Chinese Balloon

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Apparently small balloons are like small boats. Anyone can go floating, no licenses required. There's three countries with radio restrictions, so you need to shut that down while overflying. Not clear whether the government will have to pay damages, article doesn't discuss. IANAL, but looks like a "taking" to me

It's a clown show

Most small watercraft need a license and are subject to regulations


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[SumJongGuy]

Most small watercraft need a license and are subject to regulations


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

Yep, have to have life vests, a fire extinguisher, and you can get a DWI of there is a motor, even just a little trolling motor.

[fastfred]

has anyone consulted ballon boy and his dad?

https://kdvr.com/news/local/what-did...-13-years-ago/

[sb]

Lets do it!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_con...ature=emb_logo

[baron]

^f'kn A, nice find sfb

still waiting for someone to link some Flying Circus balloon episode clips

Balloons are for kiddywinks ! its a Zeppelin- you Saxon git!

[garyfromterrace]

In the final year of WORLD WAR II, Japan developed a new weapon for use against the Allies in a last-ditch attempt to retaliate for her losses. Between November 1944 and July 1945, Japan released over 9,000 bomb-bearing balloons against the continental United States and Canada. Each paper balloon carried one high-explosive bomb and several incendiary devices designed to start massive fires in the FORESTS of North America. Once released, these balloons drifted eastward on the prevailing winds and jet stream, crossing the Pacific Ocean in approximately sixty hours. Air Force pilots, stationed on the west coast and in the Aleutian Islands, shot down many balloons but over 1,000 reached their targets, some drifting inland as far as Michigan. Many were never found; but out of the 285 incidents recorded by the Smithsonian Institute of Washington, eight bombs descended in Saskatchewan. All reports of sightings were immediately suppressed by strict military censorship. Six more balloons landed in Manitoba.

Confirmed sites in Saskatchewan and the dates (all in 1945) were recorded as follows: Stoney Rapids (January 1), Minton (January 12), MOOSE JAW (February 9), PORCUPINE PLAIN (February 22), Camsell Portage (March 21), Consul (March 30), ITUNA (March 31), KELVINGTON (May 15).

There were no reports of serious damage at any of the sites in Saskatchewan or elsewhere in Canada. In the United States, however, five youths and an adult were killed when a group of picnickers detonated a live Japanese bomb that had come down in a forested area of Oregon. Ironically, a balloon bomb also destroyed the power source to an atomic research plant in Washington State; this power outage briefly interrupted production of the two atomic bombs which were being prepared for delivery to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Harold J. Fenske

[Meadow Skipper]

woosh? Russians reminded balloons can be used for military purposes -> Russians successfully employed balloons for military purposes. If we hadn't reminded them with our clown show, defense radars not confused by balloons -> missile shootdown rate would have been high as usual.

Got a link for that? The whole concept got me to thinking about prevailing winds, and I’m guessing Russia would need strongish winds from the east to make that happen. But I’d like to see a reference.

In most of the military uses I remember reading about, prevailing winds were westerly, like Japan in WWII and this China thing.

[LongShortLong]

Got a link for that? The whole concept got me to thinking about prevailing winds, and I’m guessing Russia would need strongish winds from the east to make that happen. But I’d like to see a reference.

In most of the military uses I remember reading about, prevailing winds were westerly, like Japan in WWII and this China thing.

Here you go. Russia used radar reflecting balloons last week, more missiles got through,
https://www.voanews.com/a/draft-un-r...e/6965410.html
Standard disclaimer that war news may be propaganda.

As for military balloon use, the DOD ran some spy balloon trials in the oughts. The advantage is long loiter times. I don't track this, just happened to be working in a related field, so maybe they've tested or deployed at other times.

[old goat]

In the final year of WORLD WAR II, Japan developed a new weapon for use against the Allies in a last-ditch attempt to retaliate for her losses. Between November 1944 and July 1945, Japan released over 9,000 bomb-bearing balloons against the continental United States and Canada. Each paper balloon carried one high-explosive bomb and several incendiary devices designed to start massive fires in the FORESTS of North America. Once released, these balloons drifted eastward on the prevailing winds and jet stream, crossing the Pacific Ocean in approximately sixty hours. Air Force pilots, stationed on the west coast and in the Aleutian Islands, shot down many balloons but over 1,000 reached their targets, some drifting inland as far as Michigan. Many were never found; but out of the 285 incidents recorded by the Smithsonian Institute of Washington, eight bombs descended in Saskatchewan. All reports of sightings were immediately suppressed by strict military censorship. Six more balloons landed in Manitoba.

Confirmed sites in Saskatchewan and the dates (all in 1945) were recorded as follows: Stoney Rapids (January 1), Minton (January 12), MOOSE JAW (February 9), PORCUPINE PLAIN (February 22), Camsell Portage (March 21), Consul (March 30), ITUNA (March 31), KELVINGTON (May 15).

There were no reports of serious damage at any of the sites in Saskatchewan or elsewhere in Canada. In the United States, however, five youths and an adult were killed when a group of picnickers detonated a live Japanese bomb that had come down in a forested area of Oregon. Ironically, a balloon bomb also destroyed the power source to an atomic research plant in Washington State; this power outage briefly interrupted production of the two atomic bombs which were being prepared for delivery to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Harold J. Fenske

Good thing for us space lasers hadn't yet been invented to start forest fires.

[Nobody Famous]

Does anyone remember this from 2015?

I'm sure the military would rather forget about it. Beyond knocking out power and causing a whole lot of WTF moments, it gave our enemies ideas how to go about an unconventional attack on the US power grid.



More details here: https://www.baltimoresun.com/marylan...030-story.html

[jono]

For at least 80 years or so, right through last year. Spying, bioweapons, bombs. I bet core shot knows why they call them "weather" balloons.

Could be the prevailing winds are on Ukraine's side, though. The last 4 days they've reported a reduction of 9 Russian air defense systems. Maybe those reflectors float back and light up Russian radar systems, too.

[MakersTeleMark]

I don't track this, just happened to be working in a related field, so maybe they've tested or deployed at other times.

Birthday candles?

[Core Shot]

For at least 80 years or so, right through last year. Spying, bioweapons, bombs. I bet core shot knows why they call them "weather" balloons.
.

Duh. Because its hard too predict weather they go wear you want them too.

[LongShortLong]

Birthday candles?

Those are cylinders with fire coming out one end? Balloons pop when candles get too close. Different place made those.

[MultiVerse]

Until a week ago you could attache a GoPro with an AirTag to a helium balloon and see for yourself the earth is flat, but now Biden might shoot it down. So now you have to prove it with an experiment

[AK47bp]

Until a week ago you could attache a GoPro with an AirTag to a helium balloon and see for yourself the earth is flat, but now Biden might shoot it down. So now you have to prove it with an experiment

Begs the question, what are they hiding?

[LHutz Esq]

So … Question. What can a balloon see that Chinese Eastern can’t ?

*edited because I am an idiot and picked a Taiwanese owned airline example the first time.

[sb]

Brandon billy badass shoot anyway!

[dunfree]

Anyone seen the selfie the U2 pilot took of himself and the ballon? Because that’s rad

this is reportedly it

[MontuckyFried]

^^
What's wild to me is that the U2 is an airframe designed around 70 years ago. First designed in '53, first test flown in '55.

I've seen them take off and land before. That's a crazy procedure with its "pogo wheels." I'd see a team in a chase car (usually a Corvette or Camaro) hauling ass right behind the landing plane. That looked like a fun job.

[m2711c]

Those guys must’ve gotten their maths correct on that one.







slide rules and pocket protectors for the win.



fact.

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

See that U2 red hatters? He's not just looking at it, he's frying up the insides of that thing.

Smooth brains just can't get past what faux news feeds them.

[sb]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lgX_JpkhsNc

Flying things r so hard to get off of.

Bone us points if he shit his pants at the same time.

[SumJongGuy]

Pretty sure the radar was originally tweaked to ignore slow flying stuff so NORAD doesn't get scrambled every time a flock of birds flies by.

[BmillsSkier]