It’s not costing more.

 

My point was in response to a comment that if the Chinese keep sending enough of them and we keep shooting them down, they will quit sending them. But balloons are much cheaper than Sidewinders, and if they send "enough" of them, we will run out of sidewinders, and/or the money to buy more.

 

If we can’t afford to pop a ballon or two a week, we won’t ever sustain a war. I suspect we have a very adequate supply.

Besides, it’s not the value of the balloon, it’s the value of whatever intelligence they’re gathering that matters.

 

Do the missiles have a "shelf life"? If so, better to use them somehow than just junk them, IMO.

 

One possible reason to be circumspect where we choose to shoot down stuff:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Palmdale

 

No doubt. But balloons are cheap. What if they send thousands a week? And no, I don't think that would happen without sparking a real war, but once again, I was responding to a post that said let them keep sending them and we will keep shooting them down. All I said was if that happens I hope we find a cheaper way to shoot them down.

 

Imagine being the first F-22 pilot to become an ace for shooting down balloons! That will be some serious bragging rights and deep respect from your fellow combat veterans!

 

The first balloon was clearly different from the others: higher, larger, and with solar panels and sensors.

Not sure what’s up with the most recent two. MAYBE they were just tethered balloons to help these guys get Netflix and, when the season was declared closed, they just let them go, to stir things up.
https://www.nationalfisherman.com/a...-returns-in-2023-despite-closing-of-fisheries

Yes, tongue in cheek. But there are other uses for balloons besides lower-tech spying.

 

It’s not like there are any groups or countries who might have incentives to challenge the United States. /S
There is definitely not a proxy war underway…

 

Not my wife's cats. They're terrified of balloons.

Ron Wanttaja

 

During WWI, balloon kills counted just as much as aircraft kills. The balloons back then were a leeeetle better defended than these, though....

Ron Wanttaja

 

It might just all be a diversionary tactic so we will stop talking about other important topics.

 

Grape or case shot might be a better pick; a shotgun effect to maximize the chance of hitting.

The problem is the face that you're shooting these over your own territory. Don't really want shot raining down over the populace. Ideally, you'd just put holes in the balloon so it descends gradually, and you'd have to chance to warn those below that it might be coming down. That'd give you the option to bring it down earlier. Grapeshot using hard-frozen ice chunks come to mind, but IIRC, the Mythbusters showed it wouldn't survive being fired from a gun. May not melt on the way down, either.

I'm afraid these last two balloons are going to turn out to be our own weather balloons, or some private enterprise. If we're going to make a policy of indiscriminately shooting these down, we need to minimize the collateral damage.

Ron Wanttaja

 

You lost me a bit. “Jewish” space lasers?

 

Ice chunks don't have to retain much integrity to down a balloon. Penetrating ballistics gel is a different animal.

 

Secret Jewish Space Lasers. https://www.newsweek.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-jewish-space-laser-mockery-1565325

 

Or an airborne "shotgun" like a Zuni FRAG rocket or Hydra rocket with Fletchettes?

 

Why not just a U2 with a grappling hook?

 

Suicide drones?

 

Sounds like the perfect tool for government.

 

And now yet another shootdown - https://www.foxnews.com/us/us-military-shoots-down-unidentified-flying-object-great-lakes-region

What are they trying to distract us from this time?

 

This may be another player... Looks like the Chinese are saying they may be dealing with this, too...

https://www.instagram.com/p/CokqFHqvVez/

 

A Super Bowl ad stunt ?

 

Klaatu barada nikto

 

I may have to watch “Independence Day” tonight.

 

wag the dog...

 

Another one, over Lake Huron
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/02/12/spy-balloon-alaska-canada/

 

One more and “Ace”