Air Force Just Shot Something Down in Alaskan Air Space - 2/10/2023
- Thread starter alarmguy
- Start date
Goes the same for our U2s, anyone has the right to prevent invasion/protect their airspace and their country.
If we lose a U2 it’s gone, nothing we can do.
You can’t fly over other countries territory without permission.
Last edited:
Just added balloons to the list of things to be scared of. At the rate this is going I think it will be easier to keep a list of things not to be scared of.
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2022
- Messages
- 1,146
It's a standard practice for weather balloons, if they fail to ascend and self destruct, to request the data collection devices to be returned to the owner. There is nothing new about this.
How bad is the paranoia that now we are shooting down our own National Weather Service balloons?
China changed tunes. Not denying spy balloons, just say "well you guys do it too". Seems to be working.
Not taking your word for it that an adversary who sent a balloon with maneuvering capabilities carrying 2000 lbs of equipment flying over and spending time over strategic missile sites isnt new and/or its just a weather balloon.
Pointless to debate though. Unknown objects can be freely shot down. No one has a right to the airspace of another country without permission.
Expect to see more with the new NORAD enhanced warning radar and systems. BTW - that includes Canada which I am sure you know.
The "thing" wasn't posing an immediate threat to life as far as we know. If it was an enemy bomber then sure.
Would be a hell of a story if one of those flaming debris just happen to hit a herd of cattle, an oil well on a rancher's property, or somebody's family member who's out biking. We're not at war, we don't need to take unnecessary risks.
and we very well may have learned what exactly they are doing. It's easy to second guess actions, it is what it is and nothing bad came of it.
(btw I am agreeing with you)
Sure now that it happened maybe we will shoot first next time before it enters the mainland. AS much as we like things to happen right away one has to look at the challenges of making the correct decision. The devices weighed 2000 lbs and it may be an intelligence coop for the USA as the stuff is largely intact.
I worked for a company called ATL on a temporary basis around 1980 or so, as my boss sent me there when we were not busy. They make race car fuel cells. They also made a large bladder to fit inside the Space Shuttle fuel tank for pressure testing. The bladder was almost 30 x 100 feet if I recall correctly. I'm not sure if they ever got the contract, but we did build the bladder and NASA did review it.
What was interesting was the internal straps to hold test equipment. I was tasked with making and testing these internal straps. They were attached with radio frequency welding. I got to use that high frequency machine to weld these straps. They could hold just about any weight of test equipment as they were amazingly strong reinforced fabric. I did test the tensile strength of the welds and if I remember correctly, it was about 375 pounds per square inch of welded strap. Their rubberized fabric is fuel proof, tough stuff, that's for sure.
I guess my point is that an internal sensor array is a very easy task in a balloon, and might make a lot of sense to prevent exposure and to keep it shielded.
Picture something like this but 3 stories around and 10 stories long.
What was interesting was the internal straps to hold test equipment. I was tasked with making and testing these internal straps. They were attached with radio frequency welding. I got to use that high frequency machine to weld these straps. They could hold just about any weight of test equipment as they were amazingly strong reinforced fabric. I did test the tensile strength of the welds and if I remember correctly, it was about 375 pounds per square inch of welded strap. Their rubberized fabric is fuel proof, tough stuff, that's for sure.
I guess my point is that an internal sensor array is a very easy task in a balloon, and might make a lot of sense to prevent exposure and to keep it shielded.
Picture something like this but 3 stories around and 10 stories long.
Last edited:
Agreed, we probably probed them/that object as much as it probed us.
A managment consultant that I use has a saying "if someone tells you what they are, beleive them...and especially if they show you".
No wonder why I couldn't find any tinfoil at the store. Y'alls are using it for making hats.
I always believe solid meme image sources.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
My .02 is that the Chinese balloon incident caused NORAD to open up their radar system in an effort to find more balloons. Instead they are finding UAP. This is exactly what Chris Mellon wanted. Use our sensor systems to look beyond what they were designed for... ICBM's etc.
The Navy and many pilots have been talking about these things for decades. It's just now getting some traction.
The Navy and many pilots have been talking about these things for decades. It's just now getting some traction.
