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International relations thread

Alistair20000

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Rogue states will regularly probe to test the reaction or non reaction of the West. Non reaction just encourages them to go further.
 

Phil Sayers

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Incidentally we are working on our own equivalent surveillance system - military reconnaissance satellites are very expensive and have drawbacks (e.g only limited life-time fuel with which to change orbital path and only one pass per orbit over a site so canny people on the ground know when it will be overhead) but they do have the advantage of not being deemed a violation of sovereignty and therefore entirely 'fair play' in peacetime.

This will address a lot of the drawbacks of satellites but will itself have the massive drawback of being a clear airspace intrusion / violation of sovereignty albeit at such high altitude that few countries could intercept it if they tried. Therefore, unlike China with the US, we will not be flying these over China unless war breaks out:


Could also be used for other purposes such as a mobile phone signal relay if sent over a disaster zone that has just seen an earthquake topple relay masts or wide-area search for ships in distress.
 

DB9

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I'm amazed that we're in the 21st century and with all the techy stuff around the US got in a tizzy about a balloon and China were actually using one, OK what's hanging from it maybe technical but using something from the 17th/18th century, The US couldn't deal with it straight away and China used one!.
 

Colesman Ballz

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I'm amazed that we're in the 21st century and with all the techy stuff around the US got in a tizzy about a balloon and China were actually using one, OK what's hanging from it maybe technical but using something from the 17th/18th century, The US couldn't deal with it straight away and China used one!.
Seventy years on, NÀSA are still using 3 British design Canberra bombers from the post war era for high altitude work. To keep them in the air they have had to scavenge spare parts from the desert aircraft graveyards. There is nothing like tried and tested technology ! :)
 
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Phil Sayers

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Could also be used for other purposes such as a mobile phone signal relay if sent over a disaster zone that has just seen an earthquake topple relay masts.
Would have been useful if these were already in service. RIP those who have died (which is going to be a great many sadly).
 

Spoonz Red E

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I'm amazed that we're in the 21st century and with all the techy stuff around the US got in a tizzy about a balloon and China were actually using one, OK what's hanging from it maybe technical but using something from the 17th/18th century, The US couldn't deal with it straight away and China used one!.
As Phil says above.
A balloon can have an advantage over a satellite as it isn't restricted to orbital passes and can gather more density of real time information over a geographical area.

As there is no easy way to catch a plummeting balloon it needed to be shot down over water.
Expect a few claims and counter claims followed by the usual spy v spy games in continuance.

There'll be a bit of fuss over the recovered/'stolen' hardware and noise from the GOP 'it should have been shot down straight away' but my guess is that while it was floating serenely there would have been attempts to intercept and decode whatever it was transmitting back to China which would probably be more useful than the techy bits fished out of the water.
 

Mr Jinx

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And so Mr Zelensky continues his give-us-yer-feckin-money world tour I see.
 

Phil Sayers

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And rightly so - his country is facing an existential threat and fighting wars has always required three things: money, money and more money.

Was Churchill wrong to go to the US Congress and appeal for more dosh and 'the tools to finish the job'?

(Also - it is only his second trip abroad since this time last year!)
 

Spanks

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And so Mr Zelensky continues his give-us-yer-feckin-money world tour I see.
Jinx stinks to a new low. 🤮
 

Oldsmobile-88

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In RaWZ we trust....Amen.
And rightly so - his country is facing an existential threat and fighting wars has always required three things: money, money and more money.

Was Churchill wrong to go to the US Congress and appeal for more dosh and 'the tools to finish the job'?
The UK had to pay it back over the next 60 years.
 
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