"Payload" means whatever weight the system was designed to carry for its mission, even if it was not dropped. There was a large frame suspended beneath the balloon that seemed to be equipped with solar arrays and containers for equipment. Actual weather balloons have gondolas or instrument capsules suspended beneath the balloon. Same idea.
I know. For passenger/cargo aircraft, it refers to the passenger + cargo loading. For launch vehicles it refers to what is being carried to orbit. For military systems, it is actually more common (and more proper) to refer to it as "bomb load" (bombers) or "warhead" (missiles).
Just watched on Television News. Shot down on the East Coast past Myrtle Beach South Carolina by a Military Jet Missile out over the Atlantic Ocean so it would be clear of the U.S. Thank you God. Now I pray it has no bioweapon virus and that the wind is blowing away from our nation. Praise God.
They did it bc the balloon was already done doing its job!! Whatever it was doing, China already collected all the info it wanted and I suspect the Big Guy got his share behind it.
let me guess, they shot it down over the great lakes, now our biggest fresh water supply is infected with biologial weapons. or they collecting data to cyber attack us to death like mr EAT ZE BUGS said. cock suckers pissing me off, fail to protect us
Even if this probing run was inert and empty, they know our castrated military TV generals will let anything and anybody in our airspace and over our borders.
Yeah, lol. When you don’t know something just make it up!
But, for reference via search result, standard armament for F22 (from af.mil):
One M61A2 20-millimeter cannon with 480 rounds, internal side weapon bays carriage of two AIM-9 infrared (heat seeking) air-to-air missiles and internal main weapon bays carriage of six AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles (air-to-air loadout) or two 1,000-pound GBU-32 JDAMs and two AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles (air-to-ground loadout)
Do you have a video of this happening? Not doubting you but considering how this balloon material would not have much, if any, of a heat signature. The solar panel array hanging off if it may but the picture published show this awful small hardware but maybe it really glowed on infrared against the very cold upper atmosphere??? Be interesting to know how was actually shot down.
BTW… MonkeyWerx has a good show on all the balloons: https://youtu.be/IHqBXwLDwZ0
I was initially thinking the same thing, but it occurred to me that they engaged it when the sun was shining. The solar IR reflection from the balloon could have been (should have been) a higher signature than the sky background at that altitude, allowing a heat-seeking missile to do the trick. From the video clip I saw (very tedious to watch), it looked like the balloon was just blown out like a candle flame. This would be consistent with a Sidewinder missile penetrating the envelope and detonating its warhead within the balloon. The overpressure would pop the balloon. This hints at performance flexibility with the Sidewinder that isn't advertised.
I had to analyze the flight patterns of a large number of weather balloons in order to assess them as a target option for the YAL-1A. We never got around to using it. I developed a fairly successful model for the ascent dynamics of the balloons, from first principles.
Well, it turned out I was wrong. They nailed it with an IR air-to-air missile. I tip my hat. I suspect the balloon was reflecting the IR from the sun, which would have stood out against the cold sky background (very cold at high altitude).
This means they could have done it before it crossed into U.S. airspace. So, they allowed it to progress along its path to see what path it would take. There is some suggestion that they may have been collecting communication intelligence from it (e.g., capturing its uplink signal). Not a bad approach: let it do its thing, find out what that is, and pop it at the end of the show.
"Payload" implies it was meant to drop something without outside help. What was it?
"Payload" means whatever weight the system was designed to carry for its mission, even if it was not dropped. There was a large frame suspended beneath the balloon that seemed to be equipped with solar arrays and containers for equipment. Actual weather balloons have gondolas or instrument capsules suspended beneath the balloon. Same idea.
Oh, I'd only ever heard the word in the context of dropping bombs or napalm or whatever.
"Unleashing its payload."
I know. For passenger/cargo aircraft, it refers to the passenger + cargo loading. For launch vehicles it refers to what is being carried to orbit. For military systems, it is actually more common (and more proper) to refer to it as "bomb load" (bombers) or "warhead" (missiles).
Next pandemic?
Just watched on Television News. Shot down on the East Coast past Myrtle Beach South Carolina by a Military Jet Missile out over the Atlantic Ocean so it would be clear of the U.S. Thank you God. Now I pray it has no bioweapon virus and that the wind is blowing away from our nation. Praise God.
if it had a weapon it already completed its mission and crop dusted us all
Yep! And we're not as stupid as the Dems make us out to be.
Portland Andy always with the sauce.
Additional sauce from TGP, Sperry and more
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/02/live-feed-faa-shuts-airspace-near-atlantic-pentagon-plans-shoot-chinese-spy-balloon-floated-us-bidens-full-approval/
Watch the water.
And just 10 days shy of a 5-year delta.
u/#q765
Now watch, something will happen related to the intel chyna gathered. All part of the plan to wake up the sheep IMO. Will this be the 'sky event'
Possibly being recovered already. C6565 (https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae2697) is doing low circles off the coast of SC near Myrtle Beach.
I imagine there were assets in that area already for recovery/cleanup prior to the "pop".
That was cool
Is it from chyna or did someone slap chyna characters on it . Or, maybe WH from chyna. I'm sorry but I'm not taking anything at face value these days.
They did it bc the balloon was already done doing its job!! Whatever it was doing, China already collected all the info it wanted and I suspect the Big Guy got his share behind it.
let me guess, they shot it down over the great lakes, now our biggest fresh water supply is infected with biologial weapons. or they collecting data to cyber attack us to death like mr EAT ZE BUGS said. cock suckers pissing me off, fail to protect us
Where did they shoot it down in what state? And what did they shoot it down with? Praying there is NOT some sort of virus inside.
So they allowed it to pass through the United States and complete its mission first. Got it.
Thanx. I pray there are some pissed off Chinese out there. This is our land not theirs.
Nah they already got what they wanted.
Even if this probing run was inert and empty, they know our castrated military TV generals will let anything and anybody in our airspace and over our borders.
Don't we know it.
Thanx.
Fighters don't carry .50 cal machine guns lol.
Yeah, lol. When you don’t know something just make it up!
But, for reference via search result, standard armament for F22 (from af.mil):
One M61A2 20-millimeter cannon with 480 rounds, internal side weapon bays carriage of two AIM-9 infrared (heat seeking) air-to-air missiles and internal main weapon bays carriage of six AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles (air-to-air loadout) or two 1,000-pound GBU-32 JDAMs and two AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles (air-to-ground loadout)
Thanx.
South Carolina over the Atlantic
WOW a 12 minute lead in.... awesome! Sorry, pet peeve of mine. Throw your logo up and get on with it, please. Anyway, good video.
THANK GOD THEY DIDN'T SHOOT IT DOWN OVER POPULATED AREAS
https://rumble.com/v28cnys-chinese-spy-balloon-shot-down-over-south-carolina-chad-caton-caught-it-live.html
Also, so weird that the fighter jets chose to spray chemtrails on such a pulbic mission!!!! /s LOL
I'm just thankful that we let it float over the entire continental united states before we did anything
…. Do you know what contrails are…
Watch the frozen water.
so they destroyed it before it went to europe and was captured and reviewed, got it!
Good news. Glad to be proven wrong. They used an F-22 fighter with an AIM-9X Sidewinder infrared-homing missile. All at high altitude.
Do you have a video of this happening? Not doubting you but considering how this balloon material would not have much, if any, of a heat signature. The solar panel array hanging off if it may but the picture published show this awful small hardware but maybe it really glowed on infrared against the very cold upper atmosphere??? Be interesting to know how was actually shot down. BTW… MonkeyWerx has a good show on all the balloons: https://youtu.be/IHqBXwLDwZ0
I was initially thinking the same thing, but it occurred to me that they engaged it when the sun was shining. The solar IR reflection from the balloon could have been (should have been) a higher signature than the sky background at that altitude, allowing a heat-seeking missile to do the trick. From the video clip I saw (very tedious to watch), it looked like the balloon was just blown out like a candle flame. This would be consistent with a Sidewinder missile penetrating the envelope and detonating its warhead within the balloon. The overpressure would pop the balloon. This hints at performance flexibility with the Sidewinder that isn't advertised.
I had to analyze the flight patterns of a large number of weather balloons in order to assess them as a target option for the YAL-1A. We never got around to using it. I developed a fairly successful model for the ascent dynamics of the balloons, from first principles.
Well, it turned out I was wrong. They nailed it with an IR air-to-air missile. I tip my hat. I suspect the balloon was reflecting the IR from the sun, which would have stood out against the cold sky background (very cold at high altitude).
This means they could have done it before it crossed into U.S. airspace. So, they allowed it to progress along its path to see what path it would take. There is some suggestion that they may have been collecting communication intelligence from it (e.g., capturing its uplink signal). Not a bad approach: let it do its thing, find out what that is, and pop it at the end of the show.