World News| The Navy released the first batch of photos of Chinese balloon recovery

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (AP) — The U.S. Navy is conducting a massive operation using underwater drones, warships and inflatable boats to collect all information on a giant Chinese spy balloon that was shot down by U.S. fighter jets off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday. debris.

In the latest image released by the Navy on Tuesday, sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit 2 lean on a solid-hulled inflatable boat, pulling on the balloon’s white outer fabric and large areas of its shell structure.

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Gen. Glen VanHerck, head of U.S. Northern Command, said Monday that teams were taking precautions to prevent any part of the balloon from being loaded with explosives.

The balloon is estimated to be 200 feet (60 meters) tall, with a long sensor package underneath, and VanHerck estimates it to be the size of a small regional jet.

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The Navy is also using ships to map and scan all that remains of the seafloor so that U.S. analysts can get a full picture of the types of sensors China is using and better understand how balloons maneuver.

VanHerck said fragments of the balloon were scattered in water about 50 feet (15 meters) deep but spanned an area 15 football fields long and 15 football fields wide. (Associated Press)

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