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Shoot down over Alaska and Canada


HeyEng

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1 hour ago, Lord Ratner said:

Don't think I said anything about AIM-anything.

 

The physics of light transmission don't change based on the platform.

 

"A white balloon" with zero additional heat source, as quoted, has a particular IR signature. A very, very, very mild one. Looks more like a shadow than an object, depending on the IR sources behind it.

 

Now, the equipment attached to that balloon is a different story, and from the video of the first shoot down, it looks like it was the equipment that was targeted, not the balloon. Wonder why.

 

Looks like the other balloon was mylar, which is yet another signature type, and much brighter than thin rubber

Do you understand the phrase 'imaging seeker"?

Edited by FourFans130
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30 minutes ago, FourFans130 said:

Do you understand the phrase 'imaging seeker"?

Okay I think I see where I'm missing the point. 

"Imaging IR missile"

Imaging doesn't mean "visible light spectrum imaging" to me, because you can just as easily have an IR image. 

Imaging and IR missile. Gotcha.

My B.

Edited by Lord Ratner
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I guess the balloon war has been won since there appears to be no more shoot downs or sightings!
Despite being able to recover F-35, F-14, SR-71, Russian Submarines, etc from the depths of the oceans, Lake Huron is just too much of a challenge for a DSRV to navigate!

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I guess the balloon war has been won since there appears to be no more shoot downs or sightings!
Despite being able to recover F-35, F-14, SR-71, Russian Submarines, etc from the depths of the oceans, Lake Huron is just too much of a challenge for a DSRV to navigate!
Yes. They don't want to highlight that we shot down a $200 amateur radio hobby club balloon out of the sky with a $500k 9x.

Sent from my SM-F721U using Tapatalk

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59 minutes ago, herkbum said:

Mainly in jest but it did feel like they wanted us to look over here while something over there is happening. Kinda like a magician using slight of hand.

 

I would be astounded - and honestly proud - if there were an organized plan that unified the efforts of NORTHCOM, the NSC, and the intelligence agencies. The more you deal with the Big IC, the more you realize that not only are the disparate agencies independent, they’re fiercely competitive with each other over budgets and opinions. At all echelons - sometimes down to the individual - people work to do what they see is the right way while actively notching around any guidance contrary to their worldview.

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The whole thing was very weird to me with the extensive coverage of the first balloon being shot down, pictures of the recovery and shots from a U-2 aircraft to the very confused and contradictory information they were marble mouthing out on the remaining three shoot-downs!
The shoot-downs over Alaska and Canada were probably civilian balloons and the one over Lake Huron was some sort of surveillance dirigible that was tracked for a while and had AWACS and tanker support to accomplish this so it was surprising that no Coast Guard vessels were on station on because Lake Huron was sunny, 48° F, and had some “choppy” waves!

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1 hour ago, Majestik Møøse said:

I would be astounded - and honestly proud - if there were an organized plan that unified the efforts of NORTHCOM, the NSC, and the intelligence agencies. The more you deal with the Big IC, the more you realize that not only are the disparate agencies independent, they’re fiercely competitive with each other over budgets and opinions. At all echelons - sometimes down to the individual - people work to do what they see is the right way while actively notching around any guidance contrary to their worldview.

I don't think he's pointing to an organized plan.  He's pointing to the fact that there are innumberable military events in the air and on the sea that get largely ignored or suppressed by the country's leadership due to 'national security considerations' ... until it's politically, personally, or militarily useful to highlight them.  Consider the Gulf of Tonkin incident.  No one would have ever know about it except that it was politically handy to our 'leaders' at the the time to use as an excuse to get involved.  Hell, the Navy has events very often in the Persian Gulf that could easily be used as an excuse to engage Iran if, and only if, that were the hot topic of the day for this administration.  

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18 hours ago, FourFans130 said:

I don't think he's pointing to an organized plan.  He's pointing to the fact that there are innumberable military events in the air and on the sea that get largely ignored or suppressed by the country's leadership due to 'national security considerations' ... until it's politically, personally, or militarily useful to highlight them.  Consider the Gulf of Tonkin incident.  No one would have ever know about it except that it was politically handy to our 'leaders' at the the time to use as an excuse to get involved.  Hell, the Navy has events very often in the Persian Gulf that could easily be used as an excuse to engage Iran if, and only if, that were the hot topic of the day for this administration.  

The difference is that the Chinese spy balloon was visible to civilians on the ground across America. It was first seen by a Billings radio DJ before the military said anything.

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2 hours ago, Majestik Møøse said:

The difference is that the Chinese spy balloon was visible to civilians on the ground across America. It was first seen by a Billings radio DJ before the military said anything.

yup.  NORAD knew what it was the whole time.  The only reason it was addressed is because it was seen.  Then it became something that our administrators had to address...and they had to make the best of it.

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No shit, there I was. Flying on Sunday down to the panhandle up in the mid-20’s and damn near hit a silver party balloon. I could see the ribbon string hanging down and the silver inflated balloon clear as day. I don’t know the physical properties of helium or anything but it was hanging out up in the mid-20’s and -26°C. I couldn’t believe it didn’t pop. I also didn’t t have the 9x uncaged so I missed my chance at glory.

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