China & Chinese Shenanigans

[filthy_liar]

22 minutes ago, SuperWSO said:

Filthy, I believe you’re having a hard day, and I don’t know why, but if you need help, ask.

You must be new to this.

[SocialD]

8 hours ago, Smokin said:

We just spent 1000x as much money shooting down the balloon as China spent launching it.  If I were them, I'd launch 20 next week and just watch us waste missiles, flight hours, etc.

 

 

Don't do the math on how much money we spent killing a dude in a mud hut in the middle of nowhere Afghanistan. 

[ClearedHot]

11 hours ago, brabus said:

9x makes complete sense. 

Because of the gun door limitation? 

I would have wanted to capture and exploit as much of the payload as possible and hit only the balloon, not that a fall from 60K was going to protect the payload but 20 pounds of WDU-17/B warnugget slinging 200 titanium rods probably made a mess of things.

Stand by for Block 45 ultra high alt mod.

[HeloDude]

13 hours ago, Smokin said:

We just spent 1000x as much money shooting down the balloon as China spent launching it.  If I were them, I'd launch 20 next week and just watch us waste missiles, flight hours, etc.

When it comes to waste, I’m pretty sure China thinks the US can waste plenty on its own.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/congress-1-7-trillion-spending-bill-includes-millions-gender-equity-climate-initiatives

[brabus]

2 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

Because of the gun door limitation? 

I would have wanted to capture and exploit as much of the payload as possible and hit only the balloon, not that a fall from 60K was going to protect the payload but 20 pounds of WDU-17/B warnugget slinging 200 titanium rods probably made a mess of things.

Stand by for Block 45 ultra high alt mod.

Put a few 20mm holes through it and it still drifts quite a ways (international waters complicates recovery), get closer and you give it potentially more chance to capture data from the F-22, and gunning an object going that slow is incredibly difficult with low probability of success and increased risk of midair (and at 60K I can’t even imagine, even in a raptor).

[Swizzle]

Pretty good view from ashore. 

Edited February 5, 2023 by Swizzle
Oh yeah, 1 COVID19 dispenser down for all you conspiracy theorists...the worst kind of chemtrails...

[waveshaper]

1 hour ago, brabus said:

Put a few 20mm holes through it and it still drifts quite a ways (international waters complicates recovery), get closer and you give it potentially more chance to capture data from the F-22, and gunning an object going that slow is incredibly difficult with low probability of success and increased risk of midair (and at 60K I can’t even imagine, even in a raptor).

This method was attempted and failed back in 1998 for a very large-stray weather balloon.

When a Weather Balloon Went Rogue Two Decades Ago, Fighter Jets Fired at It but Couldn't Bring It Down | Military.com

'Almost 25 years ago, a large runaway weather balloon proved to be quite challenge a for a pair of fighter jets trying to shoot it down, staying in the air even after more than 1,000 rounds were fired at it. The Balloon passed across Canada, over the Atlantic Ocean, and through British airspace before entering Iceland's airspace and then drifting northward.'

'Two Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighter aircraft spotted the balloon over Newfoundland and fired more than 1,000 rounds at it. The AP reported that the jets, Canadian variants of the American F/A-18 Hornet, hit the balloon, but rather than popping or exploding and crashing to the earth, it slowly began leaking helium. The big balloon was still in the air. The balloon, BBC reported, also survived encounters with British and American aircraft.'

 

[ClearedHot]

Recreation with actual comms from the shootdown. 

9 hours ago, brabus said:

Put a few 20mm holes through it and it still drifts quite a ways (international waters complicates recovery), get closer and you give it potentially more chance to capture data from the F-22, and gunning an object going that slow is incredibly difficult with low probability of success and increased risk of midair (and at 60K I can’t even imagine, even in a raptor).

Frank Luke did it....16 times.

[filthy_liar]

15 hours ago, SocialD said:

Don't do the math on how much money we spent killing a dude in a mud hut in the middle of nowhere Afghanistan.

It's so mind boggling absurd that its embarrassing.  And we're eager it seems to start it up again in Ukraine.  Here we go again.  Pentagon generals:  we're making progress.  Here we go...

[Smokin]

APKWS future balloon buster?  Maybe make a few with less explosive to get a slower decent rate to examine all the stuff inside.  Or even one with a parachute instead of a warhead that deploys when the rocket burns out.  Just to punch a couple 2.75" holes in it over land and let the thing slowly descend.  Almost no risk to US citizens and we get the balloon intact.

[nsplayr]

I volunteer to down a balloon with an AGM-114R9X.

Ninjy stars!

[brabus]

1 hour ago, ClearedHot said:

Recreation with actual comms from the shootdown. 

Frank Luke did it....16 times.

Yeah, totally comparable situation (/s). Not to say the history tie isn’t cool in a way, but let’s not pretend this is the same thing. Reference Waveshapper’s post - that’s how this would have likely turned out, and that’s not me giving any shit to the raptor bros. 

[arg]

39 minutes ago, nsplayr said:

I volunteer to down a balloon with an AGM-114R9X.

Ninjy stars!

Not sure what that has to with this topic but that is one of the funniest videos ever 

[nsplayr]

8 minutes ago, arg said:

Not sure what that has to with this topic but that is one of the funniest videos ever 

Agreed! Diamond Dave is a legend. I casually use several phrases from that video in normal conversation and it's funny when some young zoomer kid who hasn't seen it looks at me like, "WTF are you talking about?"

Relevant because the R9X has some ninjy-swords that pop out and cut things to pieces at impact vice exploding. Sounds about perfect for separating a payload from a sneaky Chicom balloon.

Now I just gotta figure out how to get my Reaper up to FL 690 to take the shot...

Edited February 6, 2023 by nsplayr

[filthy_liar]

nsplayer do you really believe that R9X is coming to get you?

 

[disgruntledemployee]

You do know that when we recover and pop open the payload, it'll just be a fart gassing glitterbomb.  Joke's on us.

[TreeA10]

5 hours ago, disgruntledemployee said:

You do know that when we recover and pop open the payload, it'll just be a fart gassing glitterbomb.  Joke's on us.

Finding a little strip of paper with a future prediction or words of wisdom like in a fortune cookie would be hysterical. "Classified documents not in safe not safe."

[Prozac]

5 hours ago, TreeA10 said:

Finding a little strip of paper with a future prediction or words of wisdom like in a fortune cookie would be hysterical. "Classified documents not in safe not safe."

Ancient Chinese Proverb: Where are your tanks, and may I count them? 

[TreeA10]

4 minutes ago, Prozac said:

Ancient Chinese Proverb: Where are your tanks, and may I count them? 

Ancient Hawg Driver proverb: Where are your tanks, I will shoot them. 

[ClearedHot]

 

[uhhello]

2 minutes ago, ClearedHot said:

 

At least we recovered the high tech balloon material.  

[Clark Griswold]

China acting a bit like a little kid...

China is mad at the US for blasting its suspected spy balloon, but a few years ago, state TV bragged its fighter pilots could shoot one down (msn.com)

[pawnman]

3 hours ago, uhhello said:

At least we recovered the high tech balloon material.  

We can't allow a balloon gap! 

[McJay Pilot]

On 2/5/2023 at 8:00 PM, nsplayr said:

Agreed! Diamond Dave is a legend. I casually use several phrases from that video in normal conversation and it's funny when some young zoomer kid who hasn't seen it looks at me like, "WTF are you talking about?"

Don’t go a ninjain’ nuthin’ that don’t need ninjain’

[nsplayr]

48 minutes ago, McJay Pilot said:

Don’t go a ninjain’ nuthin’ that don’t need ninjain’

Ain't that the truth. Some of the best life advice I've ever received.