# The Pentagon is tracking a Chinese spy balloon **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 3, 2023, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228 "2023-02-03T01:32:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/61 "2023-02-03T19:38:02Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Was it? I haven’t heard or read anything about the path of the balloon. It might have come over Washington or Oregon. because if it came that way, it would have crossed the Idaho border, and we _know_ that they would have blown it out of the sky! ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/62 "2023-02-03T19:38:22Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > What about an incendiary device? Wouldn’t fire destroy the balloon? They would be filled will helium. And we should have [airborne lasers](https://minutemanmissile.com/abl.html) if only in test form to take this down. Just need to poke a couple of holes in it. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/63 "2023-02-03T19:40:11Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > balloon is at an altitude of 60,000 feet, or miles above the operating ceiling of the U.S.'s fighter planes; obviously, the Montana militia’s AR-15s aren’t going to make it more than a tiny fraction of the way there What if they were riding on the _outside_ of the fighter planes and shot their AR-15s. Could they hit it then? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/64 "2023-02-03T19:40:42Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > because if it came that way, it would have crossed the Idaho border, and we _know_ that they would have blown it out of the sky! This is what I’m asking. Cite? All I know is it was suddenly in the Montana sky. If you know that it came over the border from Canada, what’s your source? ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/65 "2023-02-03T19:41:20Z")
New close-up view of the “balloon”\*. [![](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/death-star1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&zoom=1&resize=644%2C402) ](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/death-star1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&zoom=1&resize=644%2C402) \* May not actually be a view of the balloon. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/66 "2023-02-03T19:49:36Z")
60k feet is not miles above US fighter ceilings. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/67 "2023-02-03T20:00:27Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Can’t they send a space cowboy up there to lasso the balloon and drag it back to earth for study? Who, you mean Maurice? I hear his pompatus is still in the shop. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/68 "2023-02-03T20:06:42Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Who, you mean Maurice? I hear his pompatus is still in the shop. This is correct. It was made in China… ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/69 "2023-02-03T20:07:39Z")
I bet you weren’t ready for that! ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/70 "2023-02-03T20:19:34Z")
Mindful that the daily news is only the First Draft of History, I am not trusting everything in the news today, even from reputable sources. Some thoughts…while it’s possible that this balloon has some kind of propulsion/steering, a balloon cannot fly like a plane or helicopter. It cannot steer from point A to B with any accuracy. It is largely (or completely) dependent upon the winds. Many non-pilots are not aware that the winds aloft can be quite different from those on the ground. That said, it’s likely that this balloon wasn’t intentionally directed to spy on Montana’s missile silos, although it is not impossible that the Chinese would take advantage of locations where it might end up. Keep in mind that almost any random location it might drift to can be analyzed as _somewhere_ over _something_ important, if you look hard enough and don’t specify the maximum range. The fact that it is over a missile silo now may be nothing more than random drift and conspiratorial thinking. Or not. Time will tell. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/71 "2023-02-03T20:20:59Z")
I think an F22 can reach 10 miles? 52000 feet? If this is at 90k feet, that’s 17 miles. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/72 "2023-02-03T20:21:17Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > No manned interceptor can get closer than 6 _miles_ below the altitude of the balloon. And since you can’t easily fire straight up, and especially not at your own max altitude, the minimum slant range to the target at launch will be more like 10-12 miles, maybe more like 20. Any interceptor or missile is going to be trying to use radar to see a rubber(?) object floating in the sky. Not easy. Not suggesting this as an actual solution but, musing, what about using a **laser designator**? Here is a laser-guided bomb used on a small, fast moving target. You wouldn’t need to bring the balloon down, just destroy the instruments. [![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/gs-geo-images/58b7b94c-e184-4762-a745-b83724a1e1c1.jpg) ](https://s3.amazonaws.com/gs-geo-images/58b7b94c-e184-4762-a745-b83724a1e1c1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/73 "2023-02-03T20:23:29Z")
[Wapo](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2939-8.epdf?sharing_token=JYZ0ZlvEivoTq9RkGfWPQtRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0Mh-6OgaxBwChMnw6EOI9v07nMOMJGBruSSDc8BFPfwkG1QQ0R-p9CwTuKA6ZO41aQ8e-Y-ffoWrsFX1cztOZfL5cL1mwXL8qU58Plz4GAzu_SLyawhPWS5QV6GieUEDig%3D) said 60k feet. F22 ceiling is 65k feet. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/74 "2023-02-03T20:24:50Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/75 "2023-02-03T20:25:58Z")
Couldn’t the Jewish Space Laser take care of this lickety-split? And with it being February, less chance of an unanticipated wildfire! Win-win! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/76 "2023-02-03T20:30:39Z")
I thought if spy novels where a country causes an incident to delay a visit of their officials with another country… ---
**Author:** ![Sooner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sooner/32/7875_2.png) [@Sooner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sooner)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/77 "2023-02-03T20:58:04Z")
I am dubious that an F-22 could do much to down this balloon. Air to Air radars and missiles have all sorts of filters to insure they do lock on to anything but a fast-moving objects, that behave like an aircraft. This is to insure they are not fooled by countermeasures an enemy aircraft might deploy. But I suspect this also eliminates the possibility of their use against a balloon. The F-22 is also equipped with an 20mm cannon, but punching a bunch of small holes in a massive, low pressure balloon seems of limited value. And there is the problem that anything fired, is eventually raining back to earth. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/78 "2023-02-03T21:05:19Z")
> [@Sooner](#): > > Air to Air radars and missiles have all sorts of filters to insure they do lock on to anything but a fast-moving objects, that behave like an aircraft. This is to insure they are not fooled by countermeasures an enemy aircraft might deploy. But I suspect this also eliminates the possibility of their use against a balloon. If the balloon is big and slow, don’t fire air-to-air missiles - fire air-to-ground missiles. If they can hit a tank, they can hit a balloon. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/79 "2023-02-03T21:09:30Z")
For that matter, how high can tube artillery shoot if you point the barrel as high as it will go? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/80 "2023-02-03T21:12:18Z")
Ooh, ooh, another idea - the 105mm gun of an AC-130 shooting flechette rounds. Shred the balloon to pieces! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228.md?page=5)