A Chinese Spy Balloon?

[SaparotRob]

I'm not as well versed as most in all aspects of aerospace and aerospace defense but who'd ever thought we would need to shoot down balloons in the twenty first century?

 

[Engineman]

I'm not as well versed as most in all aspects of aerospace and aerospace defense but who'd ever thought we would need to shoot down balloons in the twenty first century?

Yep, cheap drones are a similar issue if they have a bit of hi-tech for targeting.

Eng

 

[GrauGeist]

The AIM 9-X block II is about the best there is for hitting a balloon at that altitude.

Perhaps a balloon-buster variant with the warhead replaced by a parachute package for recovery and reuse?

 

[fubar57]

Updated

 

[manta22]

Updated

View attachment 706723​

Paint on one more!

 

[SaparotRob]

The AIM 9-X block II is about the best there is for hitting a balloon at that altitude.

Perhaps a balloon-buster variant with the warhead replaced by a parachute package for recovery and reuse?

That reminded me.
A missile was used to take out someone on the "naughty list" awhile back. They got him sitting in the back of a car using a warhead without explosives. It was like a big OSHA NOT Approved vegematic slicing into the car. No collateral damage.
A missile with four big scary Katanas sounds pretty good for the job.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

That reminded me.
A missile was used to take out someone on the "naughty list" awhile back. They got him sitting in the back of a car using a warhead without explosives. It was like a big OSHA NOT Approved vegematic slicing into the car. No collateral damage.
A missile with four big scary Katanas sounds pretty good for the job.

It's just whether it can accelerate upwards to 60-70k feet as well as downwards. If it can, this is a great idea.

 

[SaparotRob]

Boeing put wings on a 250 lb bomb, stuck it on a rocket motor slated for destruction and came up with a super groovy long range weapon.
Some clever folk figgerd' out how to operate AGM-88 HARM missiles from Soviet MiG-29s.
I'm sure there's a convenient rocket motor type adaptable for use with that warhead to launch it from an F-22 Luke.

 

[GrauGeist]

The whole idea (at this point in time) is to bring down the package as intact as possible to determine the nature of the equipment - ELINT, Photo and other (plus verifying it's origin and nature), so busting the balloon is the best way to do that.

I'm sure that if these intrusions persist, then they'll switch to targeting the package, which can be taken out with a warhead.

 

[GrauGeist]

And I just heard that a 4th "object" has been downed over Lake Huron today by the USAF.

 

[Shinpachi]

Baloon bombs courses estimated by the Japan Meteorological Agency circa 1944.
No idea about the numbers on the chart.

Results confirmed in the postwar.
Dot: Reached point
X: Bomb dropped point

Source: Baloons (1967)

 

[WAFU]

ET will not phone home

 

[DBII]

US Space Force announces a new family of anti-balloon and flying saucers weapons systems.

 

[fubar57]

So....if the U.S.of A. jumps off a bridge, will China do it too? China says US balloons breached airspace at least 10 times

 

[GrauGeist]

The Kremlin Beijing ministry of bullshit seems to be working overtime.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

 

[DBII]

US Space Force launches another secret balloon toward China.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

 

[DBII]

Space Force new balloon interceptor.

 

[GrauGeist]

Now Social Media is all abuzz about these recent balloons/objects being a part of "project blue beam".

If you haven't heard of this "secret deep state NASA collaboration", whip out your tin-foil hat and hit up Google...