Jackson_Slugger
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IDK maybe, but it followed a similar path as many of the WWII Japanese Ballon Bombs, simply being pushed through the Jetstream pattern...
"The balloon" shot down
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IDK maybe, but it followed a similar path as many of the WWII Japanese Ballon Bombs, simply being pushed through the Jetstream pattern...
Montana 2% urban, 98% rural.
It was at, what, 86,000' up ? While I'm sure the max ceiling for our fighter jets is classified, I'm quite certain they can't go anywhere near that height.
i’m now writing from southeast asia. westerners should never underestimate the importance of “face” to asians, and the value to the ccp of essentially “showing off” its power. regardless of the balloon’s actual role or abilities, this unimpeded overflight (and apparently other previous overflights that the ccp paints us as being too afraid to disclose) makes the ccp look strong and us look feckless. +1 for ccp, -1 for usa. you may make light of it but the asian man in the street doesn’t. it all adds up.
I thought a read 60,000, but yes if its that high, you are right. I'm sure the f-22 ceiling is probably higher than publicly published , but not that high.
Which is why it was stupid not to shoot it down in Montana in the first place, instead the government allowed China to collect information across its path across america.
Might have scared a cow or 2
CleanSump
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The Army learned clear back in the Civil War that you can put cannon balls through balloons and it takes a long time to have any affect on the altitude it is flying at. They don't use Hydrogen in them so they don't catch fire like a Zeppelin.
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Helium can catch fire?
Helium is still used in balloons.
The balloon skin is made from a very tear resistant plastic material
The Zepplins were fillled with hydrogen, at least the Hindenburg. Helium is inert, hydrogen not so much.
https://www.history.com/news/the-hindenburg-disaster-9-surprising-facts
https://www.airships.net/helium-hydrogen-airships
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
I was in Air Defense. You do not know what that thing is carrying. At that altitude, shooting it down means parts will spread in an extremely wide area, and you really do not know whether something will land on the house, car etc. If it had any propulsion system to make certain corrections in flight, you are risking polluting drinking water wells etc.
Another thing, this was not carrying any weapons. So, from an intelligence standpoint, you really want to study it or, even better, attempt to take control of it.
From my understanding, they managed to jam its signal immediately and study it.
Shooting it down over international waters would be a bit tricky legally. They shoot it down where the water depth is 47ft. SHould not be a problem to retrieve parts.
CleanSump
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My mistake. I meant Hydrogen, like the Zeppelins had in the gas bags. They could be set on fire. Otherwise, gas bags that aren't elastic don't lose their gas as fast as one might think. Balloon busting in WWI was a game of igniting the Hydrogen the Germans used. Hot air or Helium ballons; they just slowly leaked and very slowly descended.
Interesting reading on the artillery shooting at balloons during the Civil War.
If you target the payload and hit it with explosives, then yes, parts will scatter on the air and distribute itself over a larger area. Hit the balloon to stop it’s momentum and by the time it hits the ground, it won’t scatter as much
That’s what they claimed to save face about jamming
You need to have either high powered jammers to send the right jamming signals with sufficient power from far away and pointing at the balloon or arrange to have lower power jammers following the weather balloon
I highly doubt either one was used.
Also, water isn’t compressible, so hitting the water will impart more damage to the payload than hitting the ground
4WD
$50 site donor 2025
I’m betting the Harbor Freight generator is ruined now
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
You really do not know whether you will hit a balloon or payload. Anything can happen.
They hit the balloon; the payload disintegrated due to forces. The payload won't stay in one piece. It is at 60-65,000ft, there is a long way down, and gravity will do its thing. It will scatter. You do not know what is in the payload; that is the biggest issue.
Whether they want to save face or not, it does not make sense not to figure out what it is. It does not carry weapons; no need to shoot it down immediately.
Water will cause damage, as would hit the ground. The difference is, you really do not know where it will land over the ground.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Let's put it this way. It is an embarrassment to China they lost control of it, and it would have been even more embarrassing to the US if it weren't shot down at all.“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
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-n...s-02-04-23/h_71aea6d022a3c14142c3b619cbc99c20
Shooting it and protesting it being shot down are just formality, saving both sides' faces.
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edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
There is more to it.
This is not the first time these balloons have flew over.
However, my thinking is that PLA did it without the approval of the CCP. PLA is a big power broker, and they re known to do these things independently of the political establishment. is it to force the cooling of relations, or to create some internal issues, is to be seen.
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