China surveillance balloons

[Ediswan]

How many civilian aircraft are flying around northern (eastern) Alaska? There aren't even proper roads up there let alone airstrips to take off/land.

In Alaska they use aircraft instead of roads.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

In Alaska they use aircraft instead of roads.

Again……..exactly.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Still amazed by any chance?

Just been announced the US Navy have located the reconnaissance platform

Well its getting even more amazing !. And not sure which is more ominous baloons or car sized objects. Be interesting to see what the shot down debris reveals in both cases.

I remember learning that many flights go over the North pole so Alaska could well be flown over. The example of the flight that was blown up over/near Lockerbie led me to learn that many flights go that way from the UK to the (Western iirc) USA. Its the shortest route after all.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Indeed. I have flown over the North Pole and done numerous flights to/from and within Alaska. One of my favorite places.

 

[Darandio]

Bogies everywhere Maverick..........

Chuck Schumer: Two more flying objects shot down were likely balloons

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed China was using a "crew of balloons" around the world.

www.bbc.co.uk

US aircraft shoots down new airborne object over Canada​

Another unidentified object has been shot down over North American airspace, Canadian President Justin Trudeau has confirmed.
He said the latest object "violated Canadian airspace" and was shot down over Yukon in north west Canada.
Both Canadian and US aircraft were scrambled to track down the object which Trudeau says was taken out by a US F-22.
Trudeau says he gave the order and that he spoke with US President Joe Biden.
"Canadian forces will now recover and analyse the wreckage of the object," he wrote on Twitter.
He thanked the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) which earlier said it had been monitoring "a high-altitude airborne object" over northern Canada.
NORAD earlier told CNN it cannot discuss specifics related to these activities but confirmed military aircraft have been deployed.
It is not clear what the object is.
The object's appearance over North America comes only days after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down after violating American and Canadian airspace.
On Friday another object was shot down over Alaska at the orders of US President Joe Biden.
In a short statement, the military said US troops, including from the Alaska National Guard, were still conducting search and recovery activities on sea ice for that object.
"Arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow, and limited daylight, are a factor in this operation, and personnel will adjust recovery operations to maintain safety," the military said.

 

[DarloRich]

If you shoot down 5 balloons do you get to call yourself an ace?

 

[WatcherZero]

No, you win a giant Teddy Bear.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

The world is getting a very scary place indeed.

 

[adc82140]

I've seen an expert on CNN say that these latest two objects are likely to be weather balloons. But since the Chinese surveillance balloon incident last week there's understandably a lot of paranoia about these things.

 

[jon0844]

The world is getting a very scary place indeed.

Especially so if you own a Card Factory or Clintons and sell Helium filled balloons for birthday parties...

 

[brad465]

They are called bloons, and they were shot down by a dart monkey

 

[Lost property]

Amusing though many views are about balloons and other objects....thankfully, thus far as they've been over Alaska, Sarah hasn't offered her own unique "thoughts " as to what they maybe or from whence they came....this article makes for an interesting read..

Unidentified High-Altitude Airship Spotted Flying Near South China Sea [Photos]

Satellite images indicated that China has deployed airships in the past to strengthen military reconnaissance ability in the South China Sea.

www.ibtimes.com

 

[DelW]

The reports I've heard of the last two aerial intruders shot down over Alaska and Canada have referred to them as being "about the size of a small car" and "cylindrical and smaller than the previous one" respectively, without specifying whether that describes something hanging from a balloon, or something heavier than air, as in some form of drone. China apparently admitted that the balloon-suspended ones (one shot down off South Carolina and one spotted over Latin America) had some form of propulsion allowing a degree of control over their course, although still claiming that they were weather balloons blown off course.

It will be interesting to see what is finally revealed from inspection of the remains, assuming anything is ever made public of course.

 

[Lost property]

Well Roswell was getting a bit beyond its sell by date and something new was needed as a replacement..

 

[52290]

Well Roswell was getting a bit beyond its sell by date and something new was needed as a replacement..

It's obvious to followers of American Dad! Roger is up to his tricks again.

 

[Runningaround]

No, you win a giant Teddy Bear.

Haven't the environmentalist and animal rights lot got onto that yet, I'm sure they got Goldfish and Chinese Lanterns banned.

Something tells me this might be a load of students playing pranks, I'd thought intelligence gathering had moved on from balloons

 

[Strathclyder]

Amusing though many views are about balloons and other objects....thankfully, thus far as they've been over Alaska, Sarah hasn't offered her own unique "thoughts " as to what they maybe or from whence they came....this article makes for an interesting read..

Unidentified High-Altitude Airship Spotted Flying Near South China Sea [Photos]

Satellite images indicated that China has deployed airships in the past to strengthen military reconnaissance ability in the South China Sea.

www.ibtimes.com

Thank god for that. One more news interview from her and my brain will literally short-circuit!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Seen on Twitter after the latest report of the US shooting down an unidentified flying object...

https://twitter.com/Peter_Mugridge/status/1624748211582664704?s=20&t=ho5tAEhK8NZfut1HJu0K4Q

Picture shows the Freeview aliens, the male alien is telling the bossy female alien: "I told you it was a bad idea to change all the channel numbers yet again!"; the implication being that the US are shooting them down because all the Freeview channel numbers got messed about again.

 

[WizCastro197]

Oh dear.

It appears that the US military have shots yet another object over Lake Huron.

The US has shot down another unidentified flying object, this time over Lake Huron near the Canadian border, in what is the fourth such incident this US military shoots down another flying object over Lake Huron.

Mystery surrounds objects shot down by US military

A spate of high-altitude objects have been shot down in North American airspace in recent days.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[brad465]

The main gag at the moment is that they shot down Sam Smith.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Military on high alert and Russia/Ukrainian situation to add in. Kim, willy waving in North Korea. Hope calm heads prevail.

The world is getting a very scary place indeed.

Especially so if you own a Card Factory or Clintons and sell Helium filled balloons for birthday parties...

I stand by my comments.

 

[adc82140]

Oh dear.

It appears that the US military have shots yet another object over Lake Huron.

Mystery surrounds objects shot down by US military

A spate of high-altitude objects have been shot down in North American airspace in recent days.

www.bbc.co.uk

Up until last week, these things probably passed over unnoticed. If they are Chinese like the big one was, I wonder how long they've been doing this for?

 

[WatcherZero]

From various sources and what I can gather it looks like the first one was indeed a significant ELINT platform. A balloon the size of three buses and carrying 1000lbs in payload. 2nd and 3rd may have been normal civilian weather balloons from their car size and description as silver-metal cylinders, and this 4th one thats described as an Octagon and dangling strings at only 20,000 feet I suspect is actually an escaped kite.

 

[dangie]

US Northern Command Commander General Glen VanHerck when asked if it was possible the objects are aliens or extra-terrestrials.

"I haven't ruled out anything at this point."

 

[DaleCooper]

Amazon's latest automated delivery idea is a failure.

 

[DarloRich]

The world is getting a very scary place indeed.

In the USA/China relationship the issue of Taiwan is about 47 quidrillion times more worrying than some balloons.

EDIT - of course, we COULD be living through the start of War of the Worlds or Independence day and we have just shown our extra terrestrial visitors we are hostile. That might be a bit scary...............

 

[Lost property]

In the USA/China relationship the issue of Taiwan is about 47 quidrillion times more worrying than some balloons.

EDIT - of course, we COULD be living through the start of War of the Worlds or Independence day and we have just shown our extra terrestrial visitors we are hostile. That might be a bit scary...............

I thought the LP was pretty good really..

 

[DarloRich]

I thought the LP was pretty good really..

the Richard Burton voiced one?

 

[nlogax]

If nothing else this has been quite the unexpected career diversion for the F-22 stealth platform.

 

[yorksrob]

I thought the LP was pretty good really..

I wouldn't worry. The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one.