re: That Chinese Spy Balloon floating over the US (Page 6/15)
Jake_Dragon FEB 05, 12:21 PM
Just more show boating, at our expense.
rinselberg FEB 05, 02:18 PM
This super-sized high altitude balloon may have been regarded by the Pentagon as an interesting test of F-22 Raptor capabilities and functionalities, and a test case that would be costly, if not impossible for the U.S. to duplicate.

i'm not suggesting that it was in any way difficult for an F-22 pilot to approach the ballon and queue up an AIM-9 air-to-air missile to strike it.

But that was a lot of ballon. I wonder if there was curiosity on the Pentagon's part about how such a large balloon would be processed by the F-22 and AIM-9 optical, radar and IR target acquisition and tracking systems. Maybe the Pentagon wanted to see how these sensors performed in discriminating the balloon payload from the ballon itself.

According to WaPo columnist David Ignatius, the Pentagon did not want the missile to penetrate the ballon and pass all the way through it, because they feared that would have resulted in the balloon drifting farther offshore and causing debris from the ballon payload to fall into international waters.
williegoat FEB 05, 02:54 PM
Ten miles from me in, Glendale AZ, is Luke AFB, named for 2nd Lt. Frank Luke, the "Arizona Balloon Buster".

Fighter jets that shot down Chinese balloon have ties to Arizona history

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The two fighter jets that shot down the Chinese balloon on Saturday afternoon not far from Myrtle Beach has some ties to Arizona history, believe it or not!

The two had the call sign “Frank01″ and “Frank02,” intended to honor Phoenix-born 2nd Lieutenant Frank Luke, a World War I pilot who shot down multiple German spy balloons and airplanes during the war. Call signs are used on military aircraft for both communication identity reasons and security.

Luke soon became known as the “Arizona Balloon Buster,” and the Air Force History and Museums site refers to him as “the most spectacular air fighter of World War I.” He trained in the Signal Corps’ Aviation Section in January 1918, trained further in Issoudun, France, and shot his first plane down on Aug. 16, 1918. During his career, Lt. Luke earned 2 Distinguished Service crosses.
Fats FEB 06, 07:02 AM
I find it interesting that they had the opportunity to shoot the balloon down and recover the payload, but instead opted to destroy the payload.

We have no planes that can shoot bullets at that height?
maryjane FEB 06, 07:50 AM
1. sigh.... Anti aircraft missiles like the aim9x don't always 'strike' the target, nor are they supposed to. Tailpipe seekers are pretty much a thing of the past. They explode in close proximity to the target which actually causes more damage than a penetration does. The pilot guides the missile part of the way to the target via his helmet then the missile's guidance system locks on and the pilot can do other 'stuff'.... The current AIM9 warhead sends out 200 titanium metal objects...not a friendly feeling..
2. The missile most likely targeted the antenna/solar panels (hardware) hanging beneath and not the balloon itself. The missile payload is fragmentation.
The following link explains how the AIM9 WDU-17/B warhead works.

https://science.howstuffworks.com/sidewinder7.htm
82-T/A [At Work] FEB 06, 07:57 AM

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Originally posted by williegoat:

My composite bows:





You and me both! We both play the violin!

[This message has been edited by 82-T/A [At Work] (edited 02-06-2023).]

rinselberg FEB 06, 04:41 PM
Was it a trial balloon?

I just heard that floated by the well known Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas.
blackrams FEB 06, 05:58 PM
Recently, the topic of Canada being able to hold up their NATO commitment was discussed.

This balloon made it way all the way across Canada also and up to this point, I haven't heard a word. Either Canada didn't know it was there (hard to believe), didn't consider it a threat to themselves or, figured the US would handle it. All three would seem to be concerning to NATO allies.

But, whatever.

Rams
MidEngineManiac FEB 06, 06:18 PM
Actually, it just cut across a corner of British Columbia. Most of which is already privately owned by China. We just didnt give a crap about them spying on their own
Patrick FEB 06, 06:51 PM

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Originally posted by blackrams:

This balloon made it way all the way across Canada...



"...all the way across Canada"? Really? What balloon might you be referring to?


quote
Originally posted by blackrams:

Either Canada didn't know it was there (hard to believe), didn't consider it a threat to themselves or, figured the US would handle it.



Keep in mind the balloon in the news entered North American airspace over Alaska. Just saying...

[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 02-06-2023).]