from Chinese Spy Balloon
US Navy Unveils Evidence of Chinese Spy Balloon Debris Following Discovery
Balloon is pulled into the boat
The US Navy has released photos of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon shot out of the sky on Saturday.
The US Fleet Command posted several photos on its Facebook page showing large debris from the balloon being towed into a boat.
The Post said the sailors recovering the debris on Sunday are part of the Navy’s explosives specialist team.
The device will now be examined to determine whether it is actually a spy device.
US officials have described the balloon as about 200 feet (60 m) tall, with the payload portion comparable in size to regional jets and weighing hundreds – or possibly thousands – of pounds.
China has repeatedly insisted that “the airship is for civilian use and entered the US due to force majeure – it was purely an accident”.
The discovery of the balloon sparked a diplomatic crisis, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken immediately canceling a weekend trip to China – the first such high-level US-Chinese meeting in years – over the “irresponsible act”.
Balloon is pulled into the boat
The balloon was recovered a day after it was shot down by a fighter jet off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The Navy said the debris had been spread across 7 miles (11 km) of the Atlantic Ocean and two Navy vessels – including one with a heavy crane for recovery – had been dispatched to the area. However, the photos show that the piles of balloon material could be pulled on board by hand.
The US military also used unmanned underwater vehicles as part of the search operation.
Experts say the wreckage of the balloon could give the US valuable insight into Chinese air surveillance technology and techniques, allowing them to better understand what the balloon was capable of and how it transmitted information.
However, efforts to recover the balloon’s equipment were complicated by the need to ensure US personnel were protected from potentially hazardous materials such as explosives or battery components.
US defense officials first announced Thursday they were tracking the strange object and waited until it was safely afloat before shooting it down.
Footage on US television stations showed the balloon crashing into the sea after a small explosion.
On Friday, the Pentagon said a second Chinese spy balloon had been sighted – this time over Latin America with reported sightings over Costa Rica and Venezuela.
The Colombian Air Force says an identified object – believed to be a balloon – was spotted in the country’s airspace on February 3 at over 55,000 feet.
It followed the object until it left the airspace, adding that it posed no threat to national security.
Don’t miss interesting posts on Famousbio
