So why don’t we shoot this f***er down? - Page 5

Big bob · 02-04-2023, 9:27am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yadkin

Yours would be seen from space using a cell phone camera.

But it is heading your way.

6spdC6 · 02-04-2023, 9:27am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frankie the Fink

Having worked Top Secret counterintelligence decades ago overseas as a member of the Army Security Agency, I can tell you flat out that even back then there were better ELINT, COMINT and SIGINT means of collecting intelligence than a randomly floating around, easily detectable, huge high altitude balloon. Its either a weather collection or a blatant taunt.

Blatant taunt, and our idiot in chief and the lessor idiots do not have a clue.

Want to bet Trump or RR would have well taken care of things!--

Giraffe (He/Him) · 02-04-2023, 9:35am

Quote:

Originally Posted by sublime1996525

I'm confused how people doing stupid lip syncing and dances on TikTok is getting the Chinese great intel?

I suspect they get what they're looking for at the front end of the process. Primarily your email. After they collect that information they probably don't give a shit.

Tikiman · 02-04-2023, 9:37am

Louie Detroit · 02-04-2023, 10:39am

Bill · 02-04-2023, 10:53am

Louie Detroit · 02-04-2023, 11:26am

Fester · 02-04-2023, 11:32am

It's filled with the next variant and the Chinese can't wait for us to shoot it down.

Big bob · 02-04-2023, 11:40am

It is dropping little balloons of selected viruses. It has been doing it for awhile but was kept from us till it was spotted. Just feeling the effects of the bird flu can't wait to see what blooms next.

Bill · 02-04-2023, 11:50am

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/chi...on-2023-02-03/

Quote:

Chinese spy balloon changes course, floating over central United States-Pentagon
By Phil Stewart
and Idrees Ali

WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - A Chinese spy balloon has changed course and is now floating eastward at about 60,000 feet (18,300 meters) over the central United States, demonstrating a capability to maneuver, the U.S. military said on Friday, in the latest twist to a spying saga that led U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a visit to China.

The disclosure about the spy balloon's maneuverability directly challenges China's assertion that the balloon was merely a civilian airship that had strayed into U.S. territory after being blown off course.

"We know this is a Chinese (surveillance) balloon and that it has the ability to maneuver," Air Force Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told a news briefing at the Pentagon, declining to say precisely how it was powered or who in China was controlling its flight path.
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U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday decided against shooting down the balloon as it floated over Montana due to U.S. military concerns about the likely dispersal of debris, American officials say.

The Pentagon expects the balloon to continue traveling over U.S. airspace for a few more days, Ryder said, declining to speculate on what options the U.S. military might develop in that time as speculation swirled about whether Biden could still order the balloon be destroyed or perhaps captured.

Ryder said the U.S. military would not specify where precisely the balloon was positioned over the central United States, saying he didn't want to get into an "hour-by-hour" cycle of updates. He said people in any given U.S. state could look up into the sky if they wanted.

"The public certainly has the ability to look up in the sky and see where the balloon is," Ryder said.

Senator Roger Marshall from Kansas said the spy balloon was over the northeastern part of his state and his staff was is in contact with law enforcement officials.

"I condemn any attempts the Chinese make to spy on Americans. President Biden must protect the sovereignty of the U.S.," Marshall posted on Twitter.

Ryder added the balloon posed no risk to people on the ground.

He spoke amid growing political fallout over the Chinese balloon's presence over the United States.

Postponement of Blinken's trip, which had been arranged in November by Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, is a blow to those on both sides who saw it as an overdue opportunity to stabilize an increasingly fractious relationship. The last visit by a U.S. secretary of state was in 2017.

Biden ignored questions about the balloon when giving remarks on the economy Friday morning.

Chinese spy satellites carry similar sensors to what U.S. officials believe is on the spy balloon, raising questions about why Beijing would risk such a brazen act on the eve of a major diplomatic event.

Still, the Chinese spy balloon has taken a flight path that would carry it over a number of sensitive sites, officials say. One such site could be military bases, including in Montana, which is home to intercontinental ballistic missile silos.

The Billings, Montana, airport on Wednesday issued a ground stop as the military mobilized assets including F-22 fighter jets in case Biden ordered that the balloon be shot down.

Stevedore · 02-04-2023, 12:25pm

Don't we have some sort of high altitude aircraft that could laser a hole (or holes) into this balloon & cause a slow descent & harmless landing? Except then China, and everyone else, would know that we have some sort of high altitude aircraft that could laser a hole (or holes) into this balloon & cause a slow descent & harmless landing.

I'd expect that our military, CIA, NSA, etc., could learn something from retrieving this thing undamaged.

Big bob · 02-04-2023, 12:28pm

It is called a bb gun.

MadInNc · 02-04-2023, 12:37pm

It’s gone. Done blown up

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-airspace.html

'Explosion in the sky' above Billings Montana where Chinese spy balloon was spotted infiltrating U.S airspace - as residents report seeing jet zoom by after officials came under fire for refusing to shoot it down
* Resident witnesses in Billings, Montana, saw an 'explosion in the sky' after US officials warned of a Chinese spy balloon flying over the region
* Video of the aftermath reveals a trail of smoke in the sky where the balloon was
* US officials called the balloon a 'clear violation of sovereignty' while warning that it wouldn't be shot down because it was hovering over 'sensitive sites'

An explosion in the sky over Billings Montana, where a Chinese spy balloon has been flying over the region, was caught on camera Friday.

Mysterious video of the aftermath shows a trail of smoke in the sky where the balloon was last spotted.

Dolly Moore, who took video of the scene, said she 'saw a jet go by so fast and then explosion in the sky.'
……….

Aerovette · 02-04-2023, 12:52pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadInNc

It’s gone. Done blown up

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-airspace.html

'Explosion in the sky' above Billings Montana where Chinese spy balloon was spotted infiltrating U.S airspace - as residents report seeing jet zoom by after officials came under fire for refusing to shoot it down
* Resident witnesses in Billings, Montana, saw an 'explosion in the sky' after US officials warned of a Chinese spy balloon flying over the region
* Video of the aftermath reveals a trail of smoke in the sky where the balloon was
* US officials called the balloon a 'clear violation of sovereignty' while warning that it wouldn't be shot down because it was hovering over 'sensitive sites'

An explosion in the sky over Billings Montana, where a Chinese spy balloon has been flying over the region, was caught on camera Friday.

Mysterious video of the aftermath shows a trail of smoke in the sky where the balloon was last spotted.

Dolly Moore, who took video of the scene, said she 'saw a jet go by so fast and then explosion in the sky.'
……….

White House answering machine...

"Hello Joe, yeah, this is Xi. Hey, we got all that we needed so you can go ahead and shoot the balloon down. Call me if you have any questions. Your 10% is on the way. Sorry payment was late. We got sidetracked with a new strain. You're gonna love this one. Full body suit stuff. Anyway, gimme a call".

Bill · 02-04-2023, 12:55pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadInNc

It’s gone. Done blown up

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-airspace.html

'Explosion in the sky' above Billings Montana where Chinese spy balloon was spotted infiltrating U.S airspace - as residents report seeing jet zoom by after officials came under fire for refusing to shoot it down
* Resident witnesses in Billings, Montana, saw an 'explosion in the sky' after US officials warned of a Chinese spy balloon flying over the region
* Video of the aftermath reveals a trail of smoke in the sky where the balloon was
* US officials called the balloon a 'clear violation of sovereignty' while warning that it wouldn't be shot down because it was hovering over 'sensitive sites'

An explosion in the sky over Billings Montana, where a Chinese spy balloon has been flying over the region, was caught on camera Friday.

Mysterious video of the aftermath shows a trail of smoke in the sky where the balloon was last spotted.

Dolly Moore, who took video of the scene, said she 'saw a jet go by so fast and then explosion in the sky.'
……….

Rong!

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/whe...north-carolina

Quote:

Where is the Chinese spy balloon now? Airship spotted flying over North Carolina

Published February 4, 2023 11:09am EST

The balloon now sits above Charlotte, North Carolina

By Kyle Morris | Fox News

The suspected Chinese spy balloon, which has slowly transitioned across the United States over the last two days, now sits above North Carolina.

Footage captured by Fox News Saturday morning showed the balloon sitting just above Charlotte, North Carolina, around 10:30 a.m. ET.

An image of the balloon hovering above Fairfield, North Carolina, was also shared by meteorology student Evan Fisher earlier Saturday morning.

Other social media users posted about seeing planes flying in formation shortly after the balloon passed overhead.

The updated location of the suspected surveillance device comes after Defense Department spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said Friday that the balloon, which China claims is a civilian reconnaissance airship that inadvertently drifted off course, had "changed its course" and moved to the central part of the country.

Photos shared Friday evening by the National Weather Service in Kansas City, Missouri, showed what appeared to be the balloon, which was first reported to be hovering over Montana, visible from its office in Pleasant Hill that appeared to be headed southeast. "We have confirmed that it is not an NWS weather balloon," NWS Kansas City said.

The Pentagon, amid steady pushback from Republican lawmakers who are keeping an eye on the situation, said that it considered taking down the possible threat from China, but ultimately decided against any action due to "the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field."

The balloon, which Ryder said Friday will "probably be over the United States for a few days," was reportedly flying about 60,000 feet above sea level — higher than civilian aircraft fly.
Senior State Department officials have called the incident "unacceptable," and Secretary of State Antony Blinken has indefinitely postponed a planned trip to China to meet President Xi Jinping in light of the circumstances.

Several governors — including Missouri GOP Gov. Mike Parson and Montana GOP Gov. Greg Gianforte — have expressed frustration over the Biden administrations' lack of communication as the balloon traversed American airspace.

"We have received zero communication from the Biden Administration regarding reports of the suspected Chinese spy balloon now flying over Missouri," Parson wrote in a tweet on Friday. "We have heard no explanation or plan to remove it. Why has this been allowed to reach our heartland? Why has it not been eliminated?"

Similarly, Gianforte, during a Saturday morning appearance on "Fox and Friends Weekend," blasted the Biden administration's communication about the balloon.

"We're informed through our national guard," Gianforte said. "We knew nothing about this until this slow moving balloon was hundreds of miles into the state. It had already flown over military installations and it was over our most populous city in the state."

A senior U.S. Defense official told Fox News the balloon was launched from mainland China. The Pentagon does not believe that this was a weather balloon that flew off course, as China initially claimed. There was no "force majeure" that caused the Chinese surveillance balloon to enter U.S. airspace, as China's foreign ministry spokesperson had said.

"This was intentional," the senior U.S. official said.

sublime1996525 · 02-04-2023, 12:56pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadInNc

It’s gone. Done blown up

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-airspace.html

'Explosion in the sky' above Billings Montana where Chinese spy balloon was spotted infiltrating U.S airspace - as residents report seeing jet zoom by after officials came under fire for refusing to shoot it down
* Resident witnesses in Billings, Montana, saw an 'explosion in the sky' after US officials warned of a Chinese spy balloon flying over the region
* Video of the aftermath reveals a trail of smoke in the sky where the balloon was
* US officials called the balloon a 'clear violation of sovereignty' while warning that it wouldn't be shot down because it was hovering over 'sensitive sites'

An explosion in the sky over Billings Montana, where a Chinese spy balloon has been flying over the region, was caught on camera Friday.

Mysterious video of the aftermath shows a trail of smoke in the sky where the balloon was last spotted.

Dolly Moore, who took video of the scene, said she 'saw a jet go by so fast and then explosion in the sky.'
……….

I don’t think that’s the original one. It sounds like that’s the one from Canada. There is also, possibly, one of Latin America.

Torqaholic · 02-04-2023, 1:28pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by sublime1996525 View Post
I'm confused how people doing stupid lip syncing and dances on TikTok is getting the Chinese great intel?

My theory is it has nothing to do with intel, it's about access, and the more users the better. In the event of a war they will have the ability to turn the computers of those users into scrap via an automatic update.

For the majority of people these days who are incapable of reading, writing, and arithmetic without electronic assistance that's as good as a bullet to the brain.