F18 vs balloon

[freakonature]

Global is reporting Canadian fighters didn’t have the right missle to shoot down balloons? WTF? Can someone explain?

[averageatbest]

Global is reporting Canadian fighters didn’t have the right missle to shoot down balloons? WTF? Can someone explain?

Shooting bullets at a weather balloon is like farting after taco bell... you'll deflate eventually, but it'll take a day or two.

[Dronepiper]

They probably didn’t want to spend the money. It’s like $500k for each air-air missile that was used.

[rigpiggy]

They were probably out of fuel like when they tried to intercept the convair by port hawkesbury

[C-GGGQ]

Honestly it could be as simple as the US is currently using the latest AIM-9x Sidewinders and I’m not sure we’re not still on the AIM-9m’s of a generation or two ago.

[freakonature]

Red Ryder option would have worked.

[boeingboy]

Honestly it could be as simple as the US is currently using the latest AIM-9x Sidewinders and I’m not sure we’re not still on the AIM-9m’s of a generation or two ago.

We have AIM-120 AMRAAM's - I'm sure they are more than capable of shooting one down.

[C-GGGQ]

Honestly it could be as simple as the US is currently using the latest AIM-9x Sidewinders and I’m not sure we’re not still on the AIM-9m’s of a generation or two ago.

We have AIM-120 AMRAAM's - I'm sure they are more than capable of shooting one down.

Oh probably. And realistically the US probably shot it down and then Trudeau said “I totally told them to do that” after the fact like the fearless leader we all know and love….

[goldeneagle]

And for the real reason why a missle was used, just look to history

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/wh ... r-AA1753aW

When they tried to shoot down a balloon 25 years ago, after putting a thousand rounds at it, altho leaking, it was not coming down any time soon.

Then some hillarious information on the one over the yukon.

https://www.rtl-sdr.com/the-us-airforce ... er-canada/

So a very expensive missle used to down a benign amateur transmitter that weighs 16 grams. There's a dozen more of them floating around various parts of the world today. Totally legal, and smaller than the radiosonde carried by a weather balloon.

[WhataYoke]

Our Air Force isn't battle ready in one bit. They probably scrambled the F18s from Cold lake for the weather balloon but they wouldn't start on the ramp cause there such POS that we had to beg the Americans to bring their F22s from Alaska to help us out.

[frosti]

Excellent analysis!

there such POS

They’re. At least be coherent when rambling about something with zero knowledge.

[7ECA]

The Yanks have F22s based at Elmendorf (Anchorage) Alaska, versus the F-18s at Cold Lake. The balloon over the Yukon was somewhere in the Mayo to Dawson City area...

Elmendorf to Mayo is roughly 470 miles as the crow flies. Going to Dawson City would be around 380 miles. Average it out and say it's a 425 mile trip one way to get to the balloon from Alaska.

Cold Lake to Dawson City is 1210 miles, or around 1100 miles to Mayo.

Sooooo... how about you go and whip out your E6B and tell me who's gonna get to the patrol area first? We'll make it easy, and say both aircraft takeoff at the same time and fly at the same speed.

[goldeneagle]

The Yanks have F22s based at Elmendorf (Anchorage) Alaska, versus the F-18s at Cold Lake. The balloon over the Yukon was somewhere in the Mayo to Dawson City area...

Elmendorf to Mayo is roughly 470 miles as the crow flies. Going to Dawson City would be around 380 miles. Average it out and say it's a 425 mile trip one way to get to the balloon from Alaska.

Cold Lake to Dawson City is 1210 miles, or around 1100 miles to Mayo.

Sooooo... how about you go and whip out your E6B and tell me who's gonna get to the patrol area first? We'll make it easy, and say both aircraft takeoff at the same time and fly at the same speed.

And if they came out of Fairbanks, it's only 250 miles to Dawson City....