US military shoots down Chinese spy balloon over Atlantic Ocean

Fox News ^ | February 4, 2023 2:39pm EST | Adam Sabes

[conservative98]

The U.S. military has shot down the Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean.

While the balloon was off the coast of South Carolina, the balloon was shot down by the U.S. military on Saturday afternoon, according to Fox News sources

[Fightin Whitey]

Biden said he ordered it shot down Wednesday, why not over Alaska???? Did he just wake up from his nap..

Probably his morning crap.

[Elsie]

Thank GOD we are safe now!!!!

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/united-states-considering-plan-to-down-chinese-balloon-over-atlantic_n_63de9b98e4b01a436394c696

[Elsie]

60,000 feet?

[Blood of Tyrants]

Yep, Biden got permission from the Chicoms to shoot it down after its mission was accomplished.

[Elsie]

F-22A 

General characteristics
Primary function: air dominance, multi-role fighter
Contractor: Lockheed-Martin, Boeing
Power plant: two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofan engines with afterburners and two-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles.
Thrust: 35,000-pound class (each engine)
Wingspan: 44 feet, 6 inches (13.6 meters)
Length: 62 feet, 1 inch (18.9 meters)
Height: 16 feet, 8 inches (5.1 meters)
Weight: 43,340 pounds (19,700 kilograms)  
Maximum takeoff weight: 83,500 pounds (38,000 kilograms)  
Fuel capacity: internal: 18,000 pounds (8,200 kilograms); with 2 external wing fuel tanks: 26,000 pounds (11,900 kilograms)
Payload: same as armament air-to-air or air-to-ground loadouts; with or without two external wing fuel tanks.
Speed:  mach two class with supercruise capability
Range: more than 1,850 miles ferry range with two external wing fuel tanks (1,600 nautical miles)

Ceiling: above 50,000 feet (15 kilometers)

Armament: one M61A2 20-millimeter cannon with 480 rounds, internal side weapon bays carriage of two AIM-9 infrared (heat seeking) air-to-air missiles and internal main weapon bays carriage of six AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles (air-to-air loadout) or two 1,000-pound GBU-32 JDAMs and two AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles (air-to-ground loadout)
Crew: one
Unit cost: $143 million
Initial operating capability:  December 2005
Inventory: total force, 183

 (Current as of August 2022)

[CDB]

HT: Monty Python

[spokeshave]

[buckalfa]

"Maybe it was just a psy-op event."

Perhaps Xi was sending a not so subtle reminder that if the US interferes in China's affairs (eg South China Sea and Taiwan), they can interfere in ours.

[spokeshave]

Masks don’t work, then they do.

First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is
First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain

Oh Juanita, oh Juanita, oh Jaunita, I call your name

Caterpillar sheds his skin to find a butterfly within
Caterpillar sheds his skin to find a butterfly within

First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is
First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is
First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is
First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is

Writer/s: DONOVAN LEITCH
Publisher: Peermusic Publishing

[spokeshave]

Chinese Virus” was being considered highly racist (but only after Trump said it)

Yeah DJT created the Space Force...

Seems to me the Space Force would have captured it.

[piusv]

Yep. I’m as suspicious as heck. I don’t believe a word they tell me.

[Palio di Siena]

The US military has had its day!!!
We shot an unmanned, unarmed, f’n BALLOON down after 2 weeks of gathering
intelligence over our country.
Confidence inspiring to be sure.

[Maelstrom]

So Biden eliminated the evidence.

[Paul R.]

Heheh - you need to follow the NWS forecast discussions where they talk about upper level winds.

[TribalPrincess2U]

Exactly! Now he looks like a hero to his sheep.

[Paul R.]

Great vid! I also enjoyed the vid with the plane closing in and then the dual contrails as the missile sped ahead and took out the balloon.

For our missile experts:

Are we seeing a directed proximity blast? Basically a narrow cone of shrapnel blasted toward the balloon to shred it?

[Irenic]

dittos... I think COVID and elections killed off any trust I had left.

[Paul R.]

One of the TV reports showed it as launching in NW China, it went over Japan, (maybe just barely caught southernmost S. Korea), looped up to Alaska and back down through Canada, then through the US.

Lots of tracks over the USA got posted online, but I’ve not tried to figure out which were “predicted” and which were actual.

[lizma2]

“We’ll be lucky to live through it.”

Say your prayers...ON STEROIDS!

[Texan4Life]

Will we see proof that the China “weather” balloon had cameras aboard?

Was the $400,000 missile targeted to the balloon, or to the array under the balloon?

A balloon up that high seems like a good place for a Tom Cruise character to latch onto...