The limitations of the modern sidewinder missle.

[Aragorn243]

Apparently, they are unreliable against $12 balloons. You would think when we invest $500,000 in them they would work. Took two to take down the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade’s Pico balloon over Alaska.

All humor aside, as this really isn't all that funny, why not use the gatling or did they make the mistake of not including guns on our fighter aircraft again?

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[Bob Womack]

You know, there are all sorts of target servo parameters contained in those missiles programming. They need to make the missile distinguish between objects the size of a duck and an aircraft, for instance. Think about how many parameters make a balloon different from a missile or an airliner or a Bear prop aircraft or a fighter jet and how coarse those differences are. Now in this day and age, one would think a modicum of targeting parameters could be adjusted on the ground. But how fine or coarse adjustments are available? Did anyone really think we'd be going back to Frank Luke in this generation? Remember, you are always re-fighting the last war. But Frank's war was, what, seven major conflicts ago?

My bets are that someone, somewhere is frantically revising the number and breadth of parameters that are adjustable in the field, even as we speak. We are on AIM9x at this point. Expect an AIM9y any day.

Bob

[DustyRusty]

Sidewinders are heat seekers. Go figure.

[Aragorn243]

Did some checking: An internally mounted M61A2 Vulcan 20 mm rotary cannon is embedded in the airplane's right wing root with the muzzle covered by a retractable door. The radar projection of the cannon fire's path is displayed on the pilot's head-up display.

Why are they firing missiles at balloons?

[GeeRam]

Did some checking: An internally mounted M61A2 Vulcan 20 mm rotary cannon is embedded in the airplane's right wing root with the muzzle covered by a retractable door. The radar projection of the cannon fire's path is displayed on the pilot's head-up display.

Why are they firing missiles at balloons?

Because at the height it was at, it was too far away to use the cannon.
The cannon can't be used above 50,000ft from what I understand, hence the the use of the prox fused AIM-9X being used.

They had to fly a U-2 to recce it as it was the only thing that could get up that high and see from close in.

[jond41403]

I agree, would seem way easier and way cheaper to shoot it down using the method you described with a 20 mm. Something else has to be behind that decision I would imagine

[browningautorifle]

Something else has to be behind that decision I would imagine

Like everything else they've been doing the last three years..."Look over here"...to cover what they're actually up to.

[Daan Kemp]

Very plausible excuse to test missiles as well as a pilot got to fire a very expensive piece of military equipment, which mightn't be possible under normal budget restraints.

[Skip]

Why not use blue tip inert rounds to pop the balloon.

[bob q]

First at that altitude the balloon is not going to just " pop " . The closing rate at that speed makes a slow balloon a hard target . The sidewinder is more that a heat seeker , it works in thermal imaging using temperature differences . Also maybe the military did want some practice as they knew what it was .