China spy balloon: US Navy releases photos of debris; The US Navy has release images of a suspect Chinese hot air balloon. That was launch from the sky on Saturday.
The U.S. Navy Command post several photos on its Facebook page showing the balloon’s large debris being pull up into a boat.
According to the post, the sailors who recovered the wreck on Sunday were members of the Navy’s Special Bomb Squad.
The device is now being test to see if it is indeed spy equipment.
U.S. officials described the balloon as about 200 feet (60 meters) tall. With a cargo hold comparable in size to a regional airliner and weighing several hundred — possibly thousands — of pounds.
China has repeatedly claimed that the airship is for civilian use. That it entered the US due to force majeure – it was a complete accident.
The balloon’s discovery sparked a diplomatic crisis;
The balloon’s discovery sparked a diplomatic crisis. With US Secretary of State Antony Blinken immediately canceling a weekend trip to China. The first such high-level meeting between the US. China in years – over the “irresponsible act”.
The balloon was recover off the coast of Myrtle Beach. South Carolina, a day after it was shot down by a fighter jet.
China spy balloon: US Navy releases photos of debris; The navy said debris was sprea seven miles (11 kilometers) out into the Atlantic. Two navy ships, including one with a heavy crane, were dispatch to the area. However, the photos show that the piles of balloon material were haul aboard by hand.
The US military has also deployed unmanned underwater vehicles as part of the investigation. Experts say the balloon’s wreckage could provide the US with valuable insight into Chinese air surveillance techniques and technology, allowing them to better understand what the balloon was capable of. and how you send the information.
Efforts to recover the balloon’s equipment, however, were complicat by the need to ensure that US personnel were safe from potentially dangerous materials such as explosives or battery parts.
US defense officials first announced Thursday that they were tracking the strange object and waiting until it was safely above water before shooting it down.
In American television footage, the balloon fell into the sea after a small explosion.
On Friday, the Pentagon said another Chinese spy balloon had been spot — this time over Latin America, reportedly over Costa Rica and Venezuela.
According to the Colombian Air Force, an identifiy object, believe to be a hot air balloon, was spot on February 3 above 55,000 feet in the country’s airspace.
It says it tracked the object until it left airspace, adding that it poses no threat to national security.
