this post was submitted on 22 Jan 2024
141 points (98.6% liked)

World News

39019 readers
2020 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Taiwan's defence ministry said it had detected six more Chinese balloons flying over the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, one of which crossed the island, the latest in a spate of such balloons the ministry says it has seen over the past month-and-a-half.

The ministry earlier this month, in a strongly worded statement, accused China of threatening aviation safety and waging psychological warfare on the island's people with the balloons, days before Taiwan's Jan. 13 elections.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Cinner@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

The balloon was 200ft tall. The payload hanging beneath it was 200ft wide. The sidewinder has the ability to explode near its target which is why it was chosen. It was the equivalent of popping a party balloon with a firecracker. They also waited for it to be over a large body of water so the 2,000lb payload (many sensors, propellers, antennas, transceivers, etc) didn't fall apart on descent and crush people/things, and while they can control a missile if it misses it's target, they can't control bullets, which could rain down and hit whoever/whatever happened to be unfortunate enough to be in their path. Bullets fall at terminal velocity, even after they've lost initial momentum, that's why people on the ground die from guns being fired into the air during celebrations.

So unless they found a way to reverse a Globemaster mid-air and put the payload in the trunk, they made what seems to be the best call. Seeing as the first missile did miss on 1 of the 3 objects, I'd say that call was right.

The FBI has been analyzing the wreckage after the dive team retrieved it.