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Comment by zaphirplane | Hacker News Reader

Why couldn’t the Canadian airforce take down a slow moving air balloon

The flying object was shot down over northern Canada where the Alaska airbase is closer than the Canadian alternatives (most of Canada's population and airbases are in southern Canada).

Cold Lake, Alberta is one of the two permanent bases for CF-18s, not terribly southern.

You realize that Cold Lake is over 1000km from the closest part of the Yukon? If the UFO was near the alaska border it would be nearly 2000km from cold lake. Eielson afb is less than 500km from the Yukon border.

Also the F-22 can super cruise whereas the F-18 cannot.

You realize the distance Cold Lake is from the Yukon doesn’t have a whole lot to do with how southern Cold Lake is relative to the rest of Canada right? There’s a reason the base is where it is.

I’m well aware of the CF-188 or F/A-18’s capabilities (or lack thereof compared to the F-22), from when I worked on them, sometimes in Cold Lake. ;)

I was born in Cold Lake so now I have just as useless of a claim to knowledge as you do

We both win! Or lose.

Being born in Cold Lake is definitely a loss lol

2500km away from the Yukon.

Fully 2000 km from Cold Lake to Tuktoyaktuk. Depending where the object was, there's a lot more distance in the way.

Well he doesn’t say that it’s a slow moving air balloon. But, I’m guessing it’s simply a matter of the US F-22(s) got there first (they’re quite fast).

Why waste the munitions if the US is willing?

$450k per missile.

Couldn't the US force use a laser, like the one they used during their demo for intercepting missiles?

The YAL-1 was a test platform mounting laser on 747. It was retired in 2014. The US is further developing airborne lasers but still working on prototype.

Possibly. But it's worth wasting a few missiles if it doesn't let the Chinese know that. Let them waste their money making a balloon armada, and if war breaks out zap them all with a laser.

What’s with the hate. It’s a legitimate question. Canada is a developed country and RCAF has f18 and budget to train pilots

Surely it stands out that the prime minister asked another country to enter the Canadian airspace to shoot down an object.

I mean wouldn’t a politician consider the optics

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