Chinese Spy Balloon Flying Over the U.S.

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It may just be an advertising balloon for those Shen Yun shows by Falun Gong, the publishers of Epoch Times…
 
Ok, if it’s to high to shoot down, we’ve found a hole in our defense!! Quick, another 2-3 billion to develop a weapons system able to shoot that high.
 
sourdough44 said:
Ok, if it’s to high to shoot down, we’ve found a hole in our defense!! Quick, another 2-3 billion to develop a weapons system able to shoot that high.
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We are capable of shooting down orbiting satellites. I think we can shoot down a balloon.
 
Ed Haywood said:
Easy enough to classify the attempt.

News release says POTUS decided not to shoot it down, which implies options were presented to do so.
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No doubt, the POTUS was given options. Said options would have included the probability of success and the cost of each. Would give him a basis for rejection.

Ron Wanttaja
 
Actually, the TFR prohibits the balloon as well. It only allows US military and emergency aircraft, and the balloon is neither.

It’s gonna splash, and soon.
 
Flightaware screenshot shows that the TFR has had the desired effect of clearing the airspace

E3D97487-B245-40E2-A5BF-99C8B6BD7047.jpeg
 
Piperonca said:
"The FAA has paused departures from and arrivals to Wilmington (ILM), Myrtle Beach International (MYR) and Charleston International (CHS) airports to support the Department of Defense in a national security effort."

So maybe a shoot-down at long last?
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Would be my guess!

Ron "Lock and load" Wanttaja
 
There’s a NOTAM for Charleston, but interestingly not for Wilmington or Myrtle Beach, at least on Foreflight.

If you ever wondered what a NOTAM looks like, for a nearby planned kill of a foreign aircraft, it’s not much:

AE80B3AB-693E-44B0-A946-E2EAC97F04D2.jpeg
 
The TFR:

DC 3/1029 ZDC PART 1 OF 3 SC..AIRSPACE MYRTLE BEACH, SC..TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS. PURSUANT TO 49 USC 40103(B)(3), THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) CLASSIFIES THE AIRSPACE DEFINED IN THIS NOTAM AS 'NTL DEFENSE AIRSPACE'. PILOTS WHO DO NOT ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING PROC MAY BE INTERCEPTED, DETAINED AND INTERVIEWED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT/ SECURITY PERSONNEL. ANY OF THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL ACTIONS MAY ALSO BE TAKEN AGAINST A PILOT WHO DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE RQMNTS OR ANY SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR PROC ANNOUNCED IN THIS NOTAM: A) THE FAA MAY TAKE ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION, INCLUDING IMPOSING CIVIL PENALTIES AND THE SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION OF AIRMEN CERTIFICATES; OR B) THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT MAY PURSUE CRIMINAL CHARGES, INCLUDING CHARGES UNDER 49 USC SECTION 46307; C) THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT MAY USE DEADLY FORCE AGAINST THE AIRBORNE ACFT, IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT THE ACFT POSES AN IMMINENT SECURITY THREAT; OR D) UAS OPERATORS WHO DO NOT COMPLY WITH APPLICABLE AIRSPACE 2302041745-2302041945 END PART 1 OF 3 FDC 3/1029 ZDC PART 2 OF 3 SC..AIRSPACE MYRTLE BEACH, SC..TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS ARE WARNED THAT PURSUANT TO 10 U.S.C. SECTION 130I AND 6 U.S.C. SECTION 124N, THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD), THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS) OR THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE (DOJ) MAY TAKE SECURITY ACTION THAT RESULTS IN THE INTERFERENCE, DISRUPTION, SEIZURE, DAMAGING, OR DESTRUCTION OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT DEEMED TO POSE A CREDIBLE SAFETY OR SECURITY THREAT TO PROTECTED PERSONNEL, FACILITIES, OR ASSETS. PURSUANT TO 14 CFR 99.7, SPECIAL SECURITY INSTRUCTIONS, ALL ACFT FLT OPS ARE PROHIBITED: WI AN AREA DEFINED AS 330038N0801929W TO 344046N0775901W TO 324140N0760147W TO 310252N0782101W TO THE POINT OF ORIGIN. SFC-60,000' MSL EFFECTIVE 2302041745 UTC (1245 LOCAL 02/04/23) UNTIL 2302041945 UTC (1445 LOCAL 02/04/23). EXCEPTIONS: A) NATIONAL SECURITY ACFT OPS UNDER DIRECTION OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE; AND B) LAW ENFORCEMENT, AIR AMBULANCE, AND OTHER URGENT GOVERNMENTAL RESPONSE ACFT OPS WITH AUTHORIZATION FROM 2302041745-2302041945 END PART 2 OF 3 FDC 3/1029 ZDC PART 3 OF 3 SC..AIRSPACE MYRTLE BEACH, SC..TEMPORARY FLIGHT ATC (ATC MUST SECURE PRE-APPROVAL BY THE ON DUTY NATIONAL TACTICAL SECURITY OPERATIONS AIR TRAFFIC SECURITY COORDINATOR). ALL AIRCRAFT, WHICH ARE ALREADY AIRBORNE WITHIN THE DEFINED AIRSPACE WHEN THIS TFR BECOMES EFFECTIVE, MUST EXIT THE AREA USING THE MOST EXPEDITIOUS ROUTE CONSISTENT WITH SAFETY AND IN COORDINATION WITH ATC AS APPROPRIATE. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TEL 850-283-5242 IS THE CDN FACILITY. 2302041745-2302041945 END PART 3 OF 3
 
So apparently it could be shot down. I bet China appreciated our willingness to let them complete their surveillance before we shot it down. After waiting so long, we could have just let it self destruct and not wasted gas and ammo.
 
SkyChaser said:
So apparently it could be shot down. I bet China appreciated our willingness to let them complete their surveillance before we shot it down. After waiting so long, we could have just let it self destruct and not wasted gas and ammo.
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consider it a target drone...
 
If they wanted to spy, all they'll had to do was hide cameras on any China Airlines plane. Just saying
 
Payload ejected. Balloon fragments took time, but the mission equipment fell freely. Hope it's recovered more or less intact.
 
Half Fast said:
We are capable of shooting down orbiting satellites. I think we can shoot down a balloon.
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Why can't we shoot to darn thing down then. When in history did a country like Russia for example allow the intrusion of any foreign flying object enter into the national airspace? Sure it is understandable that shooting it down might pose a threat to citizens...but what if its not only a weather balloon but also is something else? I find the fact that it "accidentally" strayed over here hard to believe. I would think that the people put it in flight would keep a reasonably close eye on it.
 
Mavalathon said:
Why can't we shoot to darn thing down then. When in history did a country like Russia for example allow the intrusion of any foreign flying object enter into the national airspace? Sure it is understandable that shooting it down might pose a threat to citizens...but what if its not only a weather balloon but also is something else? I find the fact that it "accidentally" strayed over here hard to believe. I would think that the people put it in flight would keep a reasonably close eye on it.
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We didn't want to shoot it down until China was done doing whatever it was they were doing with it. :confused::rolleyes::mad:
 
Baked Potato said:
I am curious as to what "data" it would be collecting that couldn't (or hasn't) already been obtained by existing means.
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Communications probably. Specially who in our military was talking to whom about how we reacted. And if nothing else to see what we would do about being poked with an overflight.
 
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