There is validity in this. However, there are far more surreptitious and easily-deniable means of spreading microscopic pathogens than a rather obvious balloon.
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Oh no, I didn’t mean the balloon would drop contagion. Why resort to that, when all they’d hafta do (like last time) is put a few infected locals on international flights? No, I just meant China is bold enough to send this huge conspicuous craft BECAUSE we don’t dare challenge ‘em about it, and WHY?
I’m so stupid, I thought we had some kinda, y’know, aircraft detection system in place. I heard tell about sump’n called “radar”…how did this thing get as far as Montana? And what the hell is “civilian research”?
If people couldn’t see it, we probably would never have known about it. Note to China: next time, paint the balloon sky blue, nobody in America will ever notice it.
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This is important. I can only imagine the self-congratulatory winks and nods of the Chinese leadership, at ascertaining their success in predicting that the US would do nothing in response to this provocation - based upon our no-longer deniable ‘paper tiger’ status (I bet there is actually a novel Chinese material even more flimsy/derogatory than paper, which would even more accurately describe the eminently-collapsible character of “our democracy™”).
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It strains credulity that an intelligence service which monitors every single communication in the country (and probably physically tracks them) - and likely the world - has no idea from where this balloon was launched and the likely intended path. Just sayin’.
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Supposedly an F22 has enough altitude. Punch a few holes in the balloon with its cannon and let the balloon do a controlled descent. A few more if necessary to have it come down in a non-populated area or maybe a high school football field for the 6 o’clock news. Take it to bits for analysis, reassemble, then drop it off at the Chinese Embassy with a note saying “You must have lost this so we brought it back”.
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Perhaps the F22 is currently grounded, waiting on parts which need to be imported from … China? Or perhaps maybe they don’t have any bullets loaded into the cannon because they are waiting for titanium which needs to be imported from … Russia?
The real issue is that the enemy of the United States is currently in charge in the DC Swamp: the best bureaucrats and Congress-scum that money can buy – anybody’s money.
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Or the pilots haven’t completed the mandatory CRT training yet
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Anything can take it out.
The F-22 can combat maneuver at altitude, but an F-15 can get that high to gun down a non-maneuvering target. And any fighter can fire a radar-guided missile at it. A U2 could fly past and burn it with exhaust.
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The ChiComs got away with this without having to buy any paintings from GWB’s daughters:
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And…it’s gone.
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Not distressing to view, despite the warning. It is, though, curious to see two con trails, neither of which appears to hit the balloon. First, the US gave the impression it was averse to the risk of offending China. Then, by waiting until it was offshore, it shows itself averse to the risk of hurting someone’s feelings; or the minuscule risk of the debris actually hitting someone or something on the ground. In the eyes of the Chinese…??
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Will we be able to recover the data it already transmitted home?
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Obviously, the main contrail is the aircraft and the one that terminates is the missile. The latter likely disappears due to changed conditions as the missile accelerates from probably around Mach 1 to Mach 4.
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Does the pilot get to paint a red balloon kill flag on his aircraft? Such kill flag decals on ebay in 3,2,1…
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Yes. I have been thinking that the desired data would be sent real time as gathered via satellite link, rather than depend on a hit or miss recovery of the balloon or part thereof. So shooting it dow after its job was completed accomplished nothing.
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Worse than nothing! We don’t even know what they got. Oh, this is truly bathetic.
And WHY the “may be distressing” warning on the video? We have seen SO much wonton ( I meant “wanton”, auto-correct was close to witty this time) property destruction since 2020, this video is absolutely refreshing ! A mere “amuse bouche”!
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CRT? Cathode-Ray Tube? But ahhhh, I date myself.
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