Ongoing ‘spy balloons’ entering NORAD air space - up to no good

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by Locke

I never thought I'd live to see the day when the great balloon was once again weaponized...and yet here we are...

What's next? A trebuchet?

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by Locke

I never thought I'd live to see the day when the great balloon was once again weaponized...and yet here we are...

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Yeah, I think there is something else going on here than China for sure. They were pretty quick to identify the first one as a Chinese surveillance balloon. The fact these ones are more of a mystery still, or at least nothing has been made public, makes me think they are unrelated.

I wonder if the Chinese balloon just caused heightened awareness and we are finding things now that we are actually looking.

I think that the Chinese balloon made Biden and Trudeau look bad. Trudeau because it travelled through Canada without any notification and it wasn’t shot down and Biden because it travelled through Alaska and then across the whole continental US before being shot down. That’s why BIden’s team was making a big deal about him authorizing the shot down of it when it was over Montana. I bet these last few items are probably fairly typical observances in the sky that now they are making a big deal about and shooting them down publicly before reaching US airspace to make it seem like they are ‘on the job’ so to speak.

[Ozy_Flame]

Not really. If anything the egg is on NORAD's face. The rotating leads of countries don't exactly get involved in early warning systems or efficacy of ground radar.

I don't think this makes them look bad at all. In fact I think it makes them look responsive to the public in the face of potential aerial threats. Especially the Alaska-based incidents.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Would be interesting if North Korea were behind this.

[Faust]

China says more than 10 U.S. balloons flew in its airspace:

https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/china-s...pace-1.6271186

[Ozy_Flame]

A quick graphic update from CNN of the objects so far:



Just waiting for the "sphere inside of a cube" object" and then we hit the sweet point.

[Northendzone]

i had to look up what a trebuchet as i am not overly familiar with middle ages weaponry

is the return of the zepplin far off? it is like a renaissance time for floating devices of doom

what a time to be alive

[Lanny_McDonald]

It's never a bad time for some Zepplin!

[CaptainCrunch]

spoilered for size.

Spoiler!

[Locke]

Originally Posted by D as in David

What's next? A trebuchet?

Perhaps some comically oversized Vaudevillian slingshot apparatus?

A re-purposed Theme Park ride?

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by Buzzard

China jumping on the bandwagon...


https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattnov...h=69b4765a6e87

Won't somebody think of the aliens?!

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by Locke

These balloons are just becoming untethered.

One might say they're ... out of hand?

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Faust

China says more than 10 U.S. balloons flew in its airspace:

https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/china-s...pace-1.6271186

There was a guy interviewed on CNN who said that the U.S. has balloons that collect surveillance right on the edge of Chinese air space and that China has been demanding their removal for a while. Of course, there is a big difference between being on the edge of the air space and being right in the air space. It wouldn't be terribly shocking if some of those balloons drifted over the line occasionally though.

He suspects that the one balloon confirmed to be a Chinese surveillance balloon may have been them just trying to make a point for the U.S. to tone down their balloon surveillance on China. Not to defend China, but it's possible that China was trying to play the same game by getting really close, and then did lose control of the balloon. I know a lot has been made about the trajectory going over sensitive military sites, but in the U.S., you can't really throw a stone without going over military sites.

Regardless, the U.S. was completely justified in shooting it down. If it was a case of just slightly crossing into the airspace before being pulled back, shooting it down might be a little drastic. But that obviously wasn't the case here.

[photon]

Thousands of surveillance satellites going overhead multiple times a day, but then people freak out over some "spy balloons".

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by photon

Thousands of surveillance satellites going overhead multiple times a day, but then people freak out over some "spy balloons".

But satellite orbits are known, and one can plan for them passing overhead. A balloon at least has the chance to get somewhere undetected and get the info it may be after.

[Ozy_Flame]

Seems like the White House is - finally - taking the UAP topic seriously and in the public domain. The provisions in the 2022 NDAA are likely why this is more public than at any point in history, especially with AARO in place to investigate reports of UAP.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1625212819192029184

I think, if nothing else, the UFO stigma is effectively being removed and proper investigation is now within grasp.

Note that most UAP sightings are prosaic in nature. But more eyes in the skies will undoubtedly allow better follow-up and investigation.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Explanation as to why these objects are now popping up (pardon the pun) right now. Explanation makes sense.

"Gen. Glen VanHerck, the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and US Northern Command, said that NORAD started searching for much smaller, slower-moving flying objects, while also making adjustments to filtration based on altitude. Typically, NORAD's radar detection is searching for fighter jets or bombers, which move at high speeds."

"As recovery teams work to collect debris from the downed objects, it's not immediately clear where they all came from. Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters at a briefing last week that China operates a global network of surveillance balloons that extends across five continents and multiple regions, but it is unclear if the objects that were downed in the wake of the Chinese spy balloon were also of Chinese origin."

Still think North Korea might be to blame here. Lots of saber rattling and a need for intel without the tech to do a lot of long range reconnaissance. Makes sense to follow the lead of your primary supporter.

[calumniate]

Hmm, but what if they fly at bird speed?

[Locke]

Originally Posted by calumniate

Hmm, but what if they fly at bird speed?

Is it a African or European bird? Like the air-speed velocity of a laden swallow?

It cant be unladen because its carrying all that spy gear, right?