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The US Might Have Spent S$587,000 to Shoot Down a S$16 Balloon by a Hobby Group

2023-02-19 , 7:30 pm

Have you ever blown a massive dent in your wallet for something of little value?

It could be buying Hello Kitty mahjong tiles for twice the amount from scalpers or upselling chicken rice at a local hawker centre.

The US Air Force (USAF) might have just shot up a S$587,000 missile to counter a S$16 pico balloon by a hobby group of climate enthusiasts.

USAF Shot Down an Unknown Balloon at the Same Time a Hobby Group’s Balloon Went Missing

On 11 February 2023, the US hobby group, Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade, reported that their pico balloon had gone missing. The pico balloon was flying over the skies of Alaska.

At the same time, the USAF announced that their elite Lockheed Martin F-22 had shot down an unidentified balloon flying near Canada’s Yukon territory. It was one of the three balloons that US President Joe Biden had ordered the USAF to eliminate that day.

Putting two and two together, there is room to speculate that the USAF had likely shot down the hobby group’s pico balloon.

The Hobby Group’s Balloon Purposes

Based on their radio sign, the hobby group’s balloon is called the K9YO-15.

The K9YO-15 was made by a Silicon Valley-based company, Scientific Balloon Solutions (SBS), that manufactures specialised pico balloons for enthusiasts. They primarily build these balloons for education, research or hobby purposes.

The hobby group claims that the K9YO-15 was for climate research purposes. The balloon was equipped with trackers that survey and monitor the area’s temperature, humidity, pressure and wind currents.

The K9YO-15 was last identified to fly at 11,560m near Hagemeister Island in Alaska. The last spotted region borders Yukon in Canada, where the US shot down their unidentified balloon.

The hobby group claims they had followed all federal regulations concerning flying the K9YO-15. However, the club members still precautioned that it is still unknown whether the USAF shot it down or had just gone missing.

Criticisms of the USAF Likely Shooting the Hobby Group’s Balloon Down

The USAF’s balloon-shooting spree has drawn a lot of flak from balloon enthusiasts.

Speaking to Aviation Week Network, Ron Meadows, the founder of SBS, claimed that he tried contacting federal agents, including their military and the FBI, for more information about the balloons they had shot down.

He thinks it will be a blunder for the USAF if they cannot respond to his questions about the balloons shot down.

The US Defence Department’s Response

Though not addressing this controversy directly, the Defence Department announced that the three balloons shot down on 11 February 2023 were not only for military security.

The balloons also posed threats to commercial flight paths and were highly proximate to sensitive US cities. They were also flying within cruising altitude of planes, which is usually 10,000 to 12,000 metres. They had to be taken down for safety.

Thankfully, the missiles blown up were not our taxpayer money. If not, Singaporean netizens would be up in arms (or flames) online.

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It Is Better to be Safe Than Sorry

However, I still believe it is better to be safe than sorry. The US still has to be vigilant after the string of spy balloon incidents plaguing them since the start of the year.

Like our SGSecure tagline, “not if, but when”, it is safer for the US to shoot down any undeclared balloons than let a spy balloon take over their skies.

Any money spent is still an excellent return on investment to protect millions of lives.