Comments on: Chinese spy balloon still traversing the US https://habitablezone.com/2023/02/03/chinese-spy-balloon-still-traversing-the-us/ Tue, 07 Apr 2026 19:18:10 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: BuckGalaxy https://habitablezone.com/2023/02/03/chinese-spy-balloon-still-traversing-the-us/#comment-51643 BuckGalaxy Tue, 07 Feb 2023 07:28:01 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=98888#comment-51643 <img src="https://www.habitablezone.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/83944476_3585923814781600_4811188396082855936_n.jpg" alt="" />

]]> By: RobVG https://habitablezone.com/2023/02/03/chinese-spy-balloon-still-traversing-the-us/#comment-51640 RobVG Mon, 06 Feb 2023 18:52:03 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=98888#comment-51640 Service ceiling of the F22- 65,000'. Service ceiling of the F22- 65,000′.

]]> By: BuckGalaxy https://habitablezone.com/2023/02/03/chinese-spy-balloon-still-traversing-the-us/#comment-51639 BuckGalaxy Mon, 06 Feb 2023 17:55:03 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=98888#comment-51639 Good point on why canons were not a good idea. They are one chance while the target is passing over vs picking our shot with aircraft. As for damage to the ground, according to the pentagon, the balloon carried equipment equivalent to three buses. That could have easily destroyed a house or done serious damage. Good point on why canons were not a good idea. They are one chance while the target is passing over vs picking our shot with aircraft. As for damage to the ground, according to the pentagon, the balloon carried equipment equivalent to three buses. That could have easily destroyed a house or done serious damage.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2023/02/03/chinese-spy-balloon-still-traversing-the-us/#comment-51636 ER Mon, 06 Feb 2023 15:51:53 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=98888#comment-51636 Aircraft gun autosights are not designed to hit slow-moving targets with weird radar characteristics. Also, they are designed to engage targets at ranges on the order of 1000 yards. This balloon may have been flying miles higher than the operational ceiling of that aircraft. I read somewhere that at one time in the past (I'm sorry I can't provide a reference for this) 2000 rounds of cannon fire were unable to bring down a balloon target. That would have been embarrassing, not to mention dangerous! An Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile is designed to be fired at fairly long distances from the target, so that's a clue. If anything had gone wrong, no one would have been able to recover it. This is probably why they chose to wait for the balloon to be out at sea before engaging it. It's not just the balloon debris that posed a danger to people and property on the ground, it was all the ordnance that they might have to throw at it, it has to come down somewhere. I'm sure the GOP congressmen criticizing the offshore shoot-down of this target are perfectly aware of this, but they are so desperate to blame Biden that they will come up with any lies they can to try and discredit him, to make him look like a fool, or a wimp. (In Republican thinking, the latter is always worse than the former.) Its pretty clear what happened. Biden said, "Shoot it down"; the Generals said, "Wait till its safe." And Biden answered, "Make it so." Aircraft gun autosights are not designed to hit slow-moving targets with weird radar characteristics. Also, they are designed to engage targets at ranges on the order of 1000 yards. This balloon may have been flying miles higher than the operational ceiling of that aircraft. I read somewhere that at one time in the past (I’m sorry I can’t provide a reference for this) 2000 rounds of cannon fire were unable to bring down a balloon target. That would have been embarrassing, not to mention dangerous! An Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile is designed to be fired at fairly long distances from the target, so that’s a clue. If anything had gone wrong, no one would have been able to recover it.

This is probably why they chose to wait for the balloon to be out at sea before engaging it. It’s not just the balloon debris that posed a danger to people and property on the ground, it was all the ordnance that they might have to throw at it, it has to come down somewhere.

I’m sure the GOP congressmen criticizing the offshore shoot-down of this target are perfectly aware of this, but they are so desperate to blame Biden that they will come up with any lies they can to try and discredit him, to make him look like a fool, or a wimp. (In Republican thinking, the latter is always worse than the former.) Its pretty clear what happened. Biden said, “Shoot it down”; the Generals said, “Wait till its safe.” And Biden answered, “Make it so.”

]]> By: BuckGalaxy https://habitablezone.com/2023/02/03/chinese-spy-balloon-still-traversing-the-us/#comment-51634 BuckGalaxy Mon, 06 Feb 2023 09:30:51 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=98888#comment-51634 Speaking of pricks... <img src="https://www.habitablezone.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/trump-balloon.jpg" alt="" /> Speaking of pricks…

]]> By: RobVG https://habitablezone.com/2023/02/03/chinese-spy-balloon-still-traversing-the-us/#comment-51633 RobVG Sun, 05 Feb 2023 22:01:55 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=98888#comment-51633 They used an AMRAAM at a cost of $1,090,000. A short burst of the cannon might have brought it down at a speed that would have left it more intact. Plus the pilot would get some target practice. They used an AMRAAM at a cost of $1,090,000.
A short burst of the cannon might have brought it down at a speed that would have left it more intact. Plus the pilot would get some target practice.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2023/02/03/chinese-spy-balloon-still-traversing-the-us/#comment-51632 ER Sun, 05 Feb 2023 21:31:36 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=98888#comment-51632 I guess that makes you the pin prick. I guess that makes you the pin prick.

]]> By: BuckGalaxy https://habitablezone.com/2023/02/03/chinese-spy-balloon-still-traversing-the-us/#comment-51631 BuckGalaxy Sun, 05 Feb 2023 08:17:47 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=98888#comment-51631 Well we know what a windbag you are Well we know what a windbag you are

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2023/02/03/chinese-spy-balloon-still-traversing-the-us/#comment-51630 ER Sun, 05 Feb 2023 03:30:32 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=98888#comment-51630 I thought you were trying to deflate me... I thought you were trying to deflate me…

]]> By: BuckGalaxy https://habitablezone.com/2023/02/03/chinese-spy-balloon-still-traversing-the-us/#comment-51629 BuckGalaxy Sun, 05 Feb 2023 01:33:23 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=98888#comment-51629 Actually I agree with you but I couldn't resist the lead in comment. Actually I agree with you but I couldn’t resist the lead in comment.

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