After being shot down by an Air Force F-22 fighter plane, the U.S. Navy has begun to search for the wreckage of the Chinese high-altitude surveillance ballon.
China asserts that it was a weathership gone astray. “strong dissatisfaction”As Breitbart News reported, Beijing may be urged to take down the U.S. planes after it was downed.
After rough seas made Sunday’s safe return from territorial waters impossible, the Department of Defense Monday announced that the rescue was taking place approximately six miles offshore of South Carolina.
The USS Carter HallAs the USNS observes, debris has begun to accumulate near the splashdown area. PathfinderSonar maps of the ocean floor. This is the section that UPI reported during their briefing.
You can watch below the Chinese spy ball being shot down.
Air Force General Glen VanHerck of North American Aerospace Defense Command (US Northern Command), said that ocean currents might make it difficult to recover all the debris. He also warned the public not to pick up any fragments of balloons washed ashore.
“I would remind you that due to ocean currents, it’s possible that there may be some debris that does float ashore,” VanHerck said during the briefing. “And so what we would ask of the public, and you can help me with this, is avoid contact. Contact local law enforcement immediately to take care of any of that debris.”
A map of the entire debris field is being prepared by Navy.
“We expect the debris field to be of the rough order of magnitude of about 1,500 meters by 1,500 meters, and so, you know, more than 15 football fields by 15 football fields,”VanHerck added that, while the Navy will determine whether the scene remains safe, VanHerck also said so.
Sen. @SteveDaines (R-MT) criticized Biden’s handling of the Chinese spy balloon that recently flew over the country, telling Breitbart News “A circus clown knows how to better handle a balloon than the White House.” https://t.co/ZtoZXGYecA
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) February 5, 2023
They’ll be using “unmanned underwater vehicles using side scan sonar to further locate sunken debris. And so we expect them to get on there and to do some additional categorization of potential threats such as explosives that may be on, hazardous materials that could be in batteries, et cetera, so we’re working very hard,”VanHerck was also added.
On Monday, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning urged both sides, “especially the United States”To “remain calm.”
“The entry of the strayed balloon into U.S. airspace was a purely unintended, unexpected and isolated incident,” Mao said. “It tests, however, whether the United States is sincere about stabilizing and improving its relations with China and whether it can properly manage a crisis.”
It was an unintended and unexpected incident that occurred in US airspace. However, it tests whether the US really wants to improve relations with China, and if they are capable of managing a crisis. pic.twitter.com/NZY1hQFCdB
— Spokesperson发言人办公室 (@MFA_China) February 6, 2023
According to the Defense Department, it’s still deciding where to send it.
“I don’t know where the debris’ going to go for a final analysis, but I will tell you that certainly the intel community, along with the law enforcement community that works this under counterintelligence, will take a good look at it,”VanHerck stated. “So we look forward to moving forward there.”
To determine the origin of the plane’s purpose, the U.S. intends to search the wreckage for any sensor possible.
Rafael Mendez watches from the USS Carter Hall as Rafael Mendez (Seaman) stands guard while USS Oscar Austin, the guided missile destroyer and USS Philippine Sea pass alongside debris from the Chinese high altitude surveillance balloon. (Lt. J.G. Jerry Ireland/U.S. Navy/UPI)
Investigators are confident that they can evaluate the quality and resolution of any surveillance images, even if it is corrupted or wiped.
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