 |
| Chinese Spy Balloon |
View From The Porch has a good overview of the balloon story.
New-to-me acronym: SEAD - Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses
JMSmith has a post up about Tom Sawyer's experience with balloons, to which I commented:
Shooting down a big balloon is not an easy task. Little balloons will pop if you poke them, but big balloons will hardly notice. The hold so much gas, the difference in pressure between inside and outside is so small, that the small holes (like those made by bullets) leak so slowly, that they make no real difference to the balloon’s flight. Came across this bit of information a while back and couldn’t resist the opportunity to share it.
In WW1 they used Buchingham munitions for that (incendiary bullets)
ReplyDeletePity that Frank Luke isn't around !
ReplyDeleteI suspect they wanted to take it down over water for a better chance or retrieving pieces undamaged... or less damaged then on land.
ReplyDeleteI heard the side of the balloon said , We've been trying to reach you about your expired car warranty.