The New Cold War

Cousin Billy wrote:Nervira me to što sam prilično siguran da za života nećemo saznati wtf se tu zapravo dogodilo   Kako god da seckam Okamovom oštricom, sve je ili too convenient ili je neubedljivo.

Spoiler:

Filipenko wrote:Jebes mi sve ako ne bih poslao sina Zirinovskog da u Migu 31 obleti USA, onako cisto da vidim sta ce se desiti.

#BREAKING: #USAF finally targeted the #ChineseBalloon over Atlantic Ocean off the shore of South Carolina, #US. The aircraft which shot it this spy balloon down most likely was a F-22A Raptor and used a pair of AIM-120D AMRAAM air-to-air missiles. Watch the missiles hitting it pic.twitter.com/HUctQ9deZE

— Babak Taghvaee - The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) February 4, 2023

kapetanm wrote:Šta sy našli kad je pao

But experts say that the balloon, which is being closely monitored by US officials, looks nothing like a typical weather balloon.
“The reported characteristics of this balloon don’t really match anything that we’re familiar with,” Jonathan Porter, the chief meteorologist at Accuweather, tells TIME. (...)
Around the world, thousands of government-operated and privately owned weather balloons are launched daily to collect information about temperature, winds and moisture in the atmosphere. Porter explains that this balloon was detected so quickly and raised alarms because of its massive size. A typical weather balloon grows in size as it ascends through the atmosphere, starting off at about six feet wide, and expanding to roughly 20 feet in diameter as it rises. The Chinese balloon clocks in at around 90 feet wide, or the length of three buses, according to U.S. defense officials.
“The kinds of weather balloons that are launched twice a day from Weather Service offices are typically just a little box that has a temperature sensor, relative humidity sensor, pressure sensor and then a little tiny transmitter,” Alexandra Anderson-Frey, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Washington, tells TIME. “Based on the photos that have been going around, there’s obviously a lot more equipment on this one.”

F-15 first kill: MiG-21
F-14 first kill: SU-22
F-16 first kill: MiG-21
F-18 first kill: MiG-21
F-35 first kill: cargo UAVs
F-22 first kill: a balloon

The future sucks

— Oded Berkowitz (@Oded121351) February 5, 2023

• There is no evidence the airship was from China, though its design appears similar to types on display at the Zhuhai air show
  

Statement From Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, Feb. 4, 2023
This afternoon, at the direction of President Biden, U.S. fighter aircraft assigned to U.S. Northern Command successfully brought down the high altitude surveillance balloon launched by and belonging to the People's Republic of China (PRC) over the water off the coast of South Carolina in U.S. airspace.  The balloon, which was being used by the PRC in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States, was brought down above U.S. territorial waters.  On Wednesday, President Biden gave his authorization to take down the surveillance balloon as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to American lives under the balloon's path.  After careful analysis, U.S. military commanders had determined downing the balloon while over land posed an undue risk to people across a wide area due to the size and altitude of the balloon and its surveillance payload. In accordance with the President's direction, the Department of Defense developed options to take down the balloon safely over our territorial waters, while closely monitoring its path and intelligence collection activities.  This action was taken in coordination, and with the full support, of the Canadian government.  And we thank Canada for its contribution to tracking and analysis of the balloon through NORAD as it transited North America.  Today's deliberate and lawful action demonstrates that President Biden and his national security team will always put the safety and security of the American people first while responding effectively to the PRC's unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.

The balloon did not pose a military or physical threat. Still its intrusion into American airspace over several days was an unacceptable violation of U.S. sovereignty. The official said Chinese balloons briefly transited the continental United States at least three times during the prior administration. 
While Chinese officials admitted that the balloon was theirs, they said it was a runaway weather balloon. "The PRC has claimed publicly that the high-altitude balloon operating above the United States is a weather balloon that was blown off course. This is false," the official said. "This was a PRC surveillance balloon. This surveillance balloon purposely traversed the United States and Canada, and we are confident it was seeking to monitor sensitive military sites." 

The Foreign Ministry Issues Statement on the US Claim of Downing a Chinese Unmanned Airship, 2023-02-05 08:58
China strongly disapproves of and protests against the US attack on a civilian unmanned airship by force. The Chinese side has, after verification, repeatedly informed the US side of the civilian nature of the airship and conveyed that its entry into the US due to force majeure was totally unexpected. The Chinese side has clearly asked the US side to properly handle the matter in a calm, professional and restrained manner. The spokesperson of the US Department of Defense also noted that the balloon does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Under such circumstances, the US use of force is a clear overreaction and a serious violation of international practice. China will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the company concerned, and reserves the right to make further responses if necessary.