The United States military has recovered significant debris from a Chinese spy balloon that was shot down by a Sidewinder missile from an F-22 fighter jet. What did you find?
As reported, the Chinese balloon flew over the US and Canada for about a week before President Joe Biden ordered it to be shot down on February 4, while flying over the coast of South Carolina.
A US fighter jet has brought down the balloon and the military is currently searching for the remains with the help of planes and ships. As quoted by us from the Independent, Tuesday (14/2/2023) the US military said it had obtained several components including key sensors and electronic devices in the balloon.
"The crew has been able to recover significant remains from the (Chinese spy balloon) crash site, including all critical sensor and electronic pieces and large portions of its structure," said a statement from the US military's Northern Command.
In another statement, photos taken by a high-altitude U-2 aircraft confirmed the presence of equipment aboard the balloon, including several antennas possibly capable of collecting data and locating intelligence.
Then there are solar panels large enough to generate the power needed to operate multiple active intelligence gathering sensors. The equipment is not consistent with what is contained in weather balloons as China claims.
Actually there were 3 more aerial objects that were shot down by the US. But so far, there has been no remnants that can be retrieved.
It was also revealed that shooting the other objects was more difficult than bringing down the Chinese spy balloons, due to their smaller size and lack of distinctive radar signature.