The US military is rushing to recover and analyze the debris from a Chinese balloon that its fighter jet shot down.
The US Department of Defense announced on Saturday that an F22 fighter jet fired an air-to-air missile at the balloon, which China describes as a civilian airship. It was shot down over waters about 11 kilometers off the coast of South Carolina in US airspace.
No damage to civilian aircraft or ships has been reported.
A senior US military official told reporters that the debris spread out over an area of about 11 kilometers. The official estimated that the recovery efforts would be completed in a relatively short period of time.
A senior defense official said that the balloon entered the US air defense zone north of the Aleutian Islands on January 28. After passing through Canadian airspace on Monday, it reportedly crossed back into the US territory over northern Idaho on Tuesday.
The official reiterated that the balloon was used for surveillance, saying that they managed to analyze devices in the balloon while it was flying. The official indicated that the balloon was apparently on a reconnaissance mission.
US military officials plan to examine the recovered debris with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to analyze its surveillance capabilities.
China continues to claim that the balloon, which they referred to as a "civilian airship," was flown mainly for weather research and was blown off course. But the country has protested the US decision to shoot it down.
The US Department of Defense announced on Saturday that an F22 fighter jet fired an air-to-air missile at the balloon, which China describes as a civilian airship. It was shot down over waters about 11 kilometers off the coast of South Carolina in US airspace.
No damage to civilian aircraft or ships has been reported.
A senior US military official told reporters that the debris spread out over an area of about 11 kilometers. The official estimated that the recovery efforts would be completed in a relatively short period of time.
A senior defense official said that the balloon entered the US air defense zone north of the Aleutian Islands on January 28. After passing through Canadian airspace on Monday, it reportedly crossed back into the US territory over northern Idaho on Tuesday.
The official reiterated that the balloon was used for surveillance, saying that they managed to analyze devices in the balloon while it was flying. The official indicated that the balloon was apparently on a reconnaissance mission.
US military officials plan to examine the recovered debris with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to analyze its surveillance capabilities.
China continues to claim that the balloon, which they referred to as a "civilian airship," was flown mainly for weather research and was blown off course. But the country has protested the US decision to shoot it down.
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Summary
US fighter jet shot down a Chinese balloon, described as civilian airship by China, over South Carolina waters on Saturday. The debris, spread across about 11 kilometers, is being recovered for analysis by the US military and FBI to examine its potential surveillance capabilities. The balloon
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ID: 49026920-bb12-4cd9-8e36-9542ca709515
Category ID: nhk
URL: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230205_11/
Date: Feb. 5, 2023
Created: 2023/02/05 23:09
Updated: 2025/12/09 07:51
Last Read: 2023/02/05 23:14