You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
-Land of the Free
'Explosion in the sky' above Billings, Montana where Chinese spy balloon was spotted infiltrating U.S airspace - as residents report seeing jet zoom by after officials came under fire for refusing to shoot it down
2023-02-04
See also here.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] After it was seen for the past several days over Montana, and possibly a second one — or perhaps just the first one moving against the wind over Canada.
  • Resident witnesses in Billings, Montana, saw an 'explosion in the sky' after US officials warned of a Chinese spy balloon flying over the region

  • Video of the aftermath reveals a trail of smoke in the sky where the balloon was

  • US officials called the balloon a 'clear violation of sovereignty' while warning that it wouldn't be shot down because it was hovering over 'sensitive sites'
Posted by:Skidmark

#12  Biden speaks to press after Chinese spy balloon shot down
Posted by: Skidmark   2023-02-04 17:08  

#11  Why take Forbes seriously?
Posted by: M. Murcek   2023-02-04 11:42  

#10  The Forbes link, to save you guys from having to type all that in.
Posted by: SteveS   2023-02-04 11:33  

#9  Another from the Daily Mail:

ANOTHER Chinese spy balloon is spotted: Mystery 'surveillance device' floated over Costa Rica before reaching Venezuela, the Pentagon confirms amid frenzy over airbone spyware in the air over the United States
  • Second Chinese spy balloon was spotted over Latin America, officials confirmed

  • Pentagon said it does not appear the balloon is heading into the United States

  • It comes after a different Chinese balloon hovered over Montana and Missouri
Posted by: trailing wife   2023-02-04 11:31  

#8  Citizen Free Press has a link to a Forbes article on why its almost impossible to down a high altitude balloon. Any smart guys have a sense of how accurate it is?

I still remain curious about the Canadian sighting observation of a second balloon on the same general track and how it might fit into this report.

Busting That Chinese Balloon is Harder Than You Think
Posted by: NoMoreBS   2023-02-04 11:28  

#7  knows knew
Posted by: Spike Oppressor of the Antelope1637   2023-02-04 10:50  

#6  If we had a whatever worthy of the thing...

While en route to and from who knows where,
"[blink] Balloon Disappeared in Midair!"
But returned pretty soon
When it rose on 4 June
Like full moon over Tiananmen Square.
Posted by: Spike Oppressor of the Antelope1637   2023-02-04 10:47  

#5  Point of Order:

For my Bingo card, can I put Ming the Merciless, or does that count as double entendre and must be separated out into a second Chinese Steampunk?
Posted by: swksvolFF   2023-02-04 09:59  

#4  Fulton Skyhook

* Some modification and assembly required.
Posted by: Besoeker   2023-02-04 09:42  

#3  Seems to me, a single cannon round would puncture the balloon causing it to descend to earth where we would surreptitiously examine it and then return the lost property to its Chinese owners. Extra points for catching the descending balloon mid-air.

What would the Chinese do in a similar situation?
Posted by: SteveS   2023-02-04 09:31  

#2  Images of the trail would indicate a large meteor similar to the Chelyabinsk meteor.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2023-02-04 09:30  

#1  Scrub that media!

BREAKING: Billings, MT Can't Substantiate Report of Explosion in Air Where Chinese Spy Balloon Had Been
Posted by: Skidmark   2023-02-04 08:54  

00:00