The authorities in the United States monitored for several days an aircraft that flew over the northern United States, the East Coast, and North and South Carolina.
The episode has led to diplomatic tension between the US and China, and a visit to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was postponed.
The Chinese authorities claimed to the US authorities that the balloon was for civilian use and that it had blown off course by accident.
This explanation was not accepted by the US Department of Defense.
On February 4, the balloon was shot down, a few days after Joe Biden’s government gave the green light.
Now the US authorities say they have obtained electronics that can be used for intelligence from the wreck, writes ABC.
PAYLOAD: The balloon must have had a large and heavy load. Photo: US NAVY PHOTO via Reuters
Three school buses payload
According to CNN the balloon’s payload must weigh over 2,000 pounds, just under a ton.
The load is said to have been as large as three school buses, and was retrieved from approximately 15 meters deep off the coast of South Carolina.
Among the things to be brought in are important sensors that can apparently be used for intelligence.
– The crew has managed to obtain significant wreckage from the site, including all the important sensor and electronics parts that have been identified, as well as large parts of the structure, says a statement from the US Northern Command.
The map shows the balloon’s journey over the United States. Photo: AP / NTB
Three shootings in three days
In addition, the USA has shot down four other objects that were not visible on radars. From Friday to Sunday, three such objects were shot down in three days.
The Americans admit that there is much they do not know about the three objects, including how they stayed aloft, who built them and whether or not they were used for intelligence.
However, they have said they do not believe they posed a military threat, which Defense Minister Lloyd Austin reiterated on Monday. According to him, no wreckage has been recovered from the other three shootings yet.
Here the balloon is shot down
– Obviously a pattern
From the American side, it has not been established that the shootings have anything to do with each other, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday that they must be seen in context. One of the objects was shot down over the Yukon area in western Canada.
– There is obviously some kind of pattern here. The fact that we have seen such incidents on such a significant scale in the past week is cause for interest and vigilance, Trudeau said.
