Actual question, but Isn't the center of that circuit outside dark line showing the 12 mile limit?
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Joel
Chinese reconnaissance balloon spotted over the United States
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Joel
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Yep. The helo has been spending a lot of time a mile or two NW of the 12-mile limit though.
It is more likely where the shoot down occurred versus where it ended up landing
nd5y
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RFI-EMI-GUY
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Look
Looks like they shot a bit low, the payload took a hard landing.
prcguy
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Depends on the type of missile and its sensor(s). The balloon should have a very radar low cross section since its probably very transparent to RF but the payload would show up big time on radar. The aircraft will sometimes illuminate the target with radar and the missile is in passive mode. Either way I don't see how most air launched missiles would be able to target just the balloon. Any current air launched missile experts out here?
prcguy
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Looks like the F-22 can carry AIM-120 radar and AIM-9 missiles. The AIM-120 series is quite expensive and I can't imagine them wasting one on a balloon. To my knowledge the AIM-9 has an IR proximity fuse to fly up the tail of an aircraft, which the balloon doesn't have.
There was two distinct contrails in the videos, one from something heading towards and hitting the balloon and the other is obviously the aircraft so I believe it was a missile that hit the balloon and not the aircraft 20mm cannon. So what kind of missile did they use?
There was two distinct contrails in the videos, one from something heading towards and hitting the balloon and the other is obviously the aircraft so I believe it was a missile that hit the balloon and not the aircraft 20mm cannon. So what kind of missile did they use?
AxelsHumanDad
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DoD has stated it was an AIM-9X that took out the balloon:
/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/BLPBCGPPZNJFRK4O3IWX54ERLM.jpg)
www.reuters.com
"...an F-22 fighter jet from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia -- took the shot at 2:39 p.m. (1939 GMT), using a single AIM-9X supersonic, heat-seeking, air-to-air missile, a senior U.S. military official said".
U.S. fighter jet shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon
An F-22 fighter jet fired a heat-seeking missile at the balloon as it floated off the South Carolina coast, closing a dramatic and public spying saga that worsened Sino-U.S. relations and sparked Republican criticism of President Biden.
www.reuters.com
"...an F-22 fighter jet from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia -- took the shot at 2:39 p.m. (1939 GMT), using a single AIM-9X supersonic, heat-seeking, air-to-air missile, a senior U.S. military official said".
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prcguy
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Great info, thanks! Just FYI, in the 80s and 90s I worked on the AIM-54 missile project, a little AUG-9 F-14 radar and an aircraft test bed for an upgrade to the F-15 eagle radar plus a bunch of other stuff, so this is all very interesting to me.
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With respect, we've used Patriots to take out relativly cheap drones, so it seems plausible cost wise.
Thanks
Joel
techman210
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The Chinese were clearly trying to steal our trade secrets.
For example, “How to manufacture balloons the same light-blue color as the sky”
For example, “How to manufacture balloons the same light-blue color as the sky”
meridiangold
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I'm willing to suggest this was a very deliberate targeting. Targeting the balloon specifically would destroy any radiating components integral to the hard structure. My guess is the balloon integrates an assortment of antennas meant to communicate with it's command and control. The balloon did look to survive very well. That's a plus. It appears they cut connection in the best spot.
The US should have cut that connection the second it was in US airspace.
meridiangold
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I agree. If it was an unannounced incident/experiment. I guess we'll be finding out. I'll be following this closely. Fun times.
It's absolutely amazing to me that this device made it as far as it did.
Any manned aircraft would have been intercepted within 30 minutes of failing to identify itself in the NAS and eventually shot down if it didn't comply with directions. Sure, this is a balloon and there's no pilot driving things, but it's still a foreign device capable of doing who knows what.
Makes you wonder if the fact that it was Chinese had any influence on the government's response to this incident.
Any manned aircraft would have been intercepted within 30 minutes of failing to identify itself in the NAS and eventually shot down if it didn't comply with directions. Sure, this is a balloon and there's no pilot driving things, but it's still a foreign device capable of doing who knows what.
Makes you wonder if the fact that it was Chinese had any influence on the government's response to this incident.
belvdr
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There have been incidents where pilots passed away and they were not shot down when they didn’t comply. Some pilots have flown into DC airspace and weren’t shot down either.
There are no hard and fast consequences with these things.
El_Kabong
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Really surprised this balloon wasn't blamed on Russia Russia Russia.
Hi I'm still here wondering what exactly this balloon can do that their satellites don't already. I asked that on the first page of this thread and have head many more people saying the same since.
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