Electronic sensors recovered from downed Chinese spy balloon: US military

The United States has recovered the electronic mechanism and key sensors, presumably used for intelligence gathering, from the suspected Chinese spy balloon, officials announced on Monday.

US fighter jet shoots down China's suspected spy balloon: Report
ANI Asia
2 min read Last Updated : Feb 14 2023 | 3:55 PM IST

The United States has recovered the electronic mechanism and key sensors, presumably used for intelligence gathering, from the suspected Chinese spy balloon, officials announced on Monday (local time), New York Post reported.

"Crews have been able to recover significant debris from the site, including all of the priority sensor and electronics pieces identified as well as large sections of the structure," the US military's Northern Command said in a statement.

The US shot down the giant balloon, which China claimed to be a civilian airship used for research mainly meteorological, on February 4 after it hovered over the country for a week.

The parts were recovered from the ocean by Navy personnel in the days after.

Members of the FBI's evidence response team have since been studying the remnants to assess how extensive its surveillance capabilities were, but didn't have access to the majority of the balloon's "payload" -- its onboard electronics. The military now has possession of critical electronics, reported New York Post.

The discovery of the Chinese spy balloon led US officials to be on high alert for other potential foreign intelligence-gathering devices flying in US airways that were not detected by radar. US military officials located and shot down three objects in just as many days over the weekend in an unprecedented move.

Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin III said that these objects do not present a military threat, however, present a risk to civil aviation and potentially an intelligence collection threat.

While addressing the presser, Austin said, "Right now, our priority is on -- is debris recovery so that we can get a better sense of what these objects are. We're working closely with the rest of the federal government, including the FAA, the FBI, NASA, and others, to work through what we might be seeing." "We, of course, know that a range of entities, including countries, companies, research organizations, operate in these altitudes -- or at these altitudes for purposes that are not nefarious, including legitimate research," he added.

Austin added that US military teams have not yet recovered debris from the three objects shot down -- which were significantly smaller than the Chinese spy balloon.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Quarterly Starter

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

Save 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :ElectronicsChineseUnited States

First Published: Feb 14 2023 | 3:55 PM IST

Next Story