What America has been shooting down in the sky
It turns out that the three unknown objects shot out of the skies by American jets in successive days, after the earlier taking down of a Chinese spy balloon, were neither sent from Beijing nor from another galaxy (as some had suggested). They were probably “benign” and employed for commercial or research purposes.
They came to light after the radars America uses to detect incoming missiles were recalibrated to pick up slower-moving objects at different altitudes. The National Security Council’s spokesman, John Kirby, justified the action by saying that their altitude, lower than the Chinese airship (a more accurate term than balloon), posed a “very real” threat to civilian aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration, which has responsibility for aircraft safety, may have something to say about that.
The unidentified vehicles shot down came in various shapes and sizes. The one flying over Alaska on February 10th resembled a “small car”; the second, above northern Canada, was a “small metallic balloon with a tethered payload below it”; the last, which came to grief at the hands of an F-16 jet over Lake Huron on February 12th, had an “octagonal structure” with strings. Whether more will be destroyed is unclear. But given that the combined cost of the two AIM-9x Sidewinder missiles fired on Sunday was about $900,000, it could become a rather expensive exercise in futility.
2023-02-15 16:10:07
Article from www.economist.com
It is with no small amount of concern that we are hearing reports that the skies of the United States are being shot down. This rash of shooting down aircraft in domestic airspace has been occurring for some time and it is now starting to become a very real threat to the safety and security of people living in the United States.
The most recent incident is one near Spokane, Washington where a small plane was reportedly shot down while it was flying in the congested airspace over the city. Witness accounts and other evidence supports that an unknown shooter fired some kind of semiautomatic weapon at the plane as it flew above Spokane International Airport. The aircraft was hit multiple times, sustaining considerable damage and nearly crashing, but luckily was able to miraculously make it to a safe landing.
Incidents like this have put a tremendous amount of public pressure on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to take action to stop these threats from happening. The FAA has responded with a number of new initiatives, such as mandating that all aircraft be fitted with transponders that send out an identifying signal, increased patrolling of airspace near popular airports, and increasing the use of video cameras that can detect the discrepancies between legitimate aircraft and small unmanned drones.
Despite the increased surveillance and safety protocols, it is impossible for the FAA to completely protect all aircraft flying in American airspace from being shot down, as this threat is one that is virtually impossible to completely stop. As such, it is crucial that all aircraft know how to react in the event they are the victims of such an attack. Pilots are advised to immediately descend to avoid further damage and contact the FAA or their local law enforcement agency as soon as possible. Additionally, the FAA recommends that all aircraft maintain a higher than normal degree of vigilance and be aware of the environment they are flying in at all times.
Moreover, as a nation, we must actively try to find the perpetrators of these attacks and bring them to justice. We must ensure that anyone carrying out such an act is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and be treated as a serious threat to the overall safety of our airspace.
The reporting of such attacks is also important. The FAA can use this data to detect patterns and better protect aircraft from such attacks in the future. By making sure people are reporting any suspicious activity in their skies, we can go a long way in making sure that our skies remain safe for everyone.
In conclusion, shooting down aircraft in the United States is a serious threat that requires all of us to be vigilant and proactive in order to protect ourselves and our fellow citizens of the skies. While it is impossible to completely eliminate this danger, by increasing our awareness and working together we can go a long way in curbing this very dangerous trend.