New Delhi: US Navy on Tuesday released pictures of the debris of a suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean on February 4 by an American F-22 fighter jet.
US Fleet Forces Command shared the pictures on its social media handles on Tuesday. As per BBC’s report, the balloon was retrieved off the coast of South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach a day after it was shot down.
The US Navy has used underwater drones, warships, and inflatable vessels to retrieve all of the pieces from the balloon, AFP reported.
📍ATLANTIC OCEAN – @USNavy Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023. pic.twitter.com/QwjSFQEw1b
— U.S. Fleet Forces (@USFleetForces) February 7, 2023
In the images, sailors are seen leaning over a rigid hull inflatable boat and pulling broad swaths of the balloon’s white outer fabric and shell structure from the water.
According to CNN’s report, the debris has been taken to an FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia for analysis to see whether it was indeed surveillance equipment.
Initially, when the balloon was shot down on Saturday, the Pentagon tried to set up a phone call between Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart, but Beijing refused, the BBC reported. Defence press secretary Brigadier General Patrick Ryder in a statement said, “Lines between our militaries are particularly important in moments like this. Unfortunately, the PRC (People’s Republic of China) has declined our request.”
Spy Balloon’s Debris
Two navy ships were dispatched to the location after the Navy informed that the balloon’s wreckage was scattered over 11 kilometres of the Atlantic Ocean. The mounds of balloon material being manually dragged onboard were captured on camera. The sailors who retrieved the debris on Sunday were a part of the Navy’s specialist explosives squad, according to US Fleet Forces Command.
Gen. Glen VanHerck, chief of US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) while talking to the media on Monday said that the balloon was about 200 feet tall and contained a payload portion that was about the size of regional airliners and weighed around hundreds, or potentially thousands of pounds.
The “strange object” was initially tracked by US defence personnel on February 2, but they waited until it was safely over water before shooting it down.
China on Monday admitted that it was indeed their balloon. It also added that the balloon was used for flight tests and had “seriously deviated” from its flight course “by mistake.”
Aftermath On US-China Relations
The balloon’s discovery sparked a diplomatic crisis. Due to China’s “irresponsible act,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a weekend trip to China, which would have been the first high-level US-China summit in years.
“China is a responsible country. We have always strictly abided by international law. We have informed all relevant parties and appropriately handled the situation, which did not pose any threats to any countries,” CNN quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning as saying to reporters.
(With inputs from IANS)
