[paul7986]

This story is so strange. I mean the US if im not mistaken allowed a huge white ballon to transverse the country and i heard Trump say that was from China. If that's true we just allowed it fly all over our airspace (weird). Is that not a potential public safety hazard and now these things. So odd nothing is being done like one of our jet fighters going up and shooting one down into a field.

[scottyah]

It's much more valuable to watch it, see what kind of scans are coming from it than to just shoot it down immediately. It is also a bargaining chip for those in international politics.

If you're going to shoot it down, it has the same value if you do it immediately or later (assuming any remote wiping/detonation), so either you're paranoid that it poses a legitimate threat or it's beneficial to not shoot it down immediately.

[kasey_junk]

Shooting things down over populated areas is a public safety issue.

Drones flying about may or may not be.

[paul7986]

Into a large field or farm

[ZYbCRq22HbJ2y7]

> American officials later disclosed that they had been tracking the balloon since it was launched from Hainan and its original destinations were likely Guam and Hawaii,[a] but prevailing winds blew it off course and across North America.[11]

> The Chinese government maintained it was a civilian (mainly meteorological) airship that had been blown off course.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Chinese_balloon_incident

[paul7986]

So weird my comments in this thread here are being downvoted a ton.

Those who are downvoting and you are in the US i'd love to hear why you have no concern about these things and or no concern the world thinking we let drones fly unabated in our airspace ... prompting various foreign nations to try and do the same over our massive US of A airspace on up into remote-ish Alaska. You have congressman saying scary things while the Pentagon says those congressman words arent true.

I mentioned Trump above (i voted for her) if that was something that triggered some downvotes?

[paul7986]

overall this says the US will allow undenitified drones in our air space and to fly unabated to our enemies ... one of these or future ones could be weaponized. So its unfathomable to me that they we are letting these things fly unabated in our airspace, as well the govt is providing zero info or re-assurance.

[JohnBooty]

If we start blasting things out of the sky:

- We certainly can't deny that "something" is happening

- The US, if not the world, is going to be rocked by (basically) open war in the skies of America

- If we fail to down these things, we look like utterly weak fools

- Succeed or fail, we reveal our capabilities (or lack thereof)

- Legit public safety issue, bullets/shells/missiles/etc that miss these things have to come down somewhere, as well as wreckage (if any) it self

These drones, IF hostile are not necessarily the security risk one might think IMO. If we are just leaking radio signals into the air around bases that these things can intercept, then those communications could just as easily be intercepted by people/cars/etc on the ground. And our "near peers" have plenty of satellites overhead.

I am not going to tell you that letting them fly around unmolested is good. It is not. It sucks. But it is probably the least shitty option.

[JohnnyLarue]

Because they're not threats, and your 'enemies' are just other countries who have resources your country wants, but won't do what your country says. The calls are coming from inside the house.