Re:Missiles Are Now the Biggest Killer of Airline Passengers
by jandrese on Friday December 27, 2024 @01:03PM
(#42524421)
This is also why there was reluctance to shoot the balloon down until it had passed over the ocean. The enormous payload container was a definite threat to life and limb if shot down over a populated area, and most of the US has at least a token population.
Re:Missiles Are Now the Biggest Killer of Airline Passengers
by zitterbewegung on Friday December 27, 2024 @04:22PM
(#42526163)
It’s also much easier to do less damage on the drone itself by shooting it over water than land. Honestly I think that played a major factor where they shot it down.
Normal weather balloons are 20ft in diameter. This one was 200 feet in diameter and carried quite a payload - about the size of a couple of box cars. Additionally it had propellers and the ability to steer itself.
> There was no proof it was a spy balloon.
There was a preponderance of evidence - from the route of the balloon (over US strategic nuclear missle silos), to the equipment that was recovered to radio intercptions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Chinese_balloon_incident