Just like from Japan 80 years ago...

[GazzaS]

Yes, America is being beset by balloons from the Orient.  Apparently this balloon can be maneuvered by the Chinese who sent it here.

It's already over Montana.

 

[biggtim]

I marked this one "confused", because why the heck haven't they shot that POS down yet?

[PanzerWomble]

Sure it's not another Amazon nonsense ..?

Cheap junk from China + invading your privacy .

[Peterpools]

Let's shoot the damn thing down and be done with it.🎯

[GazzaS]

[ScottsGT]

Saw the one they just shot down from my front yard earlier today. 
 

EDIT:  I had to convince my neighbor that his .50 BMG would not reach it.  But hey, he was ready! 

[GazzaS]

3 minutes ago, ScottsGT said:

Saw the one they just shot down from my front yard earlier today. 
 

EDIT:  I had to convince my neighbor that his .50 BMG would not reach it.  But hey, he was ready! 

Glad they shot it down.  I wonder how much intel it gathered.  They waited for it to reach the Atlantic first, I'm guessing so that there's no collateral damage.

[ScottsGT]

It’s not intel I’m worried about.  It’s what they may have been dropping from the air that worries me. 

[Martinnfb]

 

[Jeff]

3 hours ago, ScottsGT said:

It’s not intel I’m worried about.  It’s what they may have been dropping from the air that worries me. 

EXACTLY !

[ScottsGT]

2 hours ago, Martinnfb said:

 

Think about this for a second. First military shoot down in anger over the CONUS. That pilots going to have some bragging rights. 

[Martinnfb]

He cut some gnarly curves up there that's for sure.

 

F-22 and AIM-9X

[Martinnfb]

We all already knew that RCAF is more-less of a joke, what shocked me is that US/NORAD let a spy ballon enter its airspace uninterrupted. Somebody is going to get demoted really bad

[GazzaS]

[ScottsGT]

We were joking around earlier today that we were surprised our governor didn’t send up the SCANG’s F-16’s to shoot it down.  Just imagine Foghorn Leghorn telling the world that he was protecting the sovereignty of the great state of South Carolina.  Yea, his nickname is Governor Foghorn.  
Told my buddy he’s on his last term as governor and can’t run again so he didn’t need the free press.  

[Martinnfb]

clearest photo so far 

[Clunkmeister]

So a million dollar missile to drop a plastic Chinese balloon?  You think the gun might have been a bit less messy?

No matter, the Chinese won BIG with this one as our people in charge dithered and wrung their hands for days on end while they sat there, wondering what to do.  This could have been easily dropped over the Aleutians.  The US looks positively stupid and weak, here. 

[ScottsGT]

6 hours ago, Clunkmeister said:

So a million dollar missile to drop a plastic Chinese balloon?  You think the gun might have been a bit less messy?

No matter, the Chinese won BIG with this one as our people in charge dithered and wrung their hands for days on end while they sat there, wondering what to do.  This could have been easily dropped over the Aleutians.  The US looks positively stupid and weak, here. 

Couldn’t have said it better myself.  For the life of me, cannot figure out why not a few holes punched in it from the mini-gun and let it slowly descend where it could have been recovered intact.  

[MARU 5137]

Goodness ME..

Very daring indeed.

And I saw on the news   it has been brought down.

(I wonder though, did any info and photos of the airbase  *the spy balloon took/may have taken *were already related back to them before its demise?).

 

[Peterpools]

Ernie is so right - what in the world were we waiting for? Someone should have woken up and shot it down the second it crossed into our air space. Gee, Russia and China had no issues on shooting down a U2 and trying to do the same to the SR71. All this shows is how slow we are to react and who knows how much data and information was collected and sent back to China.  

[Martinnfb]

It’s a wrap

 

https://www.acc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3288588/f-22-safely-shoots-down-chinese-spy-balloon-off-south-carolina-coast/

 

[Martinnfb]

one more

 

[PanzerWomble]

Pentagon might have thought shooting it down after it had done some it's mission , and then examining the remains to see what it was up might be worth the loss of prestige. Also might have depended on what it was flying over . TBH we spy on China with satellites , this balloon looks low tech response to me , bit like all the Russian drones that are nothing more than an old Canon SLR wedged into an RC aircraft. Shite in other words . 

[rjones]

2 hours ago, ScottsGT said:

Couldn’t have said it better myself.  For the life of me, cannot figure out why not a few holes punched in it from the mini-gun and let it slowly descend where it could have been recovered intact.  

The gun door on the F-22 opens automatically when the trigger is pulled. Apparently it's not designed/able to function properly at that altitude (58,000 ft). Besides, it's way more cool to use a high tech, expensive AIM 9/X to bring down a balloon. 

[rjones]