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U.S. shoots down Chinese balloon over Atlantic
Just the News ^ | Updated: February 4, 2023 - 2:46pm | Just the News staff

Posted on 02/04/2023 11:54:48 AM PST by E. Pluribus Unum

The U.S. has destroyed a Chinese balloon that had been floating over the continental United States over the past several days.

Footage on social media showed the balloon exploding during flight and beginning to fall toward the earth.


(Excerpt) Read more at justthenews.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Government
KEYWORDS: chinaspyballoon; partofthedeal; toolittletoolate
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To: yldstrk
Who in our government was protecting that balloon?

Who gave the stand-down orders?

41 posted on 02/04/2023 12:36:37 PM PST by corkoman
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

There is already one over Latin America and I’m not sure but somebody said there is a third one out there.


42 posted on 02/04/2023 12:36:55 PM PST by Beowulf9
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

43 posted on 02/04/2023 12:37:23 PM PST by dead (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_vFiUUcBkc)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Yeah, now that the CCP Asset, Joe Stupid, let it finish its mission, they shoot it down.


44 posted on 02/04/2023 12:39:32 PM PST by muir_redwoods (Freedom isn't free, liberty isn't liberal and you'll never find anything Right on the Left)
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To: Brilliant

Biden “Jill! I did something manly, I ordered the air force to shoot down a balloon! It was manly Jill! Would you touch my pee pee now?”


45 posted on 02/04/2023 12:39:52 PM PST by Lee Enfield (Candy Corn (nobody says anything sweet anymore))
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To: Lee Enfield

Corn Pop was a bad balloon.


46 posted on 02/04/2023 12:41:14 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

That was my thought exactly. The information from the balloon had been transmitted to China and Xi told Biden that he could now act “tough” and shoot it down.

Biden and his handlers are traitors to our country. Anyone who does not understand that has not been paying attention, is willfully blind to reality, or complicit in their actions.


47 posted on 02/04/2023 12:42:26 PM PST by CFW (old and retired)
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To: boomop1

‘Biden” surely promised the Chinese that they could fly the balloon but we would have to make a show of shooting it down once its mission was complete. It had to have prior permission to overfly the USA.


48 posted on 02/04/2023 12:43:17 PM PST by arthurus (covfefe dee)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Art of War
49 posted on 02/04/2023 12:43:34 PM PST by mewzilla (We will never restore the republic if we don't first secure the ballot box.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

A week too late. If Trump had been President the balloon would not have made it one mile into our territory. Biden is weak and also in debt to the communists.


50 posted on 02/04/2023 12:44:23 PM PST by beethovenfan (The REAL Great Reset will be when Jesus returns. )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Love the comments at the Twitter link.


51 posted on 02/04/2023 12:50:35 PM PST by tired&retired (Blessings )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Wondering…… does the fighter pilot that shot it down get to paint a ballon on the side of his jet???


52 posted on 02/04/2023 12:50:46 PM PST by OKC Patriot ("Never Forget"!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Shouldn’t we have shot it down over the Pacific?


53 posted on 02/04/2023 12:52:04 PM PST by ChessExpert (I would rather eat GMO than be a GMO.)
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To: Beowulf9
I did notice it fell very quickly. Heavy equipment.

I was taught that everything free falls at the same rate of speed, excepting for air resistance.

54 posted on 02/04/2023 12:56:29 PM PST by matt1234
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

If the Chinese said they informed Biden of the over-flight, and Biden denied it, who would you believe?


55 posted on 02/04/2023 12:58:59 PM PST by gundog (It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Couldn't a weapon have been used that would just punch a hole through the balloon so that it slowly deflates and descends?

The balloon was reportedly at about 60,000 feet which is about a mile below the nominal service ceiling of the F-15 but F-15s have gone over 100K feet.

So, why wasn't the aircraft's cannon used to hole the balloon so it would deflate and descend in a more orderly and recoverable manner?

Yes, my question is mostly rhetorical but is there any reason for not hitting the balloon with a 1-2 second burst from the fighter's M61 cannon?

56 posted on 02/04/2023 12:59:18 PM PST by fso301
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To: iontheball

I don’t know if the detection systems are designed to detect things that aren’t metallic


57 posted on 02/04/2023 12:59:52 PM PST by rottweiller_inc (inter canem et lupum)
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To: matt1234
I was taught that everything free falls at the same rate of speed, excepting for air resistance.

That's racist patriarchy stuff. My truth is that important stuff falls faster.

58 posted on 02/04/2023 1:02:05 PM PST by pepsi_junkie ("We want no Gestapo or Secret Police. F. B. I. is tending in that direction." - Harry S Truman)
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To: rottweiller_inc
I don’t know if the detection systems are designed to detect things that aren’t metallic

Radar sure can detect rain and birds.

59 posted on 02/04/2023 1:02:44 PM PST by fso301
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To: Golden Eagle
Mission Accomplished.

Multiple missions, and all successful.

They wanted to know if we could detect their probes. Check

They wanted to know if we would be willing and able to shoot them down. Check.

Bonus points for determining how we were able to shoot them down. What weapons did we use? Were they anything exotic? Check.

They got some incidental surveillance data. What stations detected the probes? Where are the located? What types of radar or other detectors were used? Check.

Did any of their probes get by without detection? How far did they get? Check.

As far as recovering the technology used in the probes, there is probably no value. Of course, their units have self-destruct charges for end-of-mission. We would do the same if our mission planners were competent. No sense turning over the exact details of encryption systems to opponents. We all have the same levels of technology for now.

No doubt a good time was had by all parties.

60 posted on 02/04/2023 1:03:31 PM PST by flamberge (What? Me worry?)
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