The US Air Force shot down an object 2 weeks ago in Canadian airspace using a very hefty $400,000 missile. The story made headlines everywhere and got people talking. Memes popped up everywhere and people started debating what actually happened that day. It turns out that the object may have just been a $12 balloon released into the air by some balloon hobby group.
The Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade has claimed the US Air Force downed object as one of their pico balloons
The Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade approached Aviation Week and suggested that the object was one of their special pico balloons that are specially designed to measure things like temperature, air pressure, and humidity. They claim to have very strong circumstantial evidence to back this claim.
A homage to the Disney movie UP!, the Bottle Balloon Brigade reported that their Pico balloon K9YO was “missing in action” on February 15, but that the last recorded data they received from it was on the 10th. The balloon’s last location was off the coast of Alaska at an altitude of 40,000 feet.
A popular forecasting tool was used to project where the balloon would have ended up and the stats projected the balloon’s trajectory to be in the exact same area in Yukon where the Lockheed Martin F-22 shot an object down on February 11. Therefore, it either was the balloon or things seem way too coincidental.
I’ve heard jokes in #HamRadio circles that balloons at airliner flight levels are now equivalent to “CQ Sidewinder!” (Hams will get it. ???? Others, look it up! ????)
— Ian Kluft ✈️ @[email protected] (@ikluft) February 16, 2023
The days are over for making a “picoballoon” with a party balloon. It doesn’t get enough altitude. #aviation
The group’s website claims that these balloons have quite a decent lifespan too
The group’s website has explained that these balloons are hydrogen-filled and have GPS tracking and antennas. They can soar to heights of 47,000 feet which puts them in the correct projected airspace. Some of these balloons can circle the earth a few times as well before finally failing. They confirmed that the missing balloon was a silver mylar 32-inch sphere. These easily get mistaken for party balloons, which probably cost around $12 at a general store. The Pico balloon was probably valued at a maximum of $400.
This US Air Force takedown came just days after a Chinese balloon was downed off the coast of South Carolina on February 4. Thereafter, a UFO was downed over Alaska, and another was destroyed over Lake Huron, Michigan a few days later. NORAD has since adjusted its radar to track and locate similar, slow-moving objects which could very well explain why so many were tracked in such a short period of time.
Read: China To Expand Weather Modification Program & Make A Large Portion of Their Climate Artificial
The US has admitted that while the first balloon was used for espionage, the others seem to have been innocently deployed
“The intelligence community’s current assessment is that these three objects were most likely balloons tied to private companies, recreation, or research institutions,” Biden said on Thursday. China did claim ownership of the first balloon but was very quick to defend the balloon’s location and intention. Stating that it was simply a weather aircraft. They further denied any connection to US surveillance or espionage.
One of many said, “How can our military be reduced to this? We are ruled by a fool.” Another said, “So it turns out China wasn’t trying to embarrass our president, it was a bunch of cowboys in Missouri! Bottle-cap Balloon Brigade – a hobby group – claims its $13 weather balloon was what our F-22 brought down with $400k missile.” Another pointed out, “It should be noted that this $12 hobby balloon was shot at twice. First missile missed so actually our government spent $800k to shoot down a $12 hobby balloon. What a joke our government is.”
Balloon enthusiasts have warned others since to avoid launching any pico balloons into the sky in case they are also shot down by the US Air Force
Other enthusiasts are warning the community to hold back on releasing any more Pico balloons into the air space right now. Just until things cool off with the US Air Force. Just earlier in the week, stratospheric engineer Dan Bowen posted a tweet about the incident. “Let’s not add to the tensions that the existing picos may yet make.” He said.
Meanwhile, the RCMP continues its search for the remnants of the object shot down over Canadian Air Space
As they continue their search for the remnants of the balloon, the Pentagon reminded everyone that finding the remains was “absolutely important’ and that search efforts have been hampered due to poor weather conditions. The rough Yukon mountain terrain hasn’t aided the mission either, being very difficult to navigate.
“Our focus right now is on recovering it. Obviously, there is much analysis going on at the highest levels of NORAD in both Canada and the United States to try and understand more, to facilitate the location of the object, and to understand better and be able to answer the questions that Canadians have.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters earlier this week. “Obviously there is some sort of pattern in there. The fact that we are seeing this in a significant degree over the past week is a cause for interest and close attention, which is exactly what we’re doing.”
Keep Reading: Japan sees its number of islands increase by 7,000 after recount
Sources
- “Did the U.S. use a $400,000 missile to destroy a $12 hobby balloon?” Global News Canada. Michelle Butterfield. February 17, 2023
- “‘What a joke our government is’: Trolls galore as hobby group claims US used $400K missiles to shoot down $12 balloon.” Meaww. Meenakshi Sengupta. February 16, 2023