Are we allowed to talk about "The Balloon"

[IndyIan]

Someone mentioned to me that it has ground penetrating radar.

Sorry folks, these kinds of things are not benign. Regardless of the type of data returned, AI can use it to develop an accurate model.

Yeah, I imagine there could be a few different sensors that fit in balloon payload that aren't in their satellites, but then not having a lot of control of its flight path and being very obvious makes it a bit of a strange option for gathering military intelligence?
Maybe it was a literal test balloon to see what the response would be?
There is a book I read about an EMP attack from N. Korea and Iran called One Second After which is making me think a little...

 

[buster]

I wasn't aware how far China has come until Covid hit. I randomly saw this guy on FB who lives in Wuhan. He was sharing a lot of things going on in China that the west does not cover. They're basically technologically equal to the US now, or close to it. Their robotic culture products many engineers and scientists and they obviously have the capability to manufacture anything they want. They're masters of cloning. They lack creativity though.

They certainly stole a lot of technology, but we also gave it to them. Hell Elon just made one of Tesla's top managers a Chinese guy. Of course they stole and copied everything. They're opportunistic as they come.

I have nothing against the Chinese people but am very much against the CCP. I try to avoid purchasing Chinese made products now and it's quite difficult.

 

[alarmguy]

So, they can by default shoot down all our stuff over their land also? All our spy satellites, balloons, GPS satellites, etc?

They will shoot down any aircraft over their country. Balloons are aircraft, satellites are space vehicles. We do not fly balloons or U2 spy planes over China.

 

[Hall]

ummm.... I'm trying not to laugh. What might that do here?

I could be wrong, but I'm confident in saying that Tom was being sarcastic

 

[JeffKeryk]

As I understand it, the balloon is flying higher than commercial air traffic; well above 35k feet.
I'm not defending what they are doing.
But I'm cautioning against starting a war, especially when we do fly over them (the old U2 planes, and probalby stuff we don't even know about officially even today). We have our satellites and they do also. We have human intel spies and they do too.

This is a game of brinksmanship, not bull-in-the-china-shop tactics (pun intended).

From what I have seen, China has not been exactly forthright in their explanation. A civilian baloon?
100% agree, we do not want to engage in warfare.
But we have to assume this baloon is over the line until we understand differently.

 

[buster]

However, as someone mentioned to me it's not really easy to guide a balloon without propulsion so they could have just messed up. DOD surely has enough intel on what needs to be done about it.

 

[Hall]

I wasn't aware how far China has come

Based on Russia's performance in Ukraine, other than nukes, I think it's pretty clear that the US military would royally stomp their posteriors. Wait until the M1 Abrahms are up and running there.... China's military is the only one the US needs to worry about today.

 

[buster]

$12 pico balloon may be among 3 shot down by US as Biden rules out China

US president makes ‘no apologies’ for shooting down Chinese surveillance balloon

www.independent.co.uk

"A senior Pentagon official has flatly rejected Beijing’s claims that a Chinese airship spotted flying over sensitive US military sites was a meteorological research ballon."

"We are aware of the (People’s Republic of China) statement. However, the fact is, we know that it’s a surveillance balloon.”

He said the balloon was moving eastward over the centre of the United States at an altitude of 60,000 feet on Friday.

The balloon has the ability to maneuver and had “changed course”.

 

[DuckRyder]

after it uhhhh mysteriously fails to stay aloft, we are going to need to inspect it for a while before they can have it back...

 

[Cujet]

but then not having a lot of control of its flight path and being very obvious makes it a bit of a strange option for gathering military intelligence?

It has perfect control of it's location along the high altitude winds. It has the ability to maneuver and loiter.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

If it's out in Montana over basically nothing they need to get it down and checkout the technology. I'm sure our military is plenty capable of getting it down safely.

Isn't that where a few of our nuclear silos are located?

 

[alarmguy]

However, as someone mentioned to me it's not really easy to guide a balloon without propulsion so they could have just messed up. DOD surely has enough intel on what needs to be done about it.

I’m sure there is propulsion it’s the size of three charter buses and interestingly has hung around” for a long period of time.

“

• The Pentagon said Friday it knows it is a Chinese "surveillance" balloon that "violated US air space and international law," rejecting China's earlier claim that the balloon is a "civilian airship" for research that deviated from course. “

 

[Cujet]

China doesn’t need a stinking balloon to spy on us. They have plenty of human assets working here. One example was the chauffeur for California Senator Finesteine. Another example was a female spy who was doing California Congressman Eric Swalwell.

Not so, GPR can produce an accurate model of our underground silo's and help develop weaponry that can take them out.

 

[fantastic]

I could be wrong, but I'm confident in saying that Tom was being sarcastic

I would hope that no one, rational, could ever take that comment seriously.

 

[Hall]

we are going to need to inspect it

The military folks will laugh and say (internally, of course) "we suspected they stole this design ~15 years ago. Let's just hope they don't have our more current stuff !".

 

[alarmguy]

$12 pico balloon may be among 3 shot down by US as Biden rules out China

US president makes ‘no apologies’ for shooting down Chinese surveillance balloon

www.independent.co.uk

"A senior Pentagon official has flatly rejected Beijing’s claims that a Chinese airship spotted flying over sensitive US military sites was a meteorological research ballon."

"We are aware of the (People’s Republic of China) statement. However, the fact is, we know that it’s a surveillance balloon.”

He said the balloon was moving eastward over the centre of the United States at an altitude of 60,000 feet on Friday.

The balloon has the ability to maneuver and had “changed course”.

Thank you, people think a balloon is some little thing dangling around in the air, and this thing has even a central control center and is the size of three charter buses.

 

[buster]

I don’t trust the CCP.

 

[DuckRyder]

The military folks will laugh and say (internally, of course) "we suspected they stole this design ~15 years ago. Let's just hope they don't have our more current stuff !".

Yeah - I hope someone hit the self destruct button on the way ou the door of our P3 Orion a few years back....

 

[TheLawnRanger]

It's from a third world country equipped with a VHS camera to film the superbowl. The camera has been accidentally set on SP mode and will not get the end of the game.

 

[Oily_Thing]

if it has a propulsion system, don't we need to know what type and grade of lubricants are being utilized?


No doubt a very low viscosity due to the low temperatures up there.