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This is the only picture of the balloon fully intact that exists The reason we sent a U2 Spy plane of all things after it is because it’s about the only plane

• ceejayoz 4y ago
  > Although points for style shooting down a spy balloon with a spy plane An F-22 was used for the shoot down.
  • pantalaimon 4y ago
    That used an air-to-air missile, it didn’t have to get to the same level for that
• sokoloff 4y ago
  The F-15 can regularly climb over FL600 and, under special conditions, has exceeded 100K above MSL.
  • Manuel_D 4y ago
    In level flight or in a zoom climb? It's one thing to build up speed and pitch up in an ballistic arc, it's another thing to fly level at altitude.
    • sokoloff 4y ago
      The service ceiling is published as FL650. That’s defined as being able to sustain a 100fpm climb, so the absolute level flight ceiling is somewhat higher than that. Service ceiling figure is not in a zoom climb. It would easily suffice to engage a balloon at FL600.
    • zabzonk 4y ago
      the venerable english electric lightning (RAF) intercepted a u2 at 66k feet during a nato exercise under full control. it also made it to 86K feet, but that was a zoom climb, and the pilot seems to have found the experience rather scary.
  • jki275 4y ago
    That was a specialty pre-production version of the F15 that was modified to do basically just altitude and speed records. It never entered operational service. https://theaviationgeekclub.com/how-the-f-15-streak-eagle-broke-eight-time-to-climb-world-records/ https://theaviationgeekclub.com/how-the-f-15-streak-eagle-br...
• Animats 4y ago
  > This is the only picture of the balloon fully intact that exists. There are almost certainly much better pictures. This is just the pilot's selfie. The U-2 is built to take pictures. USAF: "The U-2 is capable of gathering a variety of imagery, including multi-spectral electro-optic, infrared, and synthetic aperture radar products which can be stored or sent to ground exploitation centers. In addition, it also supports high-resolution, broad-area synoptic coverage provided by the optical bar camera producing traditional film products which are developed and analyzed after landing. The U-2 also carries a signals intelligence payload."
  • hotpotamus 4y ago
    I doubt a U-2 camera could focus on another plane; I'd assume it's quite specialized for ground observation.
    • travisjungroth 4y ago
      It has a replaceable pod for a variety of equipment. They’ve been flying these for 67 years. I’d bet pretty strongly they were prepared.
      • libertyhouse 4y ago
        This looks like it was the two seat trainer version of the U-2 which doesn't carry mission equipment like the SYERS sensor or a data-link.
        • patapong 4y ago
          Would they really send a U-2 plane to pass by the balloon just to take a selfie?
          • BuyMyBitcoins 4y ago
            Just to take a selfie? The cynic in me thinks the DoD would totally value a photo-op enough to do this. I’m not a jingoistic person but even I felt a tinge of awe and American pride when I saw the photo. The U2 is cool, and this photo depicts the US as in control of the situation in a way that we didn’t feel when this thing was in the news.
• mulmen 4y ago
  The F-22 service ceiling is 65,000 feet.
• CoolGuySteve 4y ago
  It's an interesting plane to use when considering the USSR shot down a U-2 in 1960. This history even rhymes: the US initially claimed the U-2 was a weather device like China did with this balloon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_U-2_incident https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_U-2_incident If the Chinese say they can fly their balloons, can we fly our planes at the same altitude?
  • jkaptur 4y ago
    The Chinese shot down a number of U2s as well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Cat_Squadron https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Cat_Squadron You can see one of them at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution, but it's in pretty rough shape (understandably).
    • ChatGTP 4y ago
      That photo of the missiles coming for the pilots planes are incredible and terrifying. You'd have to have some pretty good nerves for that job.
    • JPKab 4y ago
      Fascinating. The intel gathered from these likely helped send Nixon to China by revealing the Sino-Soviet tensions due to the military buildup at the border.
  • walrus01 4y ago
    The history of the U-2 is actually pretty wild, they flew out of Peshawar Pakistan with full cooperation of the Pakistani military for a long time. Later on, the famous Chuck Yeager was the US military representative in Pakistan.
• Alupis 4y ago
  > The reason we sent a U2 Spy plane of all things after it is because it’s about the only plane we have still in service that can fly all the way up to 60,000 ft where the balloon was at the time Additionally, flying high requires flying fast, generally. The U2's huge wingspan allows it to fly much slower at these altitudes, and with much more ease and efficiency than say, an F-15 or F-22 as some other commenters have suggested being capable of shadowing the balloon at FL600+.
• foofoo55 4y ago
  The F-22 service ceiling is 60,000 ft so it can get up there too. The U2, however, flies relatively slow (< 400 kn) at that altitude so is ideal for an up-close inspection. I would think that the U2 internal cameras were designed for a long focal length and for objects below the aircraft. I wonder if they made modifications for balloon photos.
  • mulmen 4y ago
    The U2 contains a far more advanced sensor suite than just cameras. With something like this balloon I suspect the signals intelligence is at least as interesting as any visual reconnaissance.
• coolspot 4y ago
  Ironically, U-2 is itself a “weather plane”: > When the U.S. government learned of Powers's disappearance over the Soviet Union, they lied that a "weather plane" had strayed off course after its pilot had "difficulties with his oxygen equipment". What CIA officials did not realize was that the plane crashed almost fully intact and that the Soviets had recovered its pilot and the plane's equipment, including its top-secret high-altitude camera. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_U-2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_U-2