Pentagon tracking suspected Chinese spy balloon over the US

[MH.Yang]

These Americans are fabricating anti-China rumors again.

This is 2023, not 1923. Which country will use balloons as spies?

Look up at outer space. We have enough satellites to watch you.

 

[datafreak]

Well, not saying that is my opinion, but had a chat with my lawyer wife who practice international law.

She said the reason why China said it was a weather balloon and insist it was so thought out is that there is a clause in ICAO law stated that it is considered an act of war to shoot down civilian craft (It specify light craft such as balloon) that drifted into another nation airspace, so by claiming it was a weather balloon and US using force on downing the balloon is US committing an act of war on China.

But then it was her opinion that this is not a light civilian craft if the balloon is 90 ft in length.......

Makes sense

 

[Dalit]

These Americans are fabricating anti-China rumors again.

This is 2023, not 1923. Which country will use balloons as spies?

Look up at outer space. We have enough satellites to watch you.

Grandpa Joe was having a difficult moment in domestic politics. Chinese balloon saved the day.

Makes sense

Have you managed to contain China yet?

 

[Nan Yang]

The company that made this weather balloon claims they sold over 150,000 such balloons all over the world. And yes, India included.

This is good advertising for them.

 

[jhungary]

Yes, a 90 ft "Weather" Balloon with more solar panel to power a 40 core blade server and with no wind speedometer, no pitot tube can be seen from the outside and flew over almost all-weather pattern at 60,000 ft.

Yes, that make sense indeed. And that would make a GREAT advertisement for weather balloon...

Makes sense

 

[Viet]

The company that made this weather balloon claims they sold over 150,000 such balloons all over the world. And yes, India included.

This is good advertising for them.

150,000 sold? Wow not bad. China means business. From what I heard, also VN government says no any chinese spy balloon is ever observed over Vietnam.
I don’t think our air defense will be amused if the PLA sends such thing over our heads.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

It is a frigging BALOON and the USA has MASSIVE amounts of open space this thing has flow over - so why is this taking so long.

I tell you - propaganda ... nothing else.

Hits ground: electronics smashes into a million pieces
Hits water: less pieces to reassemble.

Video US official: Chinese spy balloon’s undercarriage found largely intact

The House has unanimously approved a resolution condemning China’s balloon surveillance program as a brazen violation of U.S. sovereignty.

abcnews.go.com

US official: Chinese spy balloon’s undercarriage found largely intact​

 

[jhungary]

MSN

Second one reportedly shot down, this is a smaller balloon

 

[Stranagor]

MSN

Second one reportedly shot down, this is a smaller balloon

Looks like governments will be extra jittery from now on about such unnotified flying objects in their air space. Shoot first, ask later.

Military commander tells Senate panel on Chinese spy balloon: "We think before we shoot"

Senators questioned Pentagon officials about why the spy balloon was not shot down over Alaska.

www.cbsnews.com

Military commander tells Senate panel on Chinese spy balloon: "We think before we shoot"

 

[jhungary]

Looks like governments will be extra jittery from now on about such unnotified flying objects in their air space. Shoot first, ask later.

Military commander tells Senate panel on Chinese spy balloon: "We think before we shoot"

Senators questioned Pentagon officials about why the spy balloon was not shot down over Alaska.

www.cbsnews.com

Military commander tells Senate panel on Chinese spy balloon: "We think before we shoot"

this is always the case, just that both side made a big fuzz out of it that surprise me

 

[Ali_Baba]

Montana congressman: mystery object detected above Havre still over US

Matt Rosendale, a Montana congressman whose district includes Havre, said on Saturday night that he had been told the U.S. military would continue monitoring skies for an 'object'.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Mystery airborne object remains over Montana, says congressman​

Its aliens people - this is a FIRST CONTACT situation - Americans need to tone down their trigger happy nature otherwise they may start an interstellar war ......

 

[gambit]

These Americans are fabricating anti-China rumors again.

This is 2023, not 1923. Which country will use balloons as spies?

Look up at outer space. We have enough satellites to watch you.

Legally speaking, in order for a balloon, ostensibly for meteorological research, to cross UNAUTHORIZED into sovereign airspace...And earn no adverse consequences...

Laws of Flying a Weather Balloon |

3. No payload package can exceed 6 lb. in weight.​

​

4. Entire weight of all payloads cannot exceed 12 lb. in total weight. This weight excludes the weight of the balloon.​

There is no doubt that the payload for this balloon here is much greater than specified in 3 and 4. It is not that difficult to find public information on WHEN and WHY a balloon is better than a satellite and when we are done examining the debris, we will know just a bit more about China's technological intelligence capabilities.

This is not a 'weather' balloon but a 'whether' balloon, as in whether China will spy on this location or that location as it traverse the US.

 

[MH.Yang]

Legally speaking, in order for a balloon, ostensibly for meteorological research, to cross UNAUTHORIZED into sovereign airspace...And earn no adverse consequences...

Laws of Flying a Weather Balloon |

3. No payload package can exceed 6 lb. in weight.​

​

4. Entire weight of all payloads cannot exceed 12 lb. in total weight. This weight excludes the weight of the balloon.​

There is no doubt that the payload for this balloon here is much greater than specified in 3 and 4. It is not that difficult to find public information on WHEN and WHY a balloon is better than a satellite and when we are done examining the debris, we will know just a bit more about China's technological intelligence capabilities.

This is not a 'weather' balloon but a 'whether' balloon, as in whether China will spy on this location or that location as it traverse the US.

Now the answer is obvious.

The reason why USA began to hype "China's balloon" on February 3 was that at the same time, a large toxic gas leakage accident broke out in Ohio.

The ability and freedom of speech of USA to deal with the accident are even worse than those of the former Soviet Union, at least the Soviet Union did not try to hide the Chernobyl accident.

 

[gambit]

Now the answer is obvious.

The reason why USA began to hype "China's balloon" on February 3 was that at the same time, a large toxic gas leakage accident broke out in Ohio.

The ability and freedom of speech of USA to deal with the accident are even worse than those of the former Soviet Union, at least the Soviet Union did not try to hide the Chernobyl accident.

What China did was deliberate and lied about it. What happened in Ohio was an industrial accident that any country would experience. The two has nothing to do with each other.

Do you deny the ICAO agreement that real weather balloon have a 12 lbs (6 kg) total payload limit in order to LEGALLY enter sovereign airspace? Your attempt to mislead the public is obvious.

 

[MH.Yang]

What China did was deliberate and lied about it. What happened in Ohio was an industrial accident that any country would experience. The two has nothing to do with each other.

Do you deny the ICAO agreement that real weather balloon have a 12 lbs (6 kg) total payload limit in order to LEGALLY enter sovereign airspace? Your attempt to mislead the public is obvious.

The accident occurred on February 3, but it was not until February 13 that American media reported it. If the US government did not block the news of such a serious accident, how could the US media delay the report for 10 days. In the past 10 days, the American media have been hyping the balloon event crazily. Is their purpose not obvious enough?