Chinese Balloon Satellite Over Montana

[Aloha_Shooter]

Big thing Lemoine raises is that the balloon's altitude was such that the F-22 was the best tool for the job. I still think it would have been better to use guns earlier to make the balloon deflate more slowly and allow a softer impact. A week also would have been sufficient to rig up a C-130 with a cowcatcher like was used to recover film capsules decades ago but I'm guessing that intelligence platform below the balloon weighed too much to safely capture while falling.

Investigating all those options and briefing senior officials would have taken 3 or 4 days. A desire to understand what the ballloon was capturing and relaying back to Beijing while also not tipping our hand on our operational timelines would also have been a decent reason for waiting until the balloon got to the East Coast.

The counterpoint to all of that is the imperative of demonstrating that incursions of US airspace will not be tolerated. Strategic messaging is sometimes more valuable than collecting intelligence.

[eddiememphis]

If the US will not take any action against a balloon over its own country, can the Chinese safely assume the US will do nothing when they start flying over Taiwan?

[Joe_K]

Hopefully foreign Nations will wake up and realize no one is coming to save them. Taiwan and China is not any more our business than the stupid Ukrainian vs Russia nonsense.

[Madusa]

No I don?t believe General Milley is a soap opera general.

[BushMasterBoy]

I still think they are just weather balloons. This event makes good press and keeps the people from concentrating on the real issues. The real issues are COVID, inflation, higher interest rates, climate change, etc.
There is one really big issue, but some members get bent all out of shape if I mention it. Feel free to PM me if you want the video briefing.

PS It's a war!

[eddiememphis]

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/whi...says-rcna70166

Another one?

U.S. shoots down 'high-altitude object' over Alaskan airspace, White House says...

[Mtneer]

[hollohas]

I bet the Pentagon launched their own "not an aircraft per say" and shot it down today. Trying to show the country they aren't complete morons.

[flogger]

BIG Larson fan, I'd never seen that one. Perfect!

[Madusa]

Not cool enough to be invited to a Samurai bar.