China's official media shows shot down a U.S U - 2

[ameer219]

If the US was so shocked, we would not have REPEATEDLY conducted those overflights. I have listened to SR-71 mission tapes over Soviet territory and have no doubts there are tapes over mainland China -- REPEATEDLY

If you are shocked at something, it does not necessarily means that you have to stop whatever you are doing to fulfill your objective, they will definitely be shocked cos they were caught spying by China, but that does not mean they will not continue doing it over and over again.

Neither you nor I know. The US have good cause to keep quiet about these successes and China have good cause to keep quiet about failures to intercept.

I doubt I have made a statement denying the fact that USA is continuing to spy on China.

 

[xdrive]

Are you claiming that there are active breaches of Chinese Airspace going on in this day and age on a regular basis and the Chinese have no option but to let it happen?

I wouldn't be surprised.

Iraq was letting the United States bomb it's cities every week from 1990 to 2003, when they could of easily shot the jets down with anti-aircraft weapons. You have to think of the greater consequences.

 

[Sanchez]

Spy flights close to China's aerospace is quite likely but not in Chinese sovereign space. Do you really believe that China would even keep mouth shut? Fancy boys.

 

[Cheetah786]

What is the need of B2 sortie US already has high resolution satellites?

Unless India is 51st state U do realize that baby can and prolly has been used against India so what are you so exsited about.

 

[Cheetah786]

I wouldn't be surprised.

Iraq was letting the United States bomb it's cities every week from 1990 to 2003, when they could of easily shot the jets down with anti-aircraft weapons. You have to think of the greater consequences.

China isnt Iraq

 

[qsaark]

Are you claiming that there are active breaches of Chinese Airspace going on in this day and age on a regular basis and the Chinese have no option but to let it happen?

President Nixon, on his visit to China promised to cease all the spy flights in 1972. At least officially, the last spy flight over China took place in 24 May 1974.

If you are shocked at something, it does not necessarily means that you have to stop whatever you are doing to fulfill your objective, they will definitely be shocked cos they were caught spying by China, but that does not mean they will not continue doing it over and over again.

At any rate, American record of learning lessons from blunders is pathetic at best.

Iraq was letting the United States bomb it's cities every week from 1990 to 2003, when they could of easily shot the jets down with anti-aircraft weapons. You have to think of the greater consequences.

Thirteen years of continues bombing on Iraq, should I feel lucky to know this ‘novel’ piece of never-heard-before information from a neo-historian?

 

[Srinivas]

High tech satellites don't carry payloads. A bomber sortie is often dont to show a nation's capability to bomb another.

US can do that with cruise missiles and ballistic missiles dude.

 

[faithfulguy]

I believe that China will shot down a US spy plane if it can. If that had not happened, its because of technology issues, but political.

Look what happened in 2001.

 

[gpit]

While it was a big deal shooting down a U-2 during 60’s, comparing U-2 with B-2 is like comparing an orange with an apple.

U-2 claims high altitude advantages, whereas B-2 boasts stealthy. They need different technologies to handle in a different ways. One can’t assert that shooting down U-2 can guarantee the same for B-2. That’s naïve, if not absurd.

One may say however that one has the potential to tackle novice challenge in the future, as demonstrated in the past.

In addition, many documents corroborate the fact that the down of U-2 was also helped by Soviet Union.

 

[graphican]

In addition, many documents corroborate the fact that the down of U-2 was also helped by Soviet Union.

It shouldn't be a reason of relief if the missile with which US spy plane got hit wasn't actually made in China. Who ever helped that happen, it stays a fact that USA got down its unreachable plane.

 

[gambit]

If you are shocked at something, it does not necessarily means that you have to stop whatever you are doing to fulfill your objective, they will definitely be shocked cos they were caught spying by China, but that does not mean they will not continue doing it over and over again.

We should discard the word 'shocked'. It is nothing more than a piece of rhetorical flourish, hardly a statement of fact. The leadership, civilian and military, understand well that these types of clandestine activities are no less risky than open warfare. May be -- just may be -- that the US was surprised that there were weapons in the PLA's arsenal that could bring down a U-2, but hardly 'shocked' as we know what the Soviets could wield and give the PLA.

 

[gambit]

Let's not take the credit away from the Serbs, some degree of re-engineering and creative thinking was involved in taking it down.

Alert 5 - Military Aviation News: Serb discusses 1999 downing of stealth

The only credit I and others like myself who were and are in the radar business willing to give the Serbs is persistence, an admirable quality no matter what. Numbers do not lie but people do. The numbers has NATO flew tens of thousands of sorties over Yugoslavia. If what Dani did, and your source is scant on the technical side, was so effective against the F-117, then it should have been ten times more effective against greater radar reflective aircrafts. This is about the laws of physics and common sense.

So if we take a look at your source...

The stealth fighter was shot down with a modified SA-3 Goa surface-to-air missile from his battery. They modified the warhead's guidance system that involved 'electromagnetic waves.'

What the heck does that mean? Is EM wave something newly discovered? May be it is to Zoltan Dani.

James O'Halloran, editor of Jane's Land-Based Air Defense, said the Serbs could succeed because the stealth fighter was not design to be invisible to old long pulse duration radars.

And 'pre-steath' aircrafts are 'invisible' to these long wavelengths signals? In radar detection, NOTHING is 'invisible' no matter what wavelength used. Whatever Mr. O'Halloran said is either wrong or that snippet is part of a more comprehensive explanation, one that was conveniently omitted. I wonder why.

 

[gambit]

Are you claiming that there are active breaches of Chinese Airspace going on in this day and age on a regular basis and the Chinese have no option but to let it happen?

Not 'claiming' anything at all. Just like how China is 'claiming' that there are no espionage activities against the US for China's interests.

 

[xdrive]

China isnt Iraq

I know it isn't. Thanks for pointing out the complete obvious.

I was just using the story about iraq to prove my point that i was trying to make.

The U.S can fly over china and nothing will happen, because china knows if they do something, it will have greater consequences. Just like when iraq could of shot down american bombings planes.

 

[Sanchez]

Not 'claiming' anything at all. Just like how China is 'claiming' that there are no espionage activities against the US for China's interests.

If you are talking old time stories it's true. But now US spy planes can only fly beyong China's territorial waters. Any violation of China's sovereign space would mean a big diplomatic issue. I don't think US government may allow this type of embarassment to happen while pretending to be a world police. Or are you implying that US has an unknown spy plane that can not even be spotted by Chinese defense system? Please either provide us some evidence or cut your crap.

Both China and US and other countries are spying on each other. There's no way China would claim we don't have spies on US. Even US won't make such stupid claims that no one believes. It shares no similarity to the cases of sending surveillance or spy planes into the sovereign space of others.