Ehh. I'm not seeing evidence that was in any way pointed at people. In the aftermath of the Ukrainian strikes on Russia's strategic bombers it became quite apparent that leaving your air force out unprotected in your own country is a shortcut to losing a lot of it at once. The US Air Force has the same problem the Russian VKS had: lots of expensive planes out in the open scattered over a massive country that anyone can get drones or explosives into. This was near an airbase. While the drone identification bit needs work I don't find the presence unreasonable

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Spiderweb

Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 51 pts · 202d (5 replies)

Soooooo should counter protesters just release a bunch of mylar balloons to cause disruption? Publicly admitting that their tech/operators can't discern between balloons and drones is..... A choice.

Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 23 pts · 202d (4 replies)

Soooooo should counter protesters just release a bunch of mylar balloons to cause disruption

Yes.

Publicly admitting that their tech/operators can't discern between balloons and drones is..... A choice.

Also yes. 😄

Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works · 15 pts · 202d (3 replies)

Balloons are sky trash, bad for the environment. But they could be good camouflage for drones now, I guess.

Edit: maybe release a hundred of these:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/702995043/biodegradable-pride-rainbow-colours

Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 10 pts · 202d

Good point about the sky trash, forgot about that!

As for using biodegradable pride balloons to distract fascist weaponry? That's the ultimate poetic justice! 😘👌😄

HikingVet@lemmy.ca · 7 pts · 202d (1 reply)

Is there a source on the material of the balloon? Like did it have a radar cross section and that's what caused the confusion?

Because if so, you're gonna want to attach something like aluminum foil as it doesn't look like those would actually be able to confuse optics.

HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 202d

a bunch of these

but tastefully edited

CIA_chatbot@lemmy.world · 36 pts · 202d (4 replies)

How fucking cartoon villainous do you have to be to shoot down a fucking birthday ballon with a multi-million dollar laser - JFC I want off Mr toads wild ride

brown567@sh.itjust.works · 16 pts · 202d (3 replies)

If I had one of those lasers, trying it out on some balloons is probably the first thing I'd do XD

CIA_chatbot@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 202d (2 replies)

You monster

brown567@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 202d (1 reply)

They would be bought for the purpose, not someone else's =)

CIA_chatbot@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 202d

That’s what a monster would say! Jk

Aeao@lemmy.world · 29 pts · 203d (4 replies)

There’s a song about that!

HikingVet@lemmy.ca · 38 pts · 203d (3 replies)

🔊🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶

Hast du etwas Zeit für mich Dann singe ich ein Lied für dich Von neunundneunzig Luftballons Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont Denkst du vielleicht grad an mich Dann singe ich ein Lied für dich Von neunundneunzig Luftballons Und, dass so was von so was kommt

You and I in a little toy shop Buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got Set them free at the break of dawn 'Til one by one they were gone Back at base bugs in the software Flash the message: "something's out there!" Floating in the summer sky Ninety-nine red balloons go by

kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 202d (1 reply)

"It's all over and I'm standin' pretty In this dust that was a city If I could find a souvenir Just to prove the world was here And here is a red balloon I think of you, and let it go"....

Such a surprisingly depressing song if you've only heard the original and you don't speak German

Aeao@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 196d

The English translation isn’t exactly optimistic.

wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 202d

Furbag@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 202d (4 replies)

So the narrative the other day was drug cartels were swarming the airport with drones and that's why they had to shut it down.

Was that a total fabrication to cover for this obvious false positive?

Also answers my question for "How come nobody has drone bombed you-know-who yet?"

Doomsider@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 202d (2 replies)

Yes, this administration produces wild lies constantly.

Just about everyone dislikes bureaucracy even if it is honest and trustworthy.

On the other hand, everyone hates a lying and corrupt bureaucracy. I guess making everyone hate the government is code for MAGA.

Make the government fail and then triumphantly point out you said it would fail. Yeah, because you fucking made it fail you dimwit.

tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip · 7 pts · 202d (1 reply)

Make the government fail and then triumphantly point out you said it would fail. Yeah, because you fucking made it fail you dimwit.

Orange McRapepedo can only chase the latest shiny trophy or bribe that gets dangled in front of pig eyes, but don't mistake him for the incompetence of everyone. JD Couchfucker and the scum like him would absolutely continue dismantling the government, not out of stupidity but so they can sell off the broken scraps to the tech sociopath oligarchs.

"Oh damn, looks like government healthcare doesn't work, guess we should put Tim Apple in charge of iHealth. Looks like social security money isn't being distributed efficiently, let's set everyone up in Sauron Thiel's Palantir database so things work more smoothly. Education results continue to decline after a pedo protector from the WWE couldn't run things? Obviously Cuckerberg already has the infrastructure to get everyone into a controlled virtual learning environment, and recess can be spent playing games with loot boxes."

Doomsider@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 202d

The Department of Misinformation wants to hear more about your Loot Box Learning program. After they merge with Roblox and Grok AI they are going to need visionaries like you. People who are not afraid to ask the tough question our children deserve to hear like was the Holocaust even real?

ivanafterall@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 202d

[ removed ]

kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 202d (1 reply)

Hello? Nena? You're not gonna believe this... 🎈

Blaster_M@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 202d

Legendary reference pull

Slovene@feddit.nl · 15 pts · 203d

I'm surprised Faux "news" didn't claim it was in the possession of the same jewish group that uses space lasers to start forest fires.

redsand@infosec.pub · 15 pts · 203d

Lol. Reflective balloons can defeat that multi million dollar piece of shit. Wonder how it does in the rain

ApatheticCactus@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 202d (2 replies)

Has anyone considered how this might interfere with the rapture?