Chinese surveillance balloon over Montana?

[huntin24/7]

I like to picture him up there, riding his balloon spotting the booners and marking waypoints.

View attachment 263243

He was actually hired by mossback to do preseason scouting from that balloon.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

The balloon makes total sense for these uses in a place where the locals have limited ability to detect or do anything about the balloon (e.g., Afghanistan).

Doesn’t it seem odd to purposely send conspicuous surveillance equipment to the US and expect it to perform without detection or interception?

Reference my previous post about China doing this as a provocation. Based on China's patterns, I would not be surprised if this was done with the expectation of detection to embarrass the US in front of its own people, create unease about China's ability to threaten US soil, and collect whatever intel they can in the process. China benefits from our internal turmoil, as it prevents the US from focusing on an external threat. There are 4 elements of national power: Diplomatic, Information, Military, and Economic. This is likely an effort to influence us in the information space more than to gain an acute military advantage.

 

[Stocker]

China is claiming prevailing winds and limited steering capabilities.

Of a balloon? Whoda thunk you couldn’t steer it well in winds. Thought the ChiComs were a little smarter than that.

 

[noharleyyet]

Of a balloon? Whoda thunk you couldn’t steer it well in winds. Thought the ChiComs were a little smarter than that.

They are smart...no question.

 

[2rocky]

Any of you have Grandparents who were on the West Coast during World War II?

https://www.history.com/news/attack-of-japans-killer-wwii-balloons-70-years-ago

 

[bullbugle307]

Some of those balloon bombs made it to Wyoming in WW2 IIRC.

 

[Beignet]

China benefits from our internal turmoil, as it prevents the US from focusing on an external threat.

This exactly. A certain other wannabe peer-competitor has been using these types of tactics as part of their hybrid warfare toolkit for years and the American public falls for it hook, line, and sinker.

 

[FI460]

Any of you have Grandparents who were on the West Coast during World War II?

https://www.history.com/news/attack-of-japans-killer-wwii-balloons-70-years-ago

View attachment 263284

There's a memorial for this just a few hours from me. Interesting piece of history.

 

[Stocker]

Some of those balloon bombs made it to Wyoming in WW2 IIRC.

One Japanese bomb balloon hit the Dundee Neighborhood of Omaha.

 

[flatcoat]

There's a memorial for this just a few hours from me. Interesting piece of history.

I've visited that, only casualties on US soil during WWII?

Allegedly a second balloon over Canada.

 

[LopeHunter]

Some of those balloon bombs made it to Wyoming in WW2 IIRC.

Some of the Japanese military balloons were designed to set fires to forests to tie up manpower. Some were designed to drop fleas infected with Bubonic Plague.

 

[MarvB]

China is claiming prevailing winds and limited steering capabilities.

My Ex tried that once...they still gave her a DUI.

 

[Pagosa]

Man I don’t like chinamen

 

[hank4elk]

They are good at screwing with peoples minds and some even are scared of them. Hell some folks go into business with them...or buy crap from them including candy and medicine for children. Fools.
Shoot the damn thing down.

 

[mtmiller]

Pentagon or HT experts. This is a tough call.

What would MTG do?

 

[2rocky]

What would MTG do?

HTM?

 

[hank4elk]

you could ask them nicely in a tictoc dance...

 

[bullbugle307]

2rocky…light the starfish light!

 

[nontyp]

Over/Under on the number of rifle shots that have been fired at it so far? 100?

 

[Elktrack]

This is such horse chit.
If this was an Iranian balloon we wouldn’t be talking about it because it would be on the ground by now.