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During the "balloon shootdowns" earlier this year, NORAD referred to them as objects and some people looked a little shook. They wouldn't show us pictures from

During the "balloon shootdowns" earlier this year, NORAD referred to them as objects and some people looked a little shook. They wouldn't show us pictures from any camera.. not from the planes, not from the missiles, nada. Yet, when Russia clumsily attacked a US drone near Ukraine, footage of the event was made available almost right away. The "balloons" absolutely were referred to as objects, and you should question what was so special about them that they won't show anything. Embarrassment at repeatedly scrambling F-22 Raptors to shoot missiles at a child's party balloon is not a good enough reason. It was something. It wasn't nothing and it's just been brushed under the carpet as if it never happened. That's nice, but you know what? If the object was "other", it'll be back.

nradov 3y ago
What are you talking about? They released multiple pictures of the Chinese spy balloons. https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/chinas-spy-balloon-over-montana-is-part-of-a-larger-more-troubling-pattern https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/chinas-spy-balloon-ove...
- Sunspark 3y ago
  That was only the 1st one which China owned up to. What about the other 3 objects that had fighters scrambled from both the US and Canada and of which no photos exist and no-one has claimed ownership of? One object was blamed on a hobby balloon club and I have questions about it because usually winds move west to east and their balloon allegedly travelled east to west. In any case, how about the other 2 that weren't blamed on anyone, especially the one over Alaska? Nobody can answer the questions because it's all classified "National Security".
  - kube-system 3y ago
    > I have questions about it because usually winds move west to east and their balloon allegedly travelled east to west On a macro scale, and on average, yes, but on the scale of a balloon, there are many winds that blow west.
deleted 3y ago
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kube-system 3y ago
Much of the capabilities of the F-22 are classified. This is why the information released is limited, and released slowly and vaguely if it is. It is the US's most advanced fighter, there's no way they're going to release all the data it collects publicly. China is taking notes.
- Sunspark 3y ago
  Some of the planes were F-16 and F-18. Use camera footage from the F-18, run it through the low-resolution blurring filter to pretend that's as good as it gets for an airframe that entered service 44 years ago (yes, I know the avionics have been updated since then, but it's still an old jet) and redact out all the HUD numbering and readouts. They did that with AARO's video of the metallic orb over the middle east. Made it blurry, and redacted out all data readouts. They could do the same thing with the F-18's footage.. show us that it's a balloon.

nradov 3y ago

What are you talking about? They released multiple pictures of the Chinese spy balloons. https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/chinas-spy-balloon-over-montana-is-part-of-a-larger-more-troubling-pattern https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/chinas-spy-balloon-ove...

Sunspark 3y ago
That was only the 1st one which China owned up to. What about the other 3 objects that had fighters scrambled from both the US and Canada and of which no photos exist and no-one has claimed ownership of? One object was blamed on a hobby balloon club and I have questions about it because usually winds move west to east and their balloon allegedly travelled east to west. In any case, how about the other 2 that weren't blamed on anyone, especially the one over Alaska? Nobody can answer the questions because it's all classified "National Security".
- kube-system 3y ago
  > I have questions about it because usually winds move west to east and their balloon allegedly travelled east to west On a macro scale, and on average, yes, but on the scale of a balloon, there are many winds that blow west.

deleted 3y ago

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kube-system 3y ago

Much of the capabilities of the F-22 are classified. This is why the information released is limited, and released slowly and vaguely if it is. It is the US's most advanced fighter, there's no way they're going to release all the data it collects publicly. China is taking notes.

Sunspark 3y ago
Some of the planes were F-16 and F-18. Use camera footage from the F-18, run it through the low-resolution blurring filter to pretend that's as good as it gets for an airframe that entered service 44 years ago (yes, I know the avionics have been updated since then, but it's still an old jet) and redact out all the HUD numbering and readouts. They did that with AARO's video of the metallic orb over the middle east. Made it blurry, and redacted out all data readouts. They could do the same thing with the F-18's footage.. show us that it's a balloon.