Replies

Let’s get a tally of the expense of shooting these last 4 (or is it 5 now????) “objects” so far. Sidewinder missiles $400K a piece. No less expensive way to take these down? Don’t we have drones that can intercept this without launching a missile at it? Was watching Battle Bots earlier, and those guys could build something less than $400k to take care of this.

15 posted on 02/12/2023 1:14:13 PM PST by Blue Highway

To: Blue Highway

Don’t we have planes with guns?

50 posted on 02/12/2023 1:30:25 PM PST by HYPOCRACY (This is the dystopian future we've been waiting for!)

To: Blue Highway

“Let’s get a tally of the expense of shooting these last 4 (or is it 5 now????) “objects” so far. Sidewinder missiles $400K a piece. No less expensive way to take these down? Don’t we have drones that can intercept this without launching a missile at it? Was watching Battle Bots earlier, and those guys could build something less than $400k to take care of this”

The problem with your solution is that these balloons are at 70,000 feet or higher, and the official ceiling of the F-22 is 65,000 feet...so you generally need a missile (I sincerely doubt that any of our drones that cost less than $400K each could reach that altitude). HOWEVER, we’ve been working on lasers for defense of aircraft from missiles...and the cost in electricity to power up each shot of the laser is something on the order of $10. Yeah, you read that right, TEN BUCKS. I don’t know if the lasers would be effective, but with the atmosphere being so thin at that altitude it seems that they would be more effective than on a strategic bomber at, say, 50,000 feet shooting at a missile. The questions are: a) do we have any of these lasers ready (or nearly ready) to put on a plane and brought fairly close to the balloon and b) will shots from the laser puncture enough area on the balloon to bring them down relatively quickly, or are multiple shots required?

72 posted on 02/12/2023 1:44:53 PM PST by Ancesthntr (“The right to buy weapons is the right to be free.” ― A.E. Van Vogt, The Weapons Shops of Isher)

To: Blue Highway

Of course, another issue is how much it costs in fuel and spares/maintenance every time an F-22 flies up to that altitude...but something has to deliver a kill shot on those “weather” balloons, and that aircraft appears to have the highest operating ceiling of anything in our inventory that can deliver a missile. But I would love to know how much it costs, exclusive of the missile.

79 posted on 02/12/2023 1:50:43 PM PST by Ancesthntr (“The right to buy weapons is the right to be free.” ― A.E. Van Vogt, The Weapons Shops of Isher)

To: Blue Highway

Selfridge Air National Guard Base may have something they may not have had in more than 20 years- F-16’s or any other supersonic fighter. The “Red Devils” of the 107th FS have the A-10C Warthog but maybe now the have some F-16s in the mix. Or, maybe it was the ANG in Toledo with one of their F-16’s that was formerly based at SANGB. Whatever it was that went up there for the shoot-down, it should have been able to shoot some video as well.

116 posted on 02/12/2023 2:15:05 PM PST by equaviator (There's nothing like the universe to bring you down to earth.)

To: Blue Highway

I would think a burst of 20mm cannon fire would work at 0.01% of the cost.

164 posted on 02/12/2023 3:15:50 PM PST by LukeL

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