My beautiful balloon...

[purplefaithful]

[Guest]

Why are we using Aim 9x missiles to shoot these stupid Chinese balloons down and not a few bullets from a cannon? 

Do you know how much these missiles cost?! 

[Guest]

@purplefaithful said:
Why are we using Aim 9x missiles to shoot these stupid Chinese balloons down and not a few bullets from a cannon? 

Do you know how much these missiles cost?! 

I've been asking that for over a week now.  Just like why did we wait until the last one went completely across the country before dropping it,  and then wait until its in an area where recovery isn't easily done?

[Guest]

@JimmyinSD said:

@purplefaithful said:
Why are we using Aim 9x missiles to shoot these stupid Chinese balloons down and not a few bullets from a cannon? 

Do you know how much these missiles cost?! 

I've been asking that for over a week now.  Just like why did we wait until the last one went completely across the country before dropping it,  and then wait until its in an area where recovery isn't easily done?

I wasn't losing my shit over the itming of shooting it down, and I can buy into not wanting bus size debris falling onto neighborhoods etc...

But I figured the military was smart enough to to do a quick burst off a cannon vs wasting an Aim 9x

 https://www.quora.com/How-much-does-it-cost-for-a-single-AIM-9-Sidewinder-missile

[Guest]

@purplefaithful said:

@JimmyinSD said:

@purplefaithful said:
Why are we using Aim 9x missiles to shoot these stupid Chinese balloons down and not a few bullets from a cannon? 

Do you know how much these missiles cost?! 

I've been asking that for over a week now.  Just like why did we wait until the last one went completely across the country before dropping it,  and then wait until its in an area where recovery isn't easily done?

I wasn't losing my shit over the itming of shooting it down, and I can buy into not wanting bus size debris falling onto neighborhoods etc...

But I figured the military was smart enough to to do a quick burst off a cannon vs wasting an Aim 9x

 https://www.quora.com/How-much-does-it-cost-for-a-single-AIM-9-Sidewinder-missile

You look at the flight path,  plenty of time over Montana, SD and Nebraska to drop that thing over a pasture  and likely make sure nothing happened.

But yes,  the use of missiles raises serious questions. 

[Guest]

Wait they used missiles on the baloon?  I figured a couple 50 caliber holes would be quite sufficient.   Course I didn’t understand not shooting it down in Montana where there was next to no one. 

Pop the damn thing and let it slowly come to the ground. 

[Guest]

50mm vs Aim 9x aside for a minute...Pretty brazen shit by the Chinese if you ask me. 

[Guest]

Now that we have taken to shooting them down, whats to prevent the Chinese from adding a biological agent ?

Asking for a “friend”

[Guest]

@Vanguard83 said:
Now that we have taken to shooting them down, whats to prevent the Chinese from adding a biological agent ?

Asking for a “friend”

Whats to say they already weren't releasing a biological?

[Guest]

I find it a bit interesting that the Chinese have been buying up ag ground in Central ND,  and their ballon path went over that same area.  Besides spying on Purplemachine,   what else could they be interested in up there? ,Minot AFB is my guess.  Not sure what uncle Sam is up to up there,  but I had heard a while back that the Minot area would be one of the most heavily targeted spots in the US in case of an attack on the US due to its nuclear capabilities,   but thats hardly a secret and what could a balloon see that a satellite not see.  Unless it's doing more specific stuff than just visual.   Certainly don't believe for a second that it was climate or weather related.  Or that those land purchases were for ag investments.