"The balloon" shot down

[Hall]

Since more is known now....

Suspected Chinese spy balloon shot down off South Carolina coast

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said President Biden authorized the operation to shoot down the balloon.

www.cbsnews.com

Someone actually caught it on film from their house/yard ! They plan to recover whatever they can too and I'm sure they're not going to just tell the Chinese "come get your stuff".

 

[Leo99]

This is such a bizarre scenario. I wonder if we the people will ever know the full/true story about the balloon(s).

Got to give the Chinese a lot of credit if they could launch a balloon from China and have it track right over our nuclear missile silos in Montana.

 

[spasm3]

I have to wonder why they used a $400,000 sidewinder? Seems you could have used the gun cannon WAY cheaper , hit the top of the balloon, and maybe it would have had a slower decent for recovery ?

Maybe @Astro14 has insight here.

 

[Malo83]

I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

 

[vindex1963]

Thankfully they waited until it passed over the ENTIRE country before they took care of it.

 

[Skippy722]

“China clearly asked the US to handle it properly in a calm, professional and restrained manner.”

Doesn’t get anymore calm, professional, or restrained than a single shot over open water

China expresses “strong dissatisfaction and protest” against downing of balloon

The US military has shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon after it drifted off the East Coast near the Carolinas, a US official told CNN. Follow for live news updates.

www.cnn.com

 

[Heywood_6078]

Since more is known now....

Suspected Chinese spy balloon shot down off South Carolina coast

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said President Biden authorized the operation to shoot down the balloon.

www.cbsnews.com

Someone actually caught it on film from their house/yard ! They plan to recover whatever they can too and I'm sure they're not going to just tell the Chinese "come get your stuff".

Thank goodness they did it over open ocean instead of over land. No telling what else that thing may have been carrying.

 

[Chris142]

What took so long?

 

[Elkins45]

Frankly I think this whole balloon affair has been over-inflated.

 

[Cujet]

That thing may have in fact been an airship. It apparently had the ability to propel itself and navigate.

 

[bbhero]

Strange strange ordeal here…. And not innocent either.

 

[joegreen]

Personally don't care much that the balloon didn't get taken out earlier. Maybe we were more interested in seeing how the balloon tracked and what specific locations it went over so we can know what the Chinese were interested in. I do think they could have shot it down cheaper but maybe they used a missile that was about to expire or something anyway.

 

[xgmad]

Oh I thought that balloon thing I saw yesterday was some new way amazon sent packages from china. Sure wasn't 2 day delivery.

 

[UG_Passat]

What took so long?

Experts claim collateral damage to property and citizens if they shot it down sooner, like in say... Montana

 

[Vern_in_IL]

Mr. T was right again.

I wonder why they didn't try a fly by recovery in the air with a net or hook.... like they used to collect film launched to earth back in the day.... perhaps this thing had DANGEROUS benzene onboard like that malfunctioned spy sat?

 

[spasm3]

Mr. T was right again.

I wonder why they didn't try a fly by recovery in the air with a net or hook.... like they used to collect film launched to earth back in the day.... perhaps this thing had DANGEROUS benzene onboard like that malfunctioned spy sat?

Too big too heavy. If it weights as much as several busses, snagging it at 130+mph would not fair well for any airframe.

 

[vavavroom]

I have to wonder why they used a $400,000 sidewinder? Seems you could have used the gun cannon WAY cheaper , hit the top of the balloon, and maybe it would have had a slower decent for recovery ?

Maybe @Astro14 has insight here.

Fireball sterilization. Some bacteria and prions will likely survive. Prions - not Priuses. Time to watch The Thing (1982) again.

 

[Revving2Redline]

They should have let Field Artillery at Ft Sill bring it down. Kudos to JB for having it removed. I can only imagine the good Ole boys in the South contemplating how to deflate it.

 

[Jackson_Slugger]

Thankfully they waited until it passed over the ENTIRE country before they took care of it.

Did you want it to crash into someone's house? Take out a playground?

 

[Jackson_Slugger]

I have to wonder why they used a $400,000 sidewinder? Seems you could have used the gun cannon WAY cheaper , hit the top of the balloon, and maybe it would have had a slower decent for recovery ?

Maybe @Astro14 has insight here.

A few years back, the USAF tried to down an errant weather balloon by firing 20mm cannons at it and it kept floating right on....