Mystery objects/ Balloons over north America

[daftandbarmy]

Meanwhile, above Montana....

https://twitter.com/x/status/1621283993072156674

 

[medicineman]

Reminds me of the balloon bombs the Japanese sent over during WWII...except significantly larger. Nothing some 20mm incendiary couldn't handle...

 

[brihard]

What air defense doing?

 

[SeaKingTacco]

What air defense doing?

There is a screen cap of an air traffic tracking app showing a USAF platform orbiting in its’ vicinity.

 

[medicineman]

Just heard on CNN that they're a little reticent to shoot it down due to possible collateral on the ground...though if they did it in over Montana, I'd say the worst they'd have to worry about is having enough BullsEye BBQ sauce on hand in case they hit a cattle herd.

 

[brihard]

Just heard on CNN that they're a little reticent to shoot it down due to possible collateral on the ground...though if they did it in over Montana, I'd say the worst they'd have to worry about is having enough BullsEye BBQ sauce on hand in case they hit a cattle herd.

I’ll buy that. Depending on how high it is, might have a fair bit of a circle it could land in. Though I would be willing to bet they’re interested in a softer kill that brings it down more slowly so they can recover and analyze tech. Maybe try to give it enough of a love tap that it leaks out slowly and doesn’t self-pulverize.

 

[Quirky]

So the thing came down over Canada undetected?

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Its headed to the train station...

 

[GR66]

Here's a link to the actual story on KSVI TV.

Nothing in the story saying it's Chinese. Also guessing that since it's at an altitude well above commercial air traffic that if it were downed it could land over an extremely wide area.

 

[Ping Monkey]

Interesting... looks nearly identical to the ones the US military was recently trialling: What We Know About The High-Altitude Balloons Recently Lingering Off America's Coastlines

 

[armrdsoul77]

Made me think of Balloon boy.

Balloon boy hoax - Wikipedia

 

[Grimey]

Its headed to the train station...

I thought Rip said that was in a NW chunk of Wyoming?

 

[brihard]

Sounds like various US officials are comfortable attributing it to China.

Chinese spy balloon flying over the United States, Pentagon says

A suspected Chinese spy balloon has been flying over the United States for a couple of days, and senior U.S. officials have advised President Joe Biden against shooting it down for fear the debris could pose a safety threat.

www.reuters.com

 

[RangerRay]

I can’t post it here, but I read in the Washington Post that it travelled over the Aleutian Islands and through Canada. Please tell me NORAD was aware of this before it went public.

EDIT: Brihard’s post beat me to it and answered my question.

 

[Zoomie]

Please tell me NORAD was aware of this before it went public.

All seeing, all knowing….

 

[Furniture]

I can’t post it here, but I read in the Washington Post that it travelled over the Aleutian Islands and through Canada. Please tell me NORAD was aware of this before it went public.

EDIT: Brihard’s post beat me to it and answered my question.

I suspect that the radar cross-section of a latex balloon with a few sensors isn't very large... Which is why China would attempt something like this in the first place.

The problem with balloons is that to lift any weight at all you need a lot of volume, which makes them large visual targets. The balloons required to lift a simple radiosonde are at least 4-5 feet across at the surface, and likely 2-3 times that size at altitude.

 

[lenaitch]

I’ll buy that. Depending on how high it is, might have a fair bit of a circle it could land in. Though I would be willing to bet they’re interested in a softer kill that brings it down more slowly so they can recover and analyze tech. Maybe try to give it enough of a love tap that it leaks out slowly and doesn’t self-pulverize.

My guess is whoever is operating it has a little button that ensures it would never reach the ground intact.

 

[armrdsoul77]

Aircraft tracker on twitter is claiming CF responded to the balloon over BC on the 31st based on Polaris refueling track.

https://mobile.twitter.com/steffanwatkins

 

[daftandbarmy]

Any sign of tweed or a top hat?

Might be a publicity stunt

 

[The Bread Guy]

Aircraft tracker on twitter is claiming CF responded to the balloon over BC on the 31st based on Polaris refueling track.

https://mobile.twitter.com/steffanwatkins

This from our own military info machine (archived here in case previous link doesn't work) ....

A high-altitude surveillance balloon was detected and its movements are being actively tracked by NORAD.

Canadians are safe and Canada is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including the monitoring of a potential second incident.

NORAD, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of National Defence, and other partners have been assessing the situation and working in close coordination.

Canada’s intelligence agencies are working with American partners and continue to take all necessary measures to safeguard Canada’s sensitive information from foreign intelligence threats.

We remain in frequent contact with our American allies as the situation develops.