|
More Ballooneey News
More ballooneey news:
Hobby Club’s Missing Balloon Feared Shot Down By USAF – Aviation Week
A small, globe-trotting balloon declared “missing in action” by an Illinois-based hobbyist club on Feb. 15 has emerged as a candidate to explain one of the three mystery objects shot down by four heat-seeking missiles launched by U.S. Air Force fighters since Feb. 10.
The club—the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade (NIBBB)—is not pointing fingers yet.
But the circumstantial evidence is at least intriguing. The club’s silver-coated, party-style, “pico balloon” reported its last position on Feb. 10 at 38,910 ft. off the west coast of Alaska, and a popular forecasting tool—the HYSPLIT model provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—projected the cylindrically shaped object would be floating high over the central part of the Yukon Territory on Feb. 11. That is the same day a Lockheed Martin F-22 shot down an unidentified object of a similar description and altitude in the same general area.
There are suspicions among other prominent members of the small, pico-ballooning enthusiasts’ community, which combines ham radio and high-altitude ballooning into a single, relatively affordable hobby.
“I tried contacting our military and the FBI—and just got the runaround—to try to enlighten them on what a lot of these things probably are. And they’re going to look not too intelligent to be shooting them down,” says Ron Meadows, the founder of Scientific Balloon Solutions (SBS), a Silicon Valley company that makes purpose-built pico balloons for hobbyists, educators and scientists.
The descriptions of all three unidentified objects shot down Feb. 10-12 match the shapes, altitudes and payloads of the small pico balloons, which can usually be purchased for $12-180 each, depending on the type.
Project Picoballoon
Currently, 2000 single-use stratospheric balloons are launched daily. Our balloons are also single-use but require significantly less material, less energy, and have simpler logistics. …
The probe is a crucial part of our observational system. It performs measurements of meteorological variables such as temperature, humidity, pressure, or wind currents, which it then transmits through a global radio network. It operates entirely on solar power, making it run indefinitely. All of this is possible in its coin-sized package.
How much does it cost to shoot down a balloon?
bigger
They spent $2,000,000 to take down one $12 balloon. It was just one of thousands which get launched (legally!) every day.
You think that wasn't worth it?
You have the wrong perception.
Try to see it from the viewpoint of a weapon producer.
Or from the viewpoint of a Congress critter who is looking for bribes donations to finance her reelection:
Some lawmakers have suggested that they intend to put a spotlight on near space — and perhaps get more in the defense budget for those efforts. “It is essential that we provide the military and intelligence community with the necessary resources to detect and monitor objects in near space,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat on the Armed Services Committee.
But:
China blasts US over 'hysterical' balloon claim – AFP
China's top diplomat Wang Yi on Saturday blasted the United States's reaction to what Washington has called a Chinese spy balloon as "hysterical and absurd", in uncharacteristically strong remarks against the top Western power.
Addressing a gathering of world leaders at the Munich Security Conference, Wang said US President Joe Biden's administration has a "misguided" perception of Beijing.
…
"There are many balloons from many countries in the sky. Do you want to down each and every one of them?" Wang charged.
"We urge the United States not to do such preposterous things simply to divert attention from its own domestic problems."
And:
Biden’s low-key speech on balloon ‘not enough to fix ties with China’ – Global Times
Irrational anti-China sentiment, provocation on Taiwan question may further strain ties
[A]gainst the backdrop of intensifying China-US competition, some administrative departments that initially wanted to use the incident to push their strategy toward China found its side effects went out of control due to complicated domestic politics, Sun said.
The Biden administration may have been overconfident in its ability to set guardrails for China-US relations, and now realizes that once the irrational anti-China sentiment is fanned, any attempt to fix relations will be impeded, Sun said.
Then again: weapon producers may like that too!
The Russian perspective on shooting down balloons https://www.vesti.ru/article/3210266
American taxpayers immediately reminded Biden of the economy: you can’t shoot down a rocket for 400,000 balloons for 12 dollars. But these are all pennies compared to the cost of weapons for Ukraine. According to open data from Congress, the United States has already spent 48 billion, the European Union – 30 billion, Britain – 7 and Canada – 4 billion. And it is becoming more and more difficult for the politicians of the collective West to justify the expediency of these expenses.
Unlike Ukrainian journalists, American journalists believe that it is not delay that is expensive , but the shells that the Armed Forces of Ukraine spend unrestrainedly. Which, in general, is clear: they do not pay for them. According to Bloomberg estimates, the Ukrainian military fires about 30,000 rounds of ammunition every day, that is, almost a million a month. Kyiv is spending them faster than the US and NATO can produce. To solve the problem, the States are preparing to increase production by 5 times, in addition, they are investing $ 3 billion in the purchase of ammunition from allies.
Arms contractors are preparing sacks for dollars, Western defense budgets have swelled over the year. Germany will fork out an extra 10 billion euros next year, France is increasing spending by 30%, and Poland has already spent more than twice on military needs last year. The purpose of all this is the strategic defeat of Russia in order to preserve the world order that the United States has been creating for years. This is explicitly stated by Deputy Secretary of State Nuland, who in the same interview promised the Nobel Prize to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu if he persuaded Vladimir Putin to withdraw troops, and called the objects of the Russian army in Crimea legitimate targets.
“There are many military installations in Crimea that Russia has turned into a critical logistical system and depots for this war. These are legitimate targets that Ukraine is attacking and we support it. Ukraine will not be safe until Crimea is at least demilitarized. This should be part of sustainable deterrence,” Nuland said.
She did not specify how exactly she intends to demilitarize Crimea, where Russian military units have always (even under Ukraine) been located. The Russian embassy in Washington said that setting the Kyiv criminals on the Crimea is the same as pushing them to attack Moscow or Vladivostok. In general, judging by the statements of the State Department, there is not even close to a unified position on the issue of Crimea.
As recently as yesterday, Politico newspaper quoted Secretary of State Blinken as saying that America is not pushing Ukraine to attack Crimea, that it would not be wise, because there is too thick a “red line”, beyond which, apparently, uncertainty looms for themselves USA. The Americans are especially concerned about Russia’s relations with the countries of the Persian Gulf. According to Nuland, Washington is now quietly trying to explain to the Arab states that it is too risky to bet on Moscow.
Again and again, Chinese balloons pop up in the American information field . Even yesterday on the main TV channels they were called “spyware” without any reservations. Now Joe Biden has been asked about their true origins, as well as what kind of business ties his family has with China.
– You are criticized that your reaction was excessive due to political pressure.
– I look forward to talking with President Xi and I hope we get to the bottom of it. But I don’t apologize for bringing down those balloons,” Biden said.
This is despite the fact that air facilities, according to Biden himself, who was acquainted with the results of the investigation, have nothing to do with any intelligence programs of China or any other country. The balloons were apparently owned by private companies or research institutes. One of the downed balloons even launched a circle of balloon lovers from Northern Illinois. They reported that they lost their balloon in the same region where they shot down other objects. The cost of an air balloon, not even a balloon, but a balloon, which was a weather balloon, was about $ 12, and the Sidewinder missile fired by the F-22 fighter that shot it down costs 400 thousand. Simple calculations were made by the British tabloid Daily Mail.
Former CIA officer Edward Snowden commented on the post: “Please tell me the White House didn’t spend all of February launching $400,000 jets and rockets at a local hobby club’s $12 balloon. Lord have mercy!”
Pranksters and pranksters in different parts of the country began to launch their balloons into the sky, just to test the reaction of the authorities and local TV channels.
Regarding China, with which, according to Biden, America does not want to fight, but only compete, Washington is already having quite substantive conversations. US military officials have called China America’s biggest problem, and there is discussion of what the likely conflict will be. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Acquisitions tells The Associated Press that the Ukrainian experience will be taken into account: “The future U.S. military campaign is likely to rely more on the Air Force and the Navy, taking pressure off ground systems and munitions . ” .
It became known that France has already sent the first batch of 14 AMX wheeled tanks to Ukraine. Paris does not exclude the supply of aircraft to Kyiv, unlike Berlin. On this occasion, Chancellor Scholz put it clearly: “Neither now nor in the future.” Channel ARD publishes a fresh poll, according to which almost two-thirds of German citizens do not support such a scenario.
In Poland, which, according to local media, has already transferred MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in parts, is now forming the first special unit from Poles in Ukraine, which will actually be in the composition and direct subordination of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and perform special tasks – reconnaissance and sabotage activities. The Polish publication received information that a meeting was held in Kyiv on Wednesday: “The meeting was attended by a Polish citizen, who is the organizer of the unit, several Polish volunteers and a representative of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. For security reasons, all these people remain anonymous.”
Latvia stood out from the total mass of Ukraine’s assistants. There, the Seimas adopted urgent amendments to the law on assistance to the civilian population of Ukraine. They suggest that cars confiscated from drunken Latvian drivers will be handed over to Ukraine free of charge.
Posted by: Oblomovka daydream | Feb 18 2023 13:31 utc | 13
As usual, Maria Zakharova’s weekly briefing has several gems making it hard to choose. But given this thread’s topic, IMO her discussion about the Twitter Files seems quite appropriate:
Recently, several materials were published on the results of investigations by journalists who gained access to the documents of the administration of the social network Twitter. The conclusions of the study themselves and the complete lack of reaction of the White House and the State Department to this topic deserve attention. Vladimir Nuland, please pay close attention to this topic.
But that’s about it. So, not only experts on America, but also ordinary people far from foreign policy remember the large-scale, even total media campaign about “Russian interference” in the US presidential elections in 2016, which was deployed by the Democrats and the mainstream controlled by them against D. Trump. A side victim then was Russian-American relations. We were accused of interfering in the elections, “hacking everything”, stealing something, launching it in the media and this influenced the course of the elections. Therefore, in the end, the outgoing US President Barack Obama expelled Russian diplomats, took away our real estate, etc.
One of the centers where the false factology about “Russian troll factories” was generated, which was then replicated in the American and global media, was the Hamilton 68 project – an “initiative to combat deliberately distorted information” – the result of the work of the Alliance for Democracy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. This think tank is funded by several governments, including the United States, Switzerland and Germany.
And who is on his board? Familiar faces, seasoned Russophobes such as M. Chertoff (former Secretary of Homeland Security under George Bush Jr.), M. McFaul (scandalous US Ambassador to the Russian Federation under B. Obama), B. Kristol (former editor of The Weekly Standard magazine) and J. Podesta (chairman of the movement “America for Hillary”). At one time, there was even John Sullivan (the current assistant to US President Joe Biden for national security).
An explosive mixture of intelligence agencies, Democratic politicians, these ultra-liberals and media thieves.
What did Hamilton 68 and Twitter’s administration do? This, according to journalists, is, at a minimum, about collusion between the largest IT giant and representatives of the liberal establishment. Their goal was to censor conservative points of view and introduce the dogmas of democratic politics. Democratic – I mean neoliberal, the very one promoted by W. Nuland, Joe Biden and this whole campaign with the Clintons. By zombifying American and global audiences with the myth of “Russian influence and threat.”
Over the years, the Hamilton 68 has generated hundreds, if not thousands, of news about “Russian bots.” Their know-how was a “secret source” — a list of 644 accounts they claimed were linked to the Kremlin. This could go on for decades.
But then in the materials of “Twitter” journalists found this list. It turned out that there are almost no Russians there, but there are many real Americans. This is a forgery. “Russian influence” called the conversations of ordinary conservatives. Banal deception. And worse, surveillance of their own citizens, who simply shared their political views. It was all passed off as “Russian influence.”
What happens in Washington after such a high-profile exposure? This is the collusion of those they always put on a pedestal. Those media platforms, IT giants that provide a free exchange of opinions, in a word, media professionals. Silence, as always. That no investigation based on facts, everyone does not see, does not hear, does not understand anything. They turned off the electricity, the computer did not turn on. Every time.
An investigation into Nord Streams by American journalist Sergei Hersh has now been published. Everything, eyes to the floor, this is complete nonsense, we do not hear anything, we do not know anything, we will not comment on anything. Twitter was investigated “from within” the organization. This was written by American journalists who have nothing to do with us. None of the officials say anything.
Journalists, as usual, were called distributors of “conspiracy theories” (this is their favorite) and ignored in every possible way. Let me remind you that “conspiracy theories” and similar rhetoric were developed by US intelligence agencies (we even gave information) in the 1960s, when it was necessary to somehow begin to control American investigative journalists. The United States told everyone that freedom of speech is our everything, and it was necessary to somehow limit it. Those who worked for these very structures and worked out the necessary version could be called investigative journalists, and those who pulled out inconvenient facts (largely discrediting the authorities) began to be called representatives of the “conspiracy theory”. Classic story. It was a campaign developed by U.S. intelligence agencies. Now it’s all come out. But the official authorities in every possible way ignore the requests of journalists in this regard.
How is the Hamilton 68 PR project doing after the exposure? Continues to be alive. Now it’s Hamilton 2.0, which has expanded its reach to “analyzing disinformation from China and Iran.”
There are dozens of such PR agencies masquerading as Russophobic research and other non-governmental organizations with carefully hidden government funding in Washington and London. We are glad that after our revelations, many of the defendants, such as the general director of the global Association for Public Affairs and Communications (PRCA) F. Ingham, are not doing very well.
State funding of such “shops” explains the lack of an official reaction. “Snout in the fluff”. Another recent example is the revealed State Department funding of another office to combat “hostile propaganda” – The Global Disinformation Index. It’s a British organization with two affiliated U.S. nonprofits leaking blacklists to advertising companies to stop funding and shut down conservative websites that spread alleged “misinformation.” Funding for this “Index” went through the National Endowment for Democracy, which in 2021 alone received $ 300 million from the US State Department, and the Center for Global Engagement at the State Department.
We will follow the development of this fascinating story and draw attention to such fake NGOs, because they, among other things, build the entire system of Western lies (they call it the “system of Western democracy”). We see who stands inside this Western rotten democracy. Allegedly, NGOs paid for by the same democracy for a lot of money, clearly working off the order of the administration that writes them these checks. The meaning is simple – opposition to our country, the use of the theme of Russia for internal political showdowns, unfair competition.
I know many people loathe Elon Musk, but I commend him for releasing the Twitter Files as they provide proof for many speculations over the last seven years.
Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 18 2023 23:30 utc | 53
|
