Another one bites the dust...or in this case the ice. A second Chinese spy balloon was shot down this morning over Alaska. (1 Viewer)

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muskeg13

Airman 1st Class
153
211
May 8, 2012
The "object" had been hovering at 40,000' in close proximity to the Prudhoe Bay-Deadhorse-Kuparuk oil/gas fields and processing facilities. It was dispatched by an Elmendorf AFB F-22 with an AIM-9X, with debris falling onto frozen Arctic Ocean sea ice close offshore. The U.S. Northern Command is in the process of recovering the wreckage.


 
These are not spy balloons! They are children's school projects similar to the Flat Stanley craze that was all the rage when my kids were in school. When the balloon lands, you are supposed to take a picture with "Balloon Buddy" tm, and mail it back to the address on the back.
Now kids in China are reeling at the thought that their "Balloon Buddy"tm may have been murdered by a callous American war machine. I weep for humanity. 😢
 
I don't think they said it was a balloon, just an object. Nor did they say it was Chinese.

How do you shoot down a presumably cold object in the middle of the night with a Sidewinder? Is there a radar guided version of the Sidewinder?
 
As someone somewhat familiar with balloons at extreme heights having been involved with them at Kadena supporting the Black Bird program and again at Air Force Cambridge Research Labratories I can't help but wonder why someone hasn't thought of simply making a close pass over the top of the envelope. The effect of the down wash on the cold-soaked balloon envelope just might prove rether dramatic and the fuel expanded in the attempt would certainly cost less than the missiles being used. Additionally, the added drag of the remaining balloon envelope still attached just might provide enough additional aerodynamic drag to lower terminal valocity enough to reduce damage to the instrument package.

My two cents.
 
It was shot down at 0945 AST. Sunrise was 0956. Also, ABC News states the "object" appeared to be floating. If it walks like a duck...sounds awfully balloonish to me.

At 40,000 ft, it's collecting radiant heat already from the impending sunrise. Sidewinders nowadays are all-aspect, so detecting a balloon at that altitude and time shouldn't be rough money.
 
The 4th one shot down yesterday over Lake Huron was apparently octagonal in shape.



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The 4th one shot down yesterday over Lake Huron was apparently octagonal in shape.



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I know what an octagon is when drawn on a piece of paper, but that is only two dimensions, what does an eight sided body look like? A cube with two corners cut off? The UK news is saying these are not being called balloons, but the latest was the fourth they said and the first was definitely called a balloon.
 
I know what an octagon is when drawn on a piece of paper, but that is only two dimensions, what does an eight sided body look like? A cube with two corners cut off? The UK news is saying these are not being called balloons, but the latest was the fourth they said and the first was definitely called a balloon.
 
These in general have on board compressors so they can adjust their buoyancy. A semi ridged design sounds possible to me. A small zeppelin. This makes steering and propulsion more practical. I hope we get to learn about the debris.
 
I know what an octagon is when drawn on a piece of paper, but that is only two dimensions, what does an eight sided body look like? A cube with two corners cut off? The UK news is saying these are not being called balloons, but the latest was the fourth they said and the first was definitely called a balloon.

The 1st was a balloon. They are saying the rest were not. Who knows… lol
 
No photos. The balloon was photographed, but no photos of the other "objects" have been released.
 
I know what an octagon is when drawn on a piece of paper, but that is only two dimensions, what does an eight sided body look like? A cube with two corners cut off? The UK news is saying these are not being called balloons, but the latest was the fourth they said and the first was definitely called a balloon.
I suspect they meant "Octahedron", perhaps?
 

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