If it can find and approach the balloon close enough to set off a grenade, I'd probably want to target the UAV more than the balloon. If the UAV is still functional when the balloon is shredded, it could potentially just be deployed early and find a target of opportunity on the way down. Which leads to another point, if a hostile is detected inbound, they again could just launch the UAV and find something for it to go after - it wouldn't surprise me if there was a list of contingency targets along the projected route.

[–] daychilde@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Is why I said looking holes in the hanging drone :)

[–] MrMakabar@slrpnk.net 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

If it can find and approach the balloon close enough to set off a grenade,

That is the problem. Weather balloons usually fly between 18-37km above sea level. That is hard to impossible to reach for even a fighter jet, which have service ceilings of 18km. Simpler cheaper aircraft can not fly that high. With the guns range being somewhat limited, you basically need to fire a missile at the balloon. That however is too expensive.

[–] WaxRhetorical@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

Screenshot says they're flying at 5-7 km altitude though, which is a very different situation