The distruction of the Chinese balloon and the idiots in charge

OK we have several threads about the Chinese balloon with many good comments and well thought out replies to those threads. I place this in the Conspiracy forum because something just ain't right with the whole event. They use a half million dollar missile to destroy the balloon when a few rounds of 20mm would have done the job and actually left something to inspect. Once again demonstrating the stupidity of those in charge and giving orders IMO.

Their excuse for not destroying the balloon when it was over the Pacific or the out back of Canada before the balloon did it's trek across America is pathetic. Something ain't right IMO !

Could be just one big PR stunt. They've done it before.

Maximum drama and effective "Pride & Heroic" attitudes just at the perfect times and places.

😎🐇

Spot on---looks like the destruction of evidence that would look very bad were it known otherwise. They targeted the "array."

I mean we know there are plenty of idiots making natsec decisions but even the lawnchair balloon guy gently lowered himself with a BB gun.

a reply to: The GUT

Yep the sensor package separated from the balloon and fell 60,000 feet into the ocean. From that height and impact into the ocean good luck on retrieving anything meaningful or for that matter anything at all of the sensor package. Of course the balloon floated and streamed down like a friggen balloon; not like a brick.. Was it an auto eject of the sensor package or just the result of the balloon's destruction ? To many questions and as a result of this engagement few answers will be forth coming IMO !

Whatever's going on, they want to make darn sure there aren't enough pieces for anybody to ever find conclusive proof.

How sad when you can't even trust your own gov=ernment. They don't even deserve the benefit of the doubt anymore.

a reply to: 727Sky

Wouldn't you have to use a missile?
I thought the balloon was up around 70,000 ft. That's way higher than most plans fly. The F22 max altitude is around 50ish. Can they shoot bullets 4 mile straight up?

a reply to: 727Sky

With that type of balloon, you could tear off the entire lower quarter of the envelope and it would still remain air borne. You would lose the payload, of course, but most systems like this are designed to deploy a recovery parachute from the payload package at the end of the mission.

Unless the payload is destroyed by cannon fire, of course.

a reply to: 727Sky

After the spy mission was completed, Xi told Biden to destroy it.

Puppet obeyed.

Much more going on..in addition to the balloon loyalty test.

Its treason.

a reply to: carewemust

I agree Biden didn't want to upset his China buddy's. Next, they will recover it, and there will only be weather monitoring equipment found.

originally posted by: tbrooks123
a reply to: 727Sky

Wouldn't you have to use a missile?
I thought the balloon was up around 70,000 ft. That's way higher than most plans fly. The F22 max altitude is around 50ish. Can they shoot bullets 4 mile straight up?

the balloon was at 60,000, although it did fly lower then come back up, likely under control. Our plane can fly higher then 50 k . I think I read stated is 60k, but it can go higher, and the problem was the missile doesn't have large enough fins for the sparse atmosphere. That's why the best option was to put some holes in it with the gatling gun.


It should have been hit 50n miles west of San Francisco, and let it come slowly down to present to the world.

Joe Biden is #1 enemy of the US population.

1 EMP over Canada, One over the US and one over South America, and the Chinese will have effectively shut down the whole continent and can the conquer the world.

Would that not cause a time of suffering on Earth like no other time before? Would that lead to 59% of Earth's population?

a reply to: tbrooks123

It was reported the balloon's altitude was between 60 and 62,000 ft. The F-22 has a service ceiling of 65,616 ft.. The F-22 was capable of reaching out and touching the balloon with a BB gun much less the 20mm it carries. The F-22 used an AIM-9x with the warhead disarmed for the shoot down; basically using the missile to punch a hole like a spear instead of the 20mm cannon.... The F-22 has the M61A2 Vulcan rotary 20mm cannon and carries many more 20mm rounds than it would take to shoot a rather large spy balloon down.

They did want to shoot the thing down within the ADIZ or 12 mile limit to keep it out of supposedly international waters. Besides the F-22s there were 2 KC-135s airborne for refueling the jets. All our fighters are short legged

a reply to: visitedbythem

I don't know what I don't know, and I don't much about a F22. Just kind of think and seem bullets would be much harder to use.

In fact, I am kinda wondering why they didn't use a laser. I know Israel has Missile defense laser, that we helped made. Seems like we would have some.

Oh well, crap like this happens when you have a moron in charge.

originally posted by: visitedbythem

originally posted by: tbrooks123
a reply to: 727Sky

Wouldn't you have to use a missile?
I thought the balloon was up around 70,000 ft. That's way higher than most plans fly. The F22 max altitude is around 50ish. Can they shoot bullets 4 mile straight up?

.....

It should have been hit 50n miles west of San Francisco, and let it come slowly down to present to the world.

....

The balloon never came anywhere close to San Francisco. It entered US airspace in Alaska, came down through Canada, and entered the lower 48 airspace in Montana.

a reply to: tbrooks123

A laser would have punched tiny holes in the envelope, assuming that a visual lock could be established (remember, no radar or IR returns are generated by balloons). The hole would be no larger than the beam diameter of the laser, which is kept narrow to improve intensity against "normal" targets, like missiles and such.

Since the bulk of the gas that gives a balloon its ability to float, floats to the top half to third of the envelope, punching holes below that point won't do much good as far as deflating the balloon.

You'd actually need to get above the balloon and shoot down at the top of the balloon to do any real damage.

a reply to: 727Sky

From that height and impact into the ocean good luck on retrieving anything meaningful or for that matter anything at all of the sensor package.

That height is not that important as everything will fall at terminal velocity. Irregular items and fabrics will fall much slower as atmospheric drag is a big part of the equation.

So, with the streamlined objects, probably 500 to 600mph wack into the water. Metal will survive pretty good.

originally posted by: charlyv
a reply to: 727Sky

From that height and impact into the ocean good luck on retrieving anything meaningful or for that matter anything at all of the sensor package.

That height is not that important as everything will fall at terminal velocity. Irregular items and fabrics will fall much slower as atmospheric drag is a big part of the equation.

So, with the streamlined objects, probably 500 to 600mph wack into the water. Metal will survive pretty good.

Yes however, silicone, hard drives, and radio transmitters not so much IMO. The sensor array was supposedly the size of a school bus.. Depending on the aerodynamics of the package it would be interesting of what the actual terminal velocity of the package was..? I have been told the depth of the water is less than 50 ft in the impact area which means divers can reach the bottom if anything is worth retrieving..Standby although for some reason I have my doubts anything truthful will be reveled one way or the other..

a reply to: Mantiss2021
Wouldn't a laser from the bottom burn a hole through bottom and top?

a reply to: 727Sky

here's a thought, if you are mounting stuff to a balloon wouldn't you use the lightest stuff possible. Plastics over steel. Could all this stuff be floating on the water.

a reply to: tbrooks123

It would depend on the angle of fire.

To be effective, you'd have to be almost directly under the bottom of the balloon.

But then you'd be shooting the payload, not the balloon.

a reply to: 1947boomer

Thats right. i remember now.

You dont let that into ai8rspace, unless you are cooperation with and being paid well by Chinese. Hunter would sell out anyone for a hit of dope. He is very much like his dad. Very low moral values and involved with all the wrong people.

Joe doesn't deserve prison. He deserves something else I won't mention.