Politics Chinese balloon Over the US

[FLYNAVY]

No for the real question for those of us with a 12 year old's sense of humor. Did it make farting noises as it deflated? & serious question, what kind of gas was it filled with that wasn't flammable? I was sorta hoping for a big ass fireball.

 

[Connaught Ranger]

USA - Billions on the US Spy Plane Program.

People Republic of Covid - Few hundred dollahs on Braloons. ROFLMAO!

 

[Ivan le Fou]

I think it died under Trump then. Wonder why they didn't shoot them down before.

"The balloon spotted this week over Montana was not the first time the US has detected Chinese balloons over their territory – with previous incursions occurring during the Trump Administration."

High-Flying Balloon Seen as Part of Broader Chinese Spy Program

The high-altitude balloon now floating at 60,000 feet over the continental US is part of a broader Chinese spying program that’s seen many such devices sent over the nation, including some during the Trump administration, according to US officials.

www.bloomberg.com

Not impossible, but doubtful.

In essence: "Three Chinese spy balloons went over the USA unperturbed under Trump. Just trust us, Bloomberg says so based on a single anonymous source."


Considering how tight the scrutiny of the Trump administration was, and how often leaks from "US officials" were made for things that never happened or were just plain fabrications (because "drumft bad"); if such thing had indeed occurred it would have been on the front of every news outlets for days/weeks/months.

Why did nobody see or record them as it was easy to do with the current balloon? Why did no legacy media report any of the three instances?

Because it's likely false.

That pivot to "but Trump" seems to rather be another attempt at coping. Trump has been gone for 3 years, and his detractors keep on blaming him for everything under the sun.

 

[Ivan le Fou]

Trump, top national security officials refute claim that Chinese spy balloons transited US under last admin

EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump and a number of his top national security and defense officials refuted Biden administration officials' claims that Chinese surveillance balloons briefly transited the continental United States during the Trump administration, saying it “never happened.”

www.foxnews.com

 

[thelistener]

Why did nobody see or record them as it was easy to do with the current balloon?

Alaska? This one started from there so.

 

[Telmar]

Not the first time such balloons were spotted according to this.

‘Spy’ balloon sparks concern in Taipei - Taipei Times

Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan

www.taipeitimes.com

Similar balloons were first spotted in Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture in June 2020, although no country claimed ownership of the craft at the time, Central Weather Bureau Director-General Cheng Ming-dean (鄭明典) said.

 

[Ivan le Fou]

Alaska? This one started from there so.

That one reportedly crossed the Aleutian Islands, then flew towards Canada and entered the US through Montana. But somehow only got noticed/reported by the public when it was effectively above the US.

Density of the Aleutian Islands, with a combination of weather (haven't checked for cross-reference) might explain why nobody noticed.
Canada-wise, it does not seem the balloon flew over densely populated areas as well.

But regarding the alleged 3 that flew over while Trump was in office? There is nothing about it.

 

[Redav]

 

[Hiryu2.0]

I think it died under Trump then. Wonder why they didn't shoot them down before.

"The balloon spotted this week over Montana was not the first time the US has detected Chinese balloons over their territory – with previous incursions occurring during the Trump Administration."

High-Flying Balloon Seen as Part of Broader Chinese Spy Program

The high-altitude balloon now floating at 60,000 feet over the continental US is part of a broader Chinese spying program that’s seen many such devices sent over the nation, including some during the Trump administration, according to US officials.

www.bloomberg.com

here nohttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/chinese-spy-balloons-us-trump-b2276199.html paywall

 

[Redav]

This is the most detailed photo of the alleged Chinese spy balloon. Assuming it's a spying device ( and it looks like one ) we can make a few guesses. First it definitely appears intended to gather electronic intelligence, that is eaves drop on military communications, which explains why a balloon, high frequency radio transmission has to be intercepted nearer the source, not to mention a balloon increases the loiter time over the target area. Second according to the Airforce it's steerable and with no obvious propulsion this most likely means some sort of system to create drag or change altitude utilizing the jet stream to navigate. Finally it probably has a satellite antenna for remote guidance and uploading data to whom ever is on the other end. Objectively it's very clever, I believe the idea was to listen in on US encrypted transmissions over areas where the military thinks is relatively secure, however I doubt the Chinese counted on this making headlines around the world.

Balloon Bombs: Japan's Answer to Doolittle

One of the best kept secrets of the war involved the Japanese balloon bomb offensive. Prompted by the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in April 1942, the Japanese developed the balloon bombs as a means of

www.nationalmuseum.af.mil

 

[surfpunk]

apparently while this balloon was noted over Montana, there was a second one over Canada

 

[surfpunk]

20 years ago this would have been blown out of the sky long before it was over US territory, or whenever it was detected, whichever was first.
good job on the current admin defending the homeland.

 

[NoOne]

Latest Chinese Response to Balloon Incident

I believe Xi was caught off guard by this and is trying to tamp down his own people.

I do not believe he wanted an incident right now, so one can draw their own conclusions to the timing.
That is not to say he wouldn't leverage this under different conditions.

 

[Redav]

 

[primer]

Bet Kim is pissed he didn't come up with the big balloon threat first. Maybe one up by dropping plague corpse in Washington on Biden's election.

 

[Telmar]

20 years ago this would have been blown out of the sky long before it was over US territory, or whenever it was detected, whichever was first.
good job on the current admin defending the homeland.

I think that in the beginning it was above the altitude that belongs to the space the US has control over. The US cannot shoot down a spy satellite flying over the US and vice versa for example. Not 100% sure of what that altitude is below the outer space line.

That being said, I´m pretty sure its risks were well assessed for and measures in communication and aircraft movements taken. A satellite has great accuracy but little time, the only thing a spy balloon brings is the ability to focus on an area much longer.

 

[surfpunk]

I think that in the beginning it was above the altitude that belongs to the space the US has control over. The US cannot shoot down a spy satellite flying over the US and vice versa for example. Not 100% sure of what that altitude is below the outer space line.

That being said, I´m pretty sure its risks were well assessed for and measures in communication and aircraft movements taken. A satellite has great accuracy but little time, the only thing a spy balloon brings is the ability to focus on an area much longer.

I see this as more of a dry run for something, mostly in the context of Taiwan... If the US had to deal with an internal issue, that took a considerable amount of attention, there might not be time for the US to respond militarily. Could china try cause some type of event that would not be considered an act of war but would severely degrade the ability to respond, long enough for china to take Taiwan?
or maybe they are just arrogant and this is just some of their tough guy 'wolf warrior' whatever...

 

[colin traveller]

 

[Redav]

Imagine the ballon was carrying some kind of poison.... would that be feasable?

 

[Ivan le Fou]

Imagine the ballon was carrying some kind of poison.... would that be feasable?

Technically "everything" is doable as long as you manage to find a way of doing it.

But in the end it is a question of what you want to disperse, or what you are trying to achieve, the how comes after.
Dropping bomblets of aerosolized pathogens or chemical agents?
Or simply spreading radioactive dusts if your aim is to salt the earth.