Recent comments in /f/pics

rsta223 t1_j9h1x24 wrote

Reply to comment by MrEloi in U2 Pilot selfie with the Chinese Balloon by Mival93

The F-22 officially has a ceiling of 60k, and was apparently at 58k when it shot the balloon (which was at 63k, with the missile covering the 5kft difference).

(As stated by others, this is a U-2, but the 22 could actually get pretty close, and based on the flight envelope diagrams I've seen, even 60k is pretty conservative for the 22, and probably an artificial limit for pilot oxygen/pressurization reasons or something)

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chrisluckhardt OP t1_j9gvadv wrote

Reply to US Navy abandoned this cryptographic and intelligence communications site on a remote Alaska island by chrisluckhardt

Video tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R5VfJzf5Bw

Naval Security Group Activity (NSGA) was an organization within the US Navy on Adak Island. It was tasked with intelligence gathering, cryptology, and denial of intelligence to Cold War and other adversaries. More than 700 military personnel were assigned to operations in these isolated facilities. Military activities lasted on this location from September 1943 until March 1997 when the entire Adak base was closed. But thawing arctic ice and geopolitical concerns has the US Navy considering a base reopening.

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MrEloi t1_j9gotam wrote

Reply to U2 Pilot selfie with the Chinese Balloon by Mival93

I thought that the F-22 got up to 50,000 feet and the missile climbed the remaining 10,000 feet?

This photo show the plane at 60,000 ft or more ....

The shadow cast onto the balloon is all a bit too perfect.

Note: technically, the F-22 can reach 60,000+ ft in some circumstances

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