We are a couple decades ahead on satellites. I think the advantage of a balloon is that it isn’t as high and can take better pictures. US satellites can probably take good enough pictures that we don’t need balloons. Eta it should be noted, the US has the first object, whatever it was. China still says it was a weather observation craft. Knowing full well we can show proof otherwise. Maybe it actually was what they said.
China is claiming that they’re tracking an object floating over their air space.
China Daily is the the English language propaganda outlet of the PRC. They are not reporting on this at all. Doesn’t mean it is not a thing, but it should be noted that there has been no official notice from China like the article implies. Please correct me if I am mistaken, I did search.
The South China Morning Post is owned by Alibaba. Isn’t that a Chinese government owned company?
It is. Although it allegedly has editorial control. Really, I am wondering why one outlet would report it and the other would say nothing
Global Times is a daily tabloid newspaper under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party’s flagship newspaper, the People’s Daily:
I think you’re spot on with a combination of all five reasons. For obfuscation purposes, the enemy* will fly a balloon for reason 1 & 4. Then, another enemy will switch it up with another balloon to test 2 & 4. Then another enemy tries and tests 2 & 3, and so on.
These balloons are cheap to build and set aloft. The response they’re triggering is far more costly. The balloons are not the collection platform, they’re just the input. Our response on the world stage is out output, with the international press as the collection platform, allowing the enemy* a propaganda coup. We are currently being poked onsey-twosey, but a “denial of service” flood of these things (impacting aeronautical travel, and more) is just around the corner. . .
(*) I am not convinced this is the act of just one nation. I suspect the one balloon may be Chinese. Then a copycat balloon by the North Koreans. And another copycat by the Russians. Once the Chinese opened the door, other hostile nations are probably happy to jump on the “harassment bandwagon.”
Tripler
Lasers. We need some anti-balloon, ground-based lasers.
Pentagon statement on the Lake Huron UFO shootdown:
Thanks, did not know about Global Times.
The disjointed and unhinged reaction to the first object almost invites a nation to do this as a “poke”. The US is acting very pokeable right now.
I expect at least some of the objects are launched, not by governments, but by private individuals. Weather balloons aren’t actually all that expensive, and there are a lot of trolls out there.
Yeah, we’re guilty of same. We lied, bluffed, feigned knowledge of. All that stuff.
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If we are going back that far, we can talk about the U2 spyplane as well. A major diplomatic fiasco when the Soviets shot one down. I just looked, it appears we actually still use them. Did not know that.
damn - make that headline my contribution to “misread thread-titles” … for one sec. I really thought good ol’ Rog is at it again …
NORTHCOM Commander General Glen D. Vanherck on the potential of the recent UFOs shot down in North America belonging to extraterrestrial life:
“I haven’t ruled out anything at this point.”
Also:
“We cannot say how latest objects are staying aloft. We’re calling them objects, not balloons for a reason.”
They come in peace!
Some day, we’re going to realize we’re wasting expensive missiles on harmless targets and stop shooting down everything in sight. I hope that day comes soon.
Someone pointed out that missiles have an expiration date, and are fired off for one reason or another. Pilots need some experience with that sort of thing.
Maybe. We have a highly maneuverable space vehicle that stays in in orbit for a year or more and we have stealth drones. We were launching D-21 Mach 3 drones off of A-12’s (SR-71 predecessor) and B-52’s back in the mid 60’s.
Some day, we’re going to realize we’re wasting expensive missiles on harmless targets and stop shooting down everything in sight. I hope that day comes soon.
I’m still trying to figure out why they used explosive munitions and not guns, especially if we intended on recovering the debris to gather intel.