Radio audio of Chinese spy balloon shoot down

[tribby2001]

F-16 Shoots Down "Octagonal Object" Over Lake Huron (Updated)

For the third time in three days, an unknown object has been shot down, a U.S. Rep. from Michigan said Sunday.

www.thedrive.com

 

[KI5EDJ]

I think it was more of a case of wanting to plant the remains were it could be investigated easily. Off the coast, in US territorial waters and airspace so there is no question, in a controlled area with no one under it to get hurt, and in shallow water so it could be retrieved.

Realistically, there are no unfriendlies that could have joined the party. Were was such an unfriendly going to come from? What was such an unfreindly going to do, watch?

T!

I believe the decision to down it in shallow water has some merit but came with unacceptable risks. If you disagree, I can respect that. I believe if the balloons had been shot down over land private citizens would have recovered quite a bit of the sensor packages and wreckage, but not all of it.
If we can find minisubs from 100 miles inland and we can recover crashed spacecraft, certainly we can find the remaining sensor packages from these balloons as well as any unfriendlies well before they can join us.
Part of my time in the Navy dealt with this type of thing.

 

[dlwtrunked]

I believe the decision to down it in shallow water has some merit but came with unacceptable risks. If you disagree, I can respect that. I believe if the balloons had been shot down over land private citizens would have recovered quite a bit of the sensor packages and wreckage, but not all of it.
If we can find minisubs from 100 miles inland and we can recover crashed spacecraft, certainly we can find the remaining sensor packages from these balloons as well as any unfriendlies well before they can join us.
Part of my time in the Navy dealt with this type of thing.

What unacceptable risks? There are more risks over land. Over land, you can do damage--just ask the guys with the tethered balloon that broke free in Maryland and dragged the tether knock out power lines. That killed that program. Besides, the goal was to study the balloons actions then take in possession. After consideration, they brought it down intentionally at 6 miles out in about 47 ft of water--their goal (alternate goal was 6-12 miles out). Also, the sensor package pieces are rather small and having them come down in the oceans makes them easier to find than over cluttered land. The public collecting pieces is a nuisance/risk, not a benefit. (I have recovered over a dozen weather balloons, though smaller, can assure you that is the case.) We got more information from that than the Chinese got from us. But I wish I had been close enough to look for unusual signals that could have been it.

 

[kf6olc]

 

[dlwtrunked]

Nice video but the author is goofy about IR when he says "IR spectrum" and indicated that is not heat. In the industry, "IR" or "thermal IR" is heat (but often called "IR" by non-professionals). . "NIR" or "Near IR" is the spectrum just beyond red but shorter wavelengths than (thermal) IR (but often called "IR" by non-professionals). In fact the traditional sidewinder is a "heat seaking" missile even though there are variants that even include active radar. Used was an AIM-9X which is described as heat seeking. Modern thermal IR sensors are sensitive enough to see nails under the paint on a house or the heat from wiring in walls.

Here’s why the USAF F-22 used the AIM-9X rather than the gun to shoot down the Chinese spy balloon (and why the Sidewinder don’t need to “see” something hot in order to track a target) - The Aviation Geek Club

Here’s why the USAF F-22 used the AIM-9X Sidewinder rather than the gun to shoot down the Chinese spy balloon

theaviationgeekclub.com

(P.S. I worked for over 20 years in the Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Lab.)

 

[Tankseb]

Interesting stuff! I wonder what frequencies were used?

 

[ind224]

Maybe Indiana gets in the fray NSL 1077 w no callsign looks like departed Whitestown going by Muncie real time. I was going to chas
e it but 92 KTS so fast f or me.