Chinese Spy Balloon

DWalt

DWalt

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MODERATOR EDIT:
FAR too many posts have been edited or deleted.
We won't be discussing politics or race.
POINTS or SUSPENSIONS from now on...

Sincerely,
s&wchad
-----------------------------------

I assume most are aware of the Chinese balloon drifting over the northern US. I have to wonder what type of intelligence the Chinese could get from a balloon that it couldn’t get from a satellite. Apparently the high-level decision has been made to just let the balloon continue to drift instead of shooting it down.
 
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I see you guys are way ahead of me...

Yeah. What I read re not shooting it down is that the government worries the debris might hurt someone (over Montana?) and that there is no intel to gather that can't be gathered by ChiCom satellites. Plus, since they're well aware of its movements, they're taking appropriate measures to ensure that no significant intelligence is gathered...

Anyway...

During WWII, the Japanese launched a bunch of balloons with incendiary bombs, made of paper as I recall, that drifted over the Pacific and into the Pacific Northwest. I think there were limited deaths and casualties — one small group? — but overall pretty ineffective.

Wonder what the Chinese are up to? Seems a very retro approach.
 
Onomea said:
Yeah. What I read re not shooting it down is that the government worries the debris might hurt someone (over Montana?) and that there is no intel to gather that can't be gathered by ChiCom satellites. Plus, since they're well aware of its movements, they're taking appropriate measures to ensure that no significant intelligence is gathered...

Anyway...

During WWII, the Japanese launched a bunch of balloons with incendiary bombs, made of paper as I recall, that drifted over the Pacific and into the Pacific Northwest. I think there were limited deaths and casualties — one small group? — but overall pretty ineffective.

Wonder what the Chinese are up to? Seems a very retro approach.
Click to expand...

they were going after our timber, a very valuable commodity to the war effort in WW II.
 
CH4 said:
Our passiveness toward the Chinese is obscene. They’re pooping on us and we just wave and smile. Manned or unmanned, why didn’t we intercept it? They sure as heck to pay us the same difference. Tired of them walking all over us. :mad:
Click to expand...

OHH,, we are not being "passive" about the corn mill the Chinese wanted to build 12 miles from an Air Force base,,

THAT got squashed!!

We figured out what the mill was actually for,, :D
 
Way back toward the end of our balloon reconnaissance programs my old buddy Frank was an operations officer on an aircraft carrier.
They were out somewhere in the Pacific and received orders to shoot down an high altitude balloon. At that time we launched the balloons from Europe, which overflew the USSR.
A signal was sent to deflate the balloon near Japan but something went wrong.
So now it’s a Navy’s job to step in and shoot down the balloon.
At that time, the primary interceptor on that carrier was the F-8.
So they steamed to an intercept location and loaded the F-8s with rockets.
The four F-8s launched and climbed.
The balloon altitude was above the F-8 level flight altitude capability.
So it’s Zoom time!
When they returned, the debriefing went something like this.
The first three zoomed too soon, fired short, missed, fell out of the sky.
The last Pilot seemed to be nervous and hesitant.
Finally he said, I saw that the other guys fell short.
So I moved in close before I started my zoom.
I wound up losing all control of my plane and flew through the balloon.
My engine flamed out. I finally got a restart.
Mission accomplished!
Good Job Navy!
 
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I think the balloon is looking for lost Tik-Tok users.

But seriously, The Pilgrim's post raises an interesting point. Do the Chinese expect a complete circumnavigation or do they deflate the thing and dump it when it reaches the Atlantic. I know what I'd trying to arrange if I was in the USAF or an intel agency.;)
 
The story I read indicated that the U.S.
also has a balloon program.

I don't believe it is the first Chinese balloon.

Altitudes are more than 60,000 feet and
up to 90,000.

U.S. may be monitoring the devices aboard
balloon to learn what its capabilities are or
its transmissions are monitored in counter
intelligence program.

Saying it won't be shot down for fear of debris
is just a cover explanation to appease those who
want it destroyed.
 
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Oooooh, oooooh, China has a spy balloon
over Montana.

Meanwhile, the U.S. secures four new bases
in the Philippines completing a string of
defenses against China from Japan to
Australia. And Japan and Australia are
beefing up their militaries.

And meanwhile, a major Marine base,
Camp Blaz, is opening in Guam to add
forces to the Far East.

And, and and yet meanwhile NATO has
grown stronger while Finland and Sweden
help expand a ring around Russia while at
the same time U.S. forces are now a major
factor in Poland.

The U.S. lately has been quite busy indeed.

Ooooooh, oooooh, meanwhile China has a spy balloon
over Montana. Oh, hey, what about the Chinese
spy ship near Hawaii?
 
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