The China Thread (Threat)
- Thread starter Marauder06
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Interesting just got this in a presser from Air Force Association.
Chinese surveillance balloons have previously entered U.S. airspace but went undetected by the Pentagon, the commander in charge of protecting American skies said Feb. 6.
The revelation comes as the Pentagon has sought to explain how a Chinese surveillance balloon was able to float over North America last week, getting far enough into U.S. airspace that the military said it was unsafe to shoot down without risking injuries to civilians on the ground.
“As NORAD commander, it’s my responsibility to detect threats to North America,” Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, the head of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), told reporters. “I will tell you that we did not detect those threats. And that’s a domain awareness gap that we have to figure out.” ....
Awareness Gap We Have to Figure Out‘
Feb. 6, 2023 | By Chris GordonChinese surveillance balloons have previously entered U.S. airspace but went undetected by the Pentagon, the commander in charge of protecting American skies said Feb. 6.
The revelation comes as the Pentagon has sought to explain how a Chinese surveillance balloon was able to float over North America last week, getting far enough into U.S. airspace that the military said it was unsafe to shoot down without risking injuries to civilians on the ground.
“As NORAD commander, it’s my responsibility to detect threats to North America,” Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, the head of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), told reporters. “I will tell you that we did not detect those threats. And that’s a domain awareness gap that we have to figure out.” ....
NORAD commander: Yeah, we didn't do our jobs.
So, where's the resignation? The firing? The public lynch mobs? The social media tar and feathering? The...fuck, revoking the veteran's discount at Applebees?!
Look, fuck the social engineering, trans this, women that, diversity whatever...a 4-star said they failed and no one is calling for heads, bodies, disabling their Facebook accounts?
Smoking Jesus titty cinnamon...
So, where's the resignation? The firing? The public lynch mobs? The social media tar and feathering? The...fuck, revoking the veteran's discount at Applebees?!
Look, fuck the social engineering, trans this, women that, diversity whatever...a 4-star said they failed and no one is calling for heads, bodies, disabling their Facebook accounts?
Smoking Jesus titty cinnamon...
Seeing some very interesting things floating around about Gen Mattis and his actions while under Trump re: telling his boss about balloons and such.
This has been such a cool distraction! I almost forgot about the Hunter Biden laptop ahead of the SOTU, and I completely forgot about the latest Pfizer video!
This has been such a cool distraction! I almost forgot about the Hunter Biden laptop ahead of the SOTU, and I completely forgot about the latest Pfizer video!
The Pentagon Thought it Could Retire the U-2 in 1969
U-2 Spy Planes Snooped On Chinese Surveillance Balloon
It's being reported U-2 aircraft monitored or intercepted the balloons transmissions. While possible I have my doubts due to inability of U-2 to loiter in close above the balloon proximity and frequency hopping, burst transmission and other precautions were probably being used if balloon was in fact gathering intelligence.
U-2 Spy Planes Snooped On Chinese Surveillance Balloon
It's being reported U-2 aircraft monitored or intercepted the balloons transmissions. While possible I have my doubts due to inability of U-2 to loiter in close above the balloon proximity and frequency hopping, burst transmission and other precautions were probably being used if balloon was in fact gathering intelligence.
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Kraut783
SOF Support
would the U2 be able to be in the position between the balloon and Chinese satellites to intercept transmissions? I honestly don't know...but seems plausible.
Certainly, it's plausible, but the U-2 surveillance sensor payload is designed to gather what is below it. It certainly can orbit above a balloon floating about at extreme high altitude. It's also plausible the U-2 detected transmissions balloon to satellites but was the signal strength and duration of the inception adequate to decrypt, decipher? As big as the balloon's equipment gondola was, this creates sufficient reason to wonder if a narrow beam directional antenna (designed to radiate signal in a specific direction) was used too.
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If you know you know. ;)
Jaknight
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Just fly a wide circle around the target, something U2's can do.
Balloon was between 58,000 and 62,000 feet, AF claims a 70,000 service ceiling. Easy peasy.
U2's fly offset missions, so grabbing a data stream is not beyond the realm of doable.
It won’t happen for obvious reasons, but I wish they’d publicize them to call out Chinas blatant lies on a national stage.
I am also quite confident that we chose to interrogate first and not destroy first, and that China has attached payloads of ballistic missiles to their balloons in the past.
Those U-2's with those dope ass suites of tech are gonna have a prime seat to an EMP or strike on a NORTHCOM base full of Americans next time. Guess we shall see.
The worst part of this comment (bolded) is due to our current admin's deference to China in all things.
Bingo.
I have my doubts because emphasis being fed to and put out by the news outlets suggests to me the surveillance of balloon along its flightpath wasn't that productive. At this time nothing has been definitively stated beyond we think this or that but we got to sound like we didn't fail.
1. DOD didn't believe the balloon to pose a military threat when first detected as it approached Alaska. No mention of it being considered an intelligence gathering threat.
2. Recovered debris will be provided to both intelligence officials and law enforcement agencies for investigation. Investigation links to determining if any U.S. Technology or research was used. Investigation avoids disclosing efforts to reverse engineer software, firmware, and devices. Intercepting radio signals is easy, but deciphering the information probably requires a bit of reverse engineering of software, firmware and electrical devices submerged in seawater.
3. "The debris field in the ocean off the coast of South Carolina stretches 15 football fields by 15 football fields, VanHerck said. It is being treated as potential hazardous waste because explosives might have been aboard to destroy sensitive equipment. However, there has been no indication that the balloon carried explosives, he said."
4. U.S. officials are interested in recovering the wreckage in order to assess China's spying capabilities, and see if the balloon used any U.S. technology, an official familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. The government is expecting to find advanced sensors and high-quality photographic equipment, he added.
1. DOD didn't believe the balloon to pose a military threat when first detected as it approached Alaska. No mention of it being considered an intelligence gathering threat.
2. Recovered debris will be provided to both intelligence officials and law enforcement agencies for investigation. Investigation links to determining if any U.S. Technology or research was used. Investigation avoids disclosing efforts to reverse engineer software, firmware, and devices. Intercepting radio signals is easy, but deciphering the information probably requires a bit of reverse engineering of software, firmware and electrical devices submerged in seawater.
3. "The debris field in the ocean off the coast of South Carolina stretches 15 football fields by 15 football fields, VanHerck said. It is being treated as potential hazardous waste because explosives might have been aboard to destroy sensitive equipment. However, there has been no indication that the balloon carried explosives, he said."
4. U.S. officials are interested in recovering the wreckage in order to assess China's spying capabilities, and see if the balloon used any U.S. technology, an official familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. The government is expecting to find advanced sensors and high-quality photographic equipment, he added.
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DoD/NORAD first aware of the balloon on the 28th, news reporting thanks to civilians seeing the balloon sometime later- where is the reporting that the DoD was tracking the balloon prior to entering Alaska's airspace, 1, and 2, where is the reporting that they had assessed it wasn't a threat? Not being adversarial, just haven't seen that anywhere, and would be helpful to flesh out the story.
As for the debris field/interrogation... @Johca you know this as intimately as I do, but recovering the sensor suite/air handers/information storage medium/comm suite in deep Atlantic water over that area is an absolute nightmare, if not statistically completely ridiculous, considering we shot it down, then those pieces fell at freefall speed, and then hit the water. What's your best guess for "getting anything other than the balloon material"? I am gonna settle on.... -25%
Dame
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Dunno. Looks like they pulled up some equipment.
Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a suspected Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon that was downed by the United States over the weekend over U.S. territorial waters off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S., February 5, 2023. U.S. Fleet Forces/U.S. Navy photo/Handout via REUTERS
Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a suspected Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon that was downed by the United States over the weekend over U.S. territorial waters off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S., February 5, 2023. U.S. Fleet Forces/U.S. Navy photo/Handout via REUTERS
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