Chinese Spy Balloon over Montana

[AndyLate]

What are the flight dynamics of a ballon like that? Does it go higher or lower in the day vs the night? It was pretty low in the range of altitudes cited, so is that the normal cycle, or were the ChiComs lowering it since it was done? Or had the envelope lost some helium umph and was not capable of higher flight?

Pretty sure they were adjusting the altitude to catch airsteams. Thats basically the only way to manuver a balloon.

I am surprised how many people (not FMCDH) are downplaying this. Multiple news sources claimed the payload was equal to two to three schoolbuses. That is a huge amount of payload in a transport mechanism that flew across our very large country with zero interference.

Andy

[3 AE]

That is too damn funny!

[hotbiggun42]

The camera was as big as a car. Sure

[Averageman]

And the Biden document scandle suddenly disappeared right before the State of the Union.

[jsbhike]

Needs to be Winnie the Pooh.

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-china-blog-40627855

[chuckman]

China wants their shit back:

https://www.foxnews.com/world/china-...t-belong-to-us

As I recall when they played stupid games with one of our P3s in 2001, they were less than helpful. They can pound sand.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hainan_Island_incident

[hotbiggun42]

China wants their shit back:

https://www.foxnews.com/world/china-...t-belong-to-us

As I recall when they played stupid games with one of our P3s in 2001, they were less than helpful. They can pound sand.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hainan_Island_incident

They shot it down with a sidewinder. I doubt there is anything left, as planned.

[1168]

They shot it down with a sidewinder. I doubt there is anything left, as planned.

On what do you base that supposition?

[john armond]

China wants their shit back:

https://www.foxnews.com/world/china-...t-belong-to-us

As I recall when they played stupid games with one of our P3s in 2001, they were less than helpful. They can pound sand.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hainan_Island_incident

Post #83

QUOTE=tn1911;3088475]Massive amount of airspace off east coast is currently closed. ABC News saying axUS Navy salvage ship is on route to the area.

They gonna take this thing down hopefully in a way we can recover it.[/QUOTE]

So they can return it?

Wouldn’t put anything past them.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

They shot it down with a sidewinder. I doubt there is anything left, as planned.

Not sure there was an active airhead on that thing. The “Poof’ maybe more the helium envelope pooping than an explosion?

Seems like slowing down the Vulcan or changing the ratio of live to ‘blank’ rounds and using some slugs would have been a better way to do it. Poke smaller holes and bring it down more slowly- but I would think that the thing is rigged to ‘come apart’ when it senses it will come down.

Hell, they had enough time for DARPA to come up with something cool.

Actually what you need is a reverse Azorian where you have a capture net and parachutes or even your own balloon!!!!