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Sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 found a Chinese reconnaissance balloon in waters off Myrtle Beach, USA, February 5, 2023. Photo/us navy/REUTERS
WASHINGTON – The United States Navy (US) released the first official images of its attempt to acquire a Chinese “reconnaissance balloon”.
The balloon was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean after being spotted over US airspace last week.
Photographs published on Tuesday (7/2/2023) show US Navy members from an explosives ordnance group leaning on a rigid hull inflatable boat and pulling up most of the white outer cloth and shell structure of the balloon.
Using underwater drones, warships, and inflatable boats, the Navy conducted extensive operations assembling all of the device’s parts.
The balloon spent several days flying over North America last week before being shot down Saturday off the coast of South Carolina.
The balloon measures about 60 meters high and carries a long sensor package underneath, which the head of US Northern Command, General Glen VanHerck said earlier this week to be about the size of a small regional jet.
While Beijing says the balloon is an “unmanned civilian aircraft” that primarily collects weather data and flies off course, Washington denounces its presence in US airspace as an “unacceptable” violation of state sovereignty.
