Chinese Surveillance Balloons and other 'foreign' drones operating over the US

[Burncycle360]

The administration was careful in their press release not to say anything regarding what it might be, just cylindrical object about the size of a car.  I mean if it's a balloon, just say it's a balloon.

It's interesting because it's most likely that they don't want to say the word balloon so as not to feed into anti-Chinese sentiment which might embarrass the administration (Along the lines of "don't say women,  say birthing bodies!") so people are thinking why would they be so careful with their words if it wasn't... aliens! 😁

[Mike1158]

[rmgill]

On 2/10/2023 at 4:02 PM, Markus Becker said:

Could Sarah Palin see it from her house or were they spying on Sarah? 

No, but I bet the SNL team could see it in their dreams. 

[Josh]

On 2/13/2023 at 4:18 AM, Stuart Galbraith said:

The problem may be the use of the F22. Its natural the USAF want to justify the use of their premier fighter. OTOH, you cant help but think that something like an F15E with a designator pod might actually prove more useful in this kind of situation. We can see how useful those can be with the infamous 'Tic Tac' footage as taken from an F18E.

 

The F-22s and 35s are based in Alaska. Also the F-22s would have a big advantage against truly high altitude targets at 60,000 feet, though AFAIK only the first object was that high.

[Stuart Galbraith]

Perhaps, but F15's have just the same kind of zoom climb characteristics, and they bring along a Lantirn pod with them (F16's are ideal at lower altitudes).

I think with all the stuff being spread around about these being UFO's, the administration is going to have to do a better job with getting evidence of what precisely they are. They are clearly balloons, but what kind of balloons? Where from? Nobody seems to know.

CNN were making some clueless remarks about an F16 whose sidewinder missed. Which is unfortunate but, you know, as these balloons are seemingly marking out targets for Chinese ICBM's, its a case of getting your priorities straight I would have thought.

[rmgill]

I am still betting on balloons with tethers that the pilots weren't able to identify. 

[Ssnake]

The embarrassing inability of "analysts" of the US Airforce and Navy to identify common imaging artifacts for what they were when the Trump administration released the collection of recordings of "UFOs" a few years ago creates serious doubt if they do better in these cases.

[JWB]

‘Significant’ debris from China spy balloon retrieved, says US military (msn.com)

[Stuart Galbraith]

4 hours ago, rmgill said:

I am still betting on balloons with tethers that the pilots weren't able to identify. 

When they give up the video footage, I would not be surprised to see it has Ringling brothers painted on the side...

[Der Zeitgeist]

14 hours ago, Ssnake said:

The embarrassing inability of "analysts" of the US Airforce and Navy to identify common imaging artifacts for what they were when the Trump administration released the collection of recordings of "UFOs" a few years ago creates serious doubt if they do better in these cases.

Imaging artifacts don't sell AIM-9X missiles. ☺️

[Ssnake]

How many UFOs has the US Airforce splashed with Sidewider missiles?

Roswell was in 1947. 😜

[Stuart Galbraith]

 

[rmgill]

The cost differential of $450,000 to one high-school amateur radio project does explain why the USAF has been so un forthcoming on details. 

[JWB]

11 hours ago, rmgill said:

The cost differential of $450,000 to one high-school amateur radio project does explain why Biden has been so un forthcoming on details. 

FIFY

[rmgill]

Biden too, but the Pentagon has not exactly explained either. They had no problem undercutting the previous president. 

[bfng3569]

On 2/16/2023 at 11:46 PM, rmgill said:

The cost differential of $450,000 to one high-school amateur radio project does explain why the USAF has been so un forthcoming on details. 

irrelevant to be honest.

Some people may bitch, same as they do fly overs of sporting events. 

Look at as real world training.

[rmgill]

18 minutes ago, bfng3569 said:

irrelevant to be honest.

Hos is it irrelevant? 

18 minutes ago, bfng3569 said:

Some people may bitch, same as they do fly overs of sporting events. 

Look at as real world training.

Flyovers are in fact good training exercises. 
 

The pilots get stick time and practice navigation and time on target missions, the aircraft are exercised and the ground crews work their jobs maintaining and having the birds ready for a specific mission set  

 

Precisely what is the benefit of a shoot ex against a small non maneuvering target that has hazards of UXO over US/Canadian territory? Were it such, there would not be the ass covering silence. 
 

You want a good value shoot ex? Try a Ryan Firebee or what ever is the current advanced maneuvering target in a Military exercise area with no hazard to civilians. Supposedly the bogey over lake Erie took TWO AIM-9's.  So there is, in theory some UXO somewhere around the area. Hopefully in the drink and not laying in a field somewhere. 

Edited February 18, 2023 by rmgill

[Stuart Galbraith]

 

[bfng3569]

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/our-best-look-yet-at-the-chinese-spy-balloons-massive-payload

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JWB]

 

[Ivanhoe]

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