Chinese Spy Balloon/"Civilian Airship"/UFO Shootdowns

[Brekar]

Yeah my 1st few thoughts were either it's a dry run for a new pandemic that "starts" in the USA (i.e. zombies, new version of avian flu etc), or dry run for some sort of cyber attack of a trial run for an EMP. I noticed they shot it down then mentioned in nearly the same breath that there's another balloon over Latin America.

[NT2C]

Our government and military have eyes on it.  I'm sure they've at least considered that possibility in their determination how to handle it.

Is that supposed to be a comforting and reassuring thought?  Because... 

Our government and military have eyes on it.  I'm sure they've at least considered that possibility in their determination how to handle it.

Is that supposed to be a comforting and reassuring thought?  Because... 

I think most people would have more faith in a wet fart than they would the Feds.

Guys, I'm not saying they're guaranteed to make the best decision about it, just that they at least thought about it before they made the decision.  😂

Well, we just took it out.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64524105

When do we start the USA! USA! USA! chant?

Anianna wins the toaster oven! 

Whoohoo!

One official UFoZS Toaster Oven (in the official UFoZS shade of teal) coming right up... just as soon as the chimps in the detention area finish building it, so 2-3 weeks.

[flybynight]

WAIT... Can you hear that?  Sounds like the Chinese laughing at us and the federal response to their attack dry run test flight

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

WAIT... Can you hear that?  Sounds like the Chinese laughing at us and the federal response to their attack dry run test flight

Man, the Chinese and the rest of the world have laughing at us for a long time before this.

This is just a regular Saturday for them.

[NT2C]

Know what they aren't laughing at though...?

How?

What did we use to shoot it down?  Yes, the Pentagon says we took it down with an AIM-9X missle fired from an F-22 at 58,000 feet. 

Except, that balloon hadn't been below 80,000 feet across the entire country, and at times was up to 120,000 ft.  The operational ceiling of an F-22 is 50,000 feet.  The current Block III AIM-9X is a passive infrared homing missile.  It was specifically developed to be passive infrared and not radar or digital guided because radar-guided AAMRAM missiles were being spoofed by active jammers and this was the Navy's way around that.

So, what did we shoot this no heat source high-flying balloon down with?  Because I don't think it was an F-22 using an AIM-9X, especially right in the operational area of the  Navy's Pax River Air Station and Dahlgren Naval Surface Warfare Center.  You know, the two places in the country that are currently doing operational testing of all the cool new Navy toys like high-power lasers (surface ship and aircraft mounted) and ship-mounted electromagnetic rail guns with 120+ mile ranges.

So, what did we use on this big, fat, cold, slow-moving target that should have been above the max ceiling of the F-22?

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

The next question would be is any of the balloon recoverable or is it now just part of an unintentional artificial reef in the Atlantic ocean?

I'm hearing chatter that the Feds shot the Chinese balloon down and that the area it splashed down in is too deep for a recovery effort.

Which sounds to me like code for "We've already got it, we're going over any data that was salvageable and we're not saying anything about it until we've finished the investigation."

[NT2C]

The next question would be is any of the balloon recoverable or is it now just part of an unintentional artificial reef in the Atlantic ocean?

I'm hearing chatter that the Feds shot the Chinese balloon down and that the area it splashed down in is too deep for a recovery effort.

Which sounds to me like code for "We've already got it, we're going over any data that was salvageable and we're not saying anything about it until we've finished the investigation."

You mean that area that's used as a training area for SEAL teams 2 and 8 which are both based in Little Creek, VA, just up the coast?  Yep, sure must have sunk too deep.  It's gone.  (wink wink)

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

The next question would be is any of the balloon recoverable or is it now just part of an unintentional artificial reef in the Atlantic ocean?

I'm hearing chatter that the Feds shot the Chinese balloon down and that the area it splashed down in is too deep for a recovery effort.

Which sounds to me like code for "We've already got it, we're going over any data that was salvageable and we're not saying anything about it until we've finished the investigation."

You mean that area that's used as a training area for SEAL teams 2 and 8 which are both based in Little Creek, VA, just up the coast?  Yep, sure must have sunk too deep.  It's gone.  (wink wink)

I totally forgot the SEALs have a training area in VA.

Which is unusual for me considering I'm a fan of Richard Marcinko's stuff and he mentions Little Creek often in his books.

[flybynight]

2nd Chinese surveillance balloon spotted over South America,
https://6abc.com/second-chinese-spy-balloon-latin-america-surveillance-china/12768114/

[EBuff75]

Saw this online and it made me chuckle:

[majorhavoc]

Breaking: US shoots down another "high altitude" object, this time over Alaskan airspace.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/10/politics/biden-alaska-military-down/index.html

If this is another Chinese spy balloon (and I should emphasize we don't  know much at this point), one has to marvel at China's stupidity. Even if these things really are state of the art surveillance devices, whatever intelligence they're giving the Chinese at this particular point in time can't be worth it. Spy on us later, but right now they need to ratchet down the tension before somebody does something stupid.

[Brekar]

I was reading that this one is only the size of a car, so maybe this one was a drone of some sort???

[Anianna]

The Iranian regime is allegedly selling tens of thousands of drones to China.  Maybe they're giving one a test drive.

[EBuff75]

Aaaaand, another one shot down today.  This one made it into Canada:  https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/11/politics/norad-additional-object-northern-canada/index.html

[majorhavoc]

Acknowledging for a moment that we don't actually know at this point if all three (or even any) of these objects are of Chinese origin, it does lend credence to a theory my coworker had: there could be a veritable parade of these things slowly making their way across the Pacific.  All launched before the first balloon became an international incident.  It's not like the Chinese or whoever launched these things can just recall them once they're on their way.

I suggested to the coworker that the Chinese could send a command to these things to vent their gas envelopes and bring them down in international waters, rather than further risk escalation.  But everything is just conjecture at this point.

My other fear is a bunch of copycats with access to surplus weather balloons will launch them in hopes of getting their 15 minutes of fame.  With AMRAAMs costing over a $1M a pop, this could get really expensive.

[NT2C]

My other fear is a bunch of copycats with access to surplus weather balloons will launch them in hopes of getting their 15 minutes of fame.  With AMRAAMs costing over a $1M a pop, this could get really expensive.

Ummm... I may or may not know someone who may or may not have launched such a balloon off the coast of a friendly nation with an entire commercial roll of aluminum foil and several high-powered lanterns attached... at night... in dense fog.

Aircraft cannons are cheaper than missiles, and they had very pretty tracers.

[majorhavoc]

My other fear is a bunch of copycats with access to surplus weather balloons will launch them in hopes of getting their 15 minutes of fame.  With AMRAAMs costing over a $1M a pop, this could get really expensive.

Ummm... I may or may not know someone who may or may not have launched such a balloon off the coast of a friendly nation with an entire commercial roll of aluminum foil and several high-powered lanterns attached... at night... in dense fog.

Aircraft cannons are cheaper than missiles, and they had very pretty tracers.

Any idea how they do tracers on the airsoft cannons?  I remember on AEGs they had some kind of UV emitter module that screwed onto your barrel, like a suppressor.  Shooting with glow-in-the dark ammo at night, it created a tracer effect.

[majorhavoc]

Another thought.  News reports indicate this was shot down over Canadian territory, but with a US F-22 jet.  This suggests to me (which to say, take it for what it's worth) that whatever this third object was, it was operating at a very high altitude, and beyond the range of Canada's military capabilities.  

Because otherwise, it would have been a much better look internationally if it were Canadian forces that took down this latest object.  That would have emphasized this is a truly multi-national matter.  And that China or whoever is doing this is threating the security and stability of multiple nations.  Not just the US, which everyone knows has a bone to pick with China.  

Either that or this Saturday night bourbon is hitting about now and I'm not nearly as smart and insightful as I think.

[NT2C]

My other fear is a bunch of copycats with access to surplus weather balloons will launch them in hopes of getting their 15 minutes of fame.  With AMRAAMs costing over a $1M a pop, this could get really expensive.

Ummm... I may or may not know someone who may or may not have launched such a balloon off the coast of a friendly nation with an entire commercial roll of aluminum foil and several high-powered lanterns attached... at night... in dense fog.

Aircraft cannons are cheaper than missiles, and they had very pretty tracers.

Any idea how they do tracers on the airsoft cannons?  I remember on AEGs they had some kind of UV emitter module that screwed onto your barrel, like a suppressor.  Shooting with glow-in-the dark ammo at night, it created a tracer effect.

Similar, I'd imagine. 

[NT2C]

Another thought.  News reports indicate this was shot down over Canadian territory, but with a US F-22 jet.  This suggests to me (which to say, take it for what it's worth) that whatever this third object was, it was operating at a very high altitude, and beyond the range of Canada's military capabilities. 

Because otherwise, it would have been a much better look internationally if it were Canadian forces that took down this latest object.  That would have emphasized this is a truly multi-national matter.  And that China or whoever is doing this is threating the security and stability of multiple nations.  Not just the US, which everyone knows has a bone to pick with China. 

Either that or this Saturday night bourbon is hitting about now and I'm not nearly as smart and insightful as I think.

NORAD unit most likely, so effectively both US and Canadian.