1. Once you do shoot it down.....how will the Air Force write up the medal summary for Captain so-and-so?
2. Will the balloon create the necessity to create a balloon-command....out of Nebraska, with a balloon-warning center?
3. As reporters yell 'balloon---balloon' at President Biden....does he think they are yelling 'bubbling---bubbling'?
4. If some state governor takes action to cease the balloon....does he actually have that power or authority?
5. Some Hollywood producer is likely working on a script now....for some invasion movie, or comedy....involving a balloon threat.
It’s a test balloon… they would assume any competent sovereign country would destroy the balloon once it is spotted in their air space and the cargo would be analyzed and if harmful all hell would break loose… unfortunately we are not that kind of country currently… they are testing how to control and deliver a “harmful” payload… no military in peace time starts out using weapons that are untested. This is a test launch to determine how to control the balloon over the US high atmosphere wind directions, testing elevations and ability to get it to go where they want it so when war does break out they send a bunch of these up and sail them over then blow the EMP or blow the balloon to drop a massive explosive or chemical weapons or simply release the deadly cargo wherever they want… but these dim wits are worried a piece of debris will fall on someone so they let them complete their test this time and the next until they perfect it…
ReplyDeleteHere's the thing. These balloons fly very high. In the stratosphere.
ReplyDeleteThey barely reflect a radio signal, so they have never been shot down by missiles based on radar, they don't give a damn about cannon projectiles, because they have a cellular structure and one needs a special anti-aerostatic projectile, the special feature of which was an ultra-sensitive fuse capable of being detonated by touching the thin shell of the balloon.
And their availability on aircraft is under great question. In the USSR special planes were allocated for destroying such targets, and special planes with special armament were developed.
Well, the most effective (and in fact the only) method remains an attack by infrared homing missiles in an attempt to capture the side of the balloon that is being heated by the Sun.
All the talk about the Americans not wanting to shoot it down down is, of course, nonsense.
They can't. Either the weaponry characteristics of the American planes don't allow it, or the skill of the pilots.
But once again. Aerostats are a very difficult target. And if ordinary U.S. citizens hadn't seen this Chinese probe, the Pentagon would have pretended it never happened.
Now try to break it down and explain how the first army on the planet can't shoot down an enemy balloon over their country.
The balloon is considered to be in "orbit". At an altitude of about 60,000 feet, according to the Pentagon. This is in the lower stratosphere but above protected air space for commercial airliners. Even though it is above commercial air space, the United States still considers this region of the atmosphere above its borders to be sovereign air space—far below outer space, which begins at 328,000 feet (or 100 km) and does not belong to any one nation.
ReplyDeleteVertical Sovereign Territory. Interestingly, there is no international law (or agreement) defining the vertical boundary of a nation's sovereign territory/airspace (the boundary between outer space which is not subject to national jurisdiction and national airspace). Obviously, there is a "white" unregulated area that should be defined, not at least from national security concerns. Presently the airspace between FL 600 and up to the border between the earth's atmosphere and outer space (generally an altitude of approximately 100 km (62 mi) (the Kármán line)) is not regulated. The United States considers anyone who has flown above 50 miles (80 km) to be an astronaut, and descending space shuttles have flown closer than 80 km (50 mi) over other nations, such as Canada, without requesting permission first. National law typically defines a country's sovereign airspace as that airspace located within its (horizontal) territorial limits.
ReplyDeleteThe real story as to why it took so long to shoot down the Chinese balloon was not the normal chaos of the Biden Administration but its incompetence and wokeness.
ReplyDeleteLardass Austin, SOD and Gen Missy Milley, CJCOS were caught in a trap from the beginning of the incident. If anything went wrong, there could be responsibility and blame assigned. If everything went right, then victory could be assumed by right of their positions. So what was needed was a front person to take the fall if everything went wrong.
Putting their brain cells into overdrive, they decided to pick Admiral Rachel Levine to lead the Chinese Balloon shoot down task force. They ran into a glitch right off the bat because they couldn't locate the Admiral. They called the SOT Buttguy but the Admiral wasn't there but she said that the Admiral might be at Sam Brinton's annual "Dog and Pony Show" (wink, wink..). He was and was ordered to report to Norfolk.
By the time Admiral Rachael got her combat net stockings and heels on and reported to Norfolk, the Chinese Balloon was just crossing into the Atlantic Ocean. Taking command, Admiral Rachael heroically ordered the balloon shot down. Admiral Rachel has been nominated for the Meritorious Service Award with pearl necklace device.
The Pentagon officially went ahead with their plan to shoot down the Chinese spy balloon as it was getting too close to Ukraine's borders, sources confirmed Saturday."We sent a strong message to China," said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. "So long as the spy balloon stayed over America, we had peace. But the moment that spy balloon got a little too close to Ukraine - boom! We had to take it out."
ReplyDeleteYou just can’t make this up! After allowing a China spy balloon to float across Alaska and the continental United States for the last 10 days, the US military finally shot the balloon down after its work was accomplished.
ReplyDeleteNow the US military is concerned they may not reach the balloon wreckage before China can. The balloon was shot down 6 miles off the coast of Carolina. They can’t be serious, except that they are.
The US military will not have a proper salvage vessel at the scene for several days.