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View Full Version : IAF scrambles to defend nuclear plant, shoots down balloon-UAV?

TLAM Strike
12-16-10, 02:23 PM
New type of Terrorist UAV? A motorized balloon...

An IDF spokeswoman said an Israeli warplane "shot down a suspicious flying object, probably a balloon, in southern Israel". Israeli media reports said the balloon was unmanned but powered by an engine.http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-shoots-down-suspicious-flying-object-near-dimona-nuclear-reactor-1.330959

It wouldn't be the first time a terrorist UAV flew a recce over Israel. (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1273703/posts)
antikristuseke
12-16-10, 02:26 PM
Trying what the japanese did with baloons and bombs in the second world war?
Raptor1
12-16-10, 02:31 PM
An unmanned motorized balloon? That's...new...wonder what whoever built it was trying to achieve...
TLAM Strike
12-16-10, 02:37 PM
...wonder what whoever built it was trying to achieve...

To see what kind of defenses are around a plant that makes/made nuclear bombs. :o
Oberon
12-16-10, 02:38 PM
Probably exactly what it did achieve. A test of reaction times and defences. :hmmm:
Raptor1
12-16-10, 02:45 PM
I can't see how something like this would tell anyone anything useful, the presence of SAM sites and air cover there is well known for decades. The only thing it could've told him is whether they would bother shooting down something like a motorized balloon, and I could've guessed the answer to that very easily.
Oberon
12-16-10, 02:49 PM
I can't see how something like this would tell anyone anything useful, the presence of SAM sites and air cover there is well known for decades. The only thing it could've told him is whether they would bother shooting down something like a motorized balloon, and I could've guessed the answer to that very easily.

Alternatively it could be to see how much effort Israel puts into defending from that UAV, and whether they can be distracted by it enough to sneak something else in. A bit of a random way to go about it, but that's lateral warfare these days.
Raptor1
12-16-10, 02:51 PM
Hmm, I suppose you could be right. These sort of people don't usually make any sense, whoever they are.
TLAM Strike
12-16-10, 03:02 PM
Maybe to see how long it would take the IAF to scramble and intercept in case they wanted to try an airborne attack.

Edit: Crazy stuff like this reminds me of the time a Tango para-glided in to Israel to kill an IDF soldier.
Oberon
12-16-10, 03:13 PM
Get out of here, paraglide? Well, I suppose its a form of LALO. :hmmm: Lateral warfare, damn, warfare is just getting more and more complicated. :dead:
TLAM Strike
12-16-10, 03:27 PM
Get out of here, paraglide? Well, I suppose its a form of LALO. :hmmm: Lateral warfare, damn, warfare is just getting more and more complicated. :dead:
Found it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Gliders
Gargamel
12-16-10, 03:31 PM
Or it could be some kid's science project..... a RC "airship" wouldnt be hard to build.
TLAM Strike
12-16-10, 03:36 PM
Or it could be some kid's science project.....

Pictured the kids:
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/8233/childabuse11.jpg
Platapus
12-16-10, 04:56 PM
There was not some little boy in the balloon was there?
geetrue
12-16-10, 05:21 PM
An unmanned motorized balloon? That's...new...wonder what whoever built it was trying to achieve...

Perhaps a camera on board or some poor high school science projects experiment gone bad
Gargamel
12-16-10, 06:01 PM
Perhaps a camera on board or some poor high school science projects experiment gone bad

I know I've seen video of a an Iphone 4 that was sent to 160,000 ft on a weather baloon, before it popped, they were using a HD camera for video and the Iphone for the GPS tracking so they could recover it. A dad and his young kids did it for fun.

Lower the altitude, add some RC electric fan thrusters, voila, Recon drone.


Hell, If I had the time and money, I'd do that. Just not send it over my local nuke plant.
Madox58
12-16-10, 07:49 PM
Wasn't it a "Balloon" that was found at Roswell, NM?
:hmmm:

Christ! They started a War with E.T. now!
:har:
Gargamel
12-16-10, 09:25 PM
Wasn't it a "Balloon" that was found at Roswell, NM?
:hmmm:

Christ! They started a War with E.T. now!
:har:

Ahhhhh.. no worries mate.... all we need is a macbook with a virus
Schroeder
12-17-10, 09:18 AM
An unmanned motorized balloon? That's...new...wonder what whoever built it was trying to achieve...
Building one unmanned balloon with an engine = 400$
Scramble a jet fighter and shoot it down = 25.000$
(estimated values....)
;)
Madox58
12-17-10, 09:27 AM
Ahhhhh.. no worries mate.... all we need is a macbook with a virus
We're all set then!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqkKlK85TVI
Raptor1
12-17-10, 09:30 AM
Building one unmanned balloon with an engine = 400$
Scramble a jet fighter and shoot it down = 25.000$
(estimated values....)
;)

I'm sure there are much more damaging thing one could do with that amount of money and effort...