Pentagon Tracking Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon Over the US

[Brad69]

@Sylvain
I don’t think many people are left in Central America they are all headed to the US!

 

[BigMoose]

Serious note: somewhere some poor Enlisted troop is searching for the last time there was a "balloon kill." We talkin Eddie Rickenbacker or someone from WWI? I'm thinking so. Part of the Red Baron's 80 aerial victories were airships, is he #1 all-time?

Now as far as the flightsuit wearing type who got cleared hot: new callsign? "Balloon Killer" would be awesome. Most are one word, but I knew an Eagle Driver whose callsign was Stevie Ray so there is hope for Balloon Killer.

Russians would use SU-15s and TU-128s to shoot down out spy baloons during the cold war.

 

[BigMoose]

Both the Allied and the Germans used several kind of balloons (barrage balloons and incendiary balloons) during WW2.

I assume the last time a pilot shot a balloon was in 1945.

Cold war, there are documented cases of Russian TU-128s and SU-15s shooting down our spy baloons during the cold war

 

[jsx1043]

 

[KellyinAvon]

Why not a silhouette of Pelosi, instead? Nothing says 'communist gas bag' like a picture of Nancy

Holding a bottle of Chardonnay or pint of designer ice cream?

 

[BigMoose]

Yeah baby, get the ground crew ready... someone is going to get a baloon painted on their plane

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Serious note: somewhere some poor Enlisted troop is searching for the last time there was a "balloon kill." We talkin Eddie Rickenbacker or someone from WWI? I'm thinking so. Part of the Red Baron's 80 aerial victories were airships, is he #1 all-time?

Now as far as the flightsuit wearing type who got cleared hot: new callsign? "Balloon Killer" would be awesome. Most are one word, but I knew an Eagle Driver whose callsign was Stevie Ray so there is hope for Balloon Killer.

How about “Popper”?

 

[JCSR]

 

[1DOWN4UP]

This probably gave the Chicoms an opportunity to move their Subs in place....

 

[Ark]

 

[BigMoose]

Discussion on it starts at 15 minutes.

Thought is that it was supposed to deflate well before getting here, and that it has no value over the numerous satellites above.

 

[Sylvain]

View attachment 252936

Is it the same balloon? I thought it crashed over the ocean.

 

[KellyinAvon]

How about “Popper”?

I considered "Popper". If current callsign sucks (Poop, Loser, Draino, Sludge, Scum, etc.) Balloon Killer or Popper would be a welcome change.

 

[KellyinAvon]

F-22A Raptor from the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley AFB. Used an AIM-9 Sidewinder (heat-seeker, been around forever.)

F-22 fighter jet, heat-seeking missile used to shoot down Chinese spy balloon | Fox News Video

Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson joins 'Fox News Live' with the latest on a Chinese spy balloon being shot down by the U.S. military while hovering off the South Carolina coast.

www.foxnews.com

 

[bgcatty]

We look like idiots letting that balloon cross over an inch of our airspace! It should have been shot down immediately. If it was the other way around, you can bet the Chinese would have shot it down. Our problem is the idiots that run our country have no balls when it come to this stuff.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Huh. I figured they would use something laser guided and paint the balloon so they didnt hit the payload in case they wanted to inspect it.

 

[Cameramonkey]

We look like idiots letting that balloon cross over an inch of our airspace! It should have been shot down immediately. If it was the other way around, you can bet the Chinese would have shot it down. Our problem is the idiots that run our country have no balls when it come to this stuff.

Hell, they would have shot it down AND demanded answers, not taking the "oh, its just a civilian craft. Sorry you can disregard." as an acceptable answer.

 

[KellyinAvon]

View attachment 252936

That dude shot down a weather balloon.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Huh. I figured they would use something laser guided and paint the balloon so they didnt hit the payload in case they wanted to inspect it.

From the videos I've seen, it looks like the missile hit the balloon and not the payload.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

That dude shot down a weather balloon.

Yeah, I don't think an AK is going to hit anything at 60,000 feet.