U.S. service members have recovered substantial remnants of the Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down over the Atlantic on Saturday, according to newly released photos that proed the closest glimpse yet of the craft.
Photos from the Sunday recovery show Navy sailors dragging the deflated balloon and parts of its structure onto inflatable boats off the coast of Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The sailors are assigned to Virginia-based Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2, drawing on their experience in handling dangerous material at sea. Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, who oversees the North American Aerospace Defense Command, told reporters Monday that while they didn’t assess whether explosives were on board, it was appropriate for crews on the scene to proceed as though there could be. They may encounter other hazardous objects, such as shards of solar panel glass or batteries.
While officials said it is too early to tell how much of the craft would be intact, the photos proe a sense that some material has survived the encounter with a fighter jet’s missile. The balloon itself is about 200 feet tall and carrying equipment measuring roughly the size of a regional jetliner, VanHerck said, estimating its weight at about 2,000 pounds. Officials have not described the equipment in detail.
That material scattered into a debris field measuring about 1,500 meters by 1,500 meters, VanHerck said, in about 50 feet of water. The FBI will analyze the recovered material, officials have said.
The search is being led by personnel aboard the USS Carter Hall, an amphibious ship based in the Norfolk area. Shipping data on Monday showed it sailing in neat rows, indicating an apparent grid search, more than 10 miles off the coast of Myrtle Beach.
The Carter Hall is joined by other vessels, including the USNS Pathfinder, an oceanographic survey ship that will map the bottom of the Atlantic where the majority of the debris splashed down and sank, VanHerck said. Coast Guard aircraft flying from Elizabeth City, N.C., and Savannah, Ga., also are involved.
