KillerFord1977
SAINT
We could have smoked it down before it got deeper into Alaska .
F-117 Nighthawk: The Emergence of Stealth Technology
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
Area52
Professional
Drifts over 2000 miles over dry landscapes, mostly unpopulated and they wait until it flies over deep water to down it. Dropped faster and straighter than a sack of potatoes according to the video when they claimed a 400 sq mile land debris field.
Then they claimed they didn’t know if the balloon was violating our air space. Duh, they even have FAA rules for toy drones!
Something fishy here and a very controlled effort to limit anyone trying to see or get at a land drop recovery of the “pay-load”.
Mmmm-mmm-mmm.
Then they claimed they didn’t know if the balloon was violating our air space. Duh, they even have FAA rules for toy drones!
Something fishy here and a very controlled effort to limit anyone trying to see or get at a land drop recovery of the “pay-load”.
Mmmm-mmm-mmm.
Area52
Professional
When they said it was off course, they were talking about the 45th Parallel.
Life’s a beach.
After studying the trade winds it was determined the payload wasn’t going to make it back up the coast to Rehoboth so they terminated the mission near Myrtle.
Yeah, a weather balloon…whether or not it was discovered.
The citizen that spotted and reported this over Montana should get A Congressional Medal of Honor.
Bassbob
Emissary
They're probably trying to figure out how to frame him for something and put him in prison as we speak.
Onewolf426
Professional
Onewolf426
Professional
Annihilator
Emissary
My opinion here, all this current administration did was to show the world how weak it is, should have not hesitated on taking the ballon down and then use the lame excuse that it was left alone for people’s safety due to debris. Pathetic……
BobT
Master Class
Right on. NORAD has been tracking space junk the size of a Biden ice cream cone for 30 years. You can't convince me that they didn't see it until a reporter photographed it. Same goes for those "undetected" balloons during Trump's administration. Can someone tell me how you can know about something undetected 4 years later? Sounds to me like our government has been watching too many Star Trek episodes.
Talyn
SAINT
Map of US military locations in the path of the Chicom spy balloon in the lower 48. Depending on the sensor package, besides SIGINT intel, it could have included Electro-optical sensors to capture images.
This path west of the one above would have passed by/over/near military locations in Washington state, Idaho and Alaska to gather intel.
This path west of the one above would have passed by/over/near military locations in Washington state, Idaho and Alaska to gather intel.
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Hammer67
Professional
I highly doubt that balloon gathered any sensitive information that the CCP didn't already have, or that we didn't already know they they have, or that we wanted them to have. Regardless of where/when it was shot down, I'd say that was an embarrassing intel failure for them that accomplished nothing it set out to do.
And no, the U.S. government wasn't informed about this balloon by a civilian. They knew about it well before then.
And no, the U.S. government wasn't informed about this balloon by a civilian. They knew about it well before then.
Talyn
SAINT
or the latest Covid variant, etc.
The Chicoms acknowledge the bioweapons are part of their military strategy.
Weaponizing Biotech: How China's Military Is Preparing for a 'New Domain of Warfare'
Under Beijing's civil-military fusion strategy, the PLA is sponsoring research on gene editing, human performance enhancement, and more.
www.defenseone.com
Easy way to do it via high-altitude balloons that some just let float across the continent.
Talyn
SAINT
Intel is a perishable form of info and needs to be refreshed regularly.
That's why all the countries continue to gather it.
Hammer67
Professional
Yes, I'm aware.
And what would/could be gathered from a balloon that isn't already being gathered continually from multiple CCP satellites in orbit? In my mind, that's the central question.
Talyn
SAINT
..."U.S. intelligence determined the previous flights after the fact based on "additional means of collection" of intelligence without offering further details on whether that might be cyber espionage, telephone intercepts or human sources"...
Some countries have more capabilities than others. Various platforms have their own capabilities with pluses & minus', that's why multiple platforms are used by all mainstream militaries.
Hammer67
Professional
I'm well aware of that as well. My question was specific, not one of general intel strategy.
To state it more clearly - I'm curious what specifically was on board that balloon, and what tech it had that gave it the ability to gather info not otherwise able to be gathered. Not that I expect we'll get an answer to that, or at least not a complete one.
Talyn
SAINT
Contact your nearest Chinese consulate/embassy and/or US military location.
This balloon may have been deployed to detect the location and accuracy of America's early warning systems as a means of strategic importance. Also this could have been a test to see how biological spores could be released over the populace with such a low tech possible future attack.
There's plenty of security important reasons this balloon could have been flown besides taking pictures.