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Original poster

Ok - what are these flying objects the US keeps shooting down

379 replies

fissty · 11/02/2023 22:12

First the ballon

Then a mysterious object the size of a car

now another BBC alert they are tracking another “ufo” across Canada…..

Chinese?

Aliens?

OP posts:
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10
notimagain · 17/02/2023 08:26

Just remembered something that made me wonder if the fighter pilots were told to check for anybody hanging underneath these objects before pulling the trigger....😉

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawnchair_Larry_flight

bollihigh · 17/02/2023 09:15

notimagain · 17/02/2023 07:56

The mostly likely culprits are state actors or 'deniable' private agents working for state actors but that there is a desire to ramp down the rhetoric and draw a line under the spat which after all in the world of spying everyone does anyway.

To say the least no, not really, they are not the most likely, not for the smaller objects.

The Chinese have fessed up to the first (big) balloon, though not what it was doing. As for the smaller objects it is worth being aware that some schools, some hobby interest groups and even individuals have been having genuine fun and games flying balloons to high altitude..it's relatively easy to do...couple of it being done legitimately here:

www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1306422636052488

All fine if done in a approved manner ( there are rules on payload size and if and who needs to be notified). However not so fine if it's not done in the approved manner.

@RecoIIectionsMayVary

A million dollars to down a privately owned object? And that is all A OK?

Yep...OK in my book in certain circumstances...

Send something reasonably sizeable but hard to detect up to linger, drifting around, in what is known as controlled airspace at civil aviation cruising altitudes (which the smaller objects were) without notifying anyone and I'd say you're vulnerable to it all ending with a roughly 400k dollar solution.

You may well be right, my confirmation bias is showing. It may have been balloon tech nerds or then maybe not... the truth is out there,

aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/hobby-clubs-missing-balloon-feared-shot-down-usaf

bollihigh · 17/02/2023 09:22

Some of these guys could well be getting a knock and a stern warning methinks. Whereas malign actors will be stocking up no doubt.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Spooky & paranormal
notimagain · 17/02/2023 09:30

@bollihigh

Oh dear, that's all a bit sad..thanks for the link.

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