Photo: DoD/CNN
It was a rough ride a couple of weeks ago for unsuspecting Joes on the ground, as reports of Chinese spy balloons in the air popped up all over the place. America had it the worst, and it seemed to be facing an invasion by an army of such things, sent from all the way over in China.
It all started on January 28, when the American military detected something in the air, flying incredibly slow in the general vicinity of the Aleutian Islands. It was immediately obvious the balloon was carrying a payload, and fingers immediately pointed at China and some spying activities.
The Asian nation denied the claim at first, saying that was probably just a weather apparatus. The U.S. didn’t fall for it and eventually, on February 4, an F-22 Raptor was sent to take it down over the coast of South Carolina. An AIM-9X Sidewinder missile was released, and the balloon was history (several more popped up in the days that followed, with at least another being shot down over Canada).
The decision to “kill” the thing was not taken lightly, but until today, February 23, we, the average Joes, really had no idea what was actually shot down, as blurry photos taken from afar did little in the way of enlightening us. Luckily, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) thought to make it all crystal clear and released what is the sharpest image of the balloon to date.
As per CNN, the close-up comes our way courtesy of a U-2 spy plane pilot, who snapped the pic as he approached the target, flying at a slightly higher altitude. The photo pre-dates the kill operation and was apparently taken as the balloon was flying somewhere over Montana.
A closer look at the photo will reveal the silhouette of the American plane on the balloon itself, but also the payload dangling underneath it. It's something not unlike the satellites flying higher in orbit, with solar panels deployed right and left of the central hardware.
The general public is not yet aware of exactly what technology the thing was carrying. U.S. officials earlier said it had the ability to look down at “strategic military sites,” and that more than justified actions taken against it.
The balloon’s remains were recovered on February 16. As we previously reported, the recovery operation involved an incredible amount of hardware and manpower. In all, one Navy destroyer, a cruiser, and a dock landing ship were all dispatched to the area where the balloon came down.
All the pieces retrieved during the operation have been moved to an FBI laboratory in Virginia for study. No info was provided as to when (or if) we’ll be informed of what the FBI finds.
The Asian nation denied the claim at first, saying that was probably just a weather apparatus. The U.S. didn’t fall for it and eventually, on February 4, an F-22 Raptor was sent to take it down over the coast of South Carolina. An AIM-9X Sidewinder missile was released, and the balloon was history (several more popped up in the days that followed, with at least another being shot down over Canada).
The decision to “kill” the thing was not taken lightly, but until today, February 23, we, the average Joes, really had no idea what was actually shot down, as blurry photos taken from afar did little in the way of enlightening us. Luckily, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) thought to make it all crystal clear and released what is the sharpest image of the balloon to date.
As per CNN, the close-up comes our way courtesy of a U-2 spy plane pilot, who snapped the pic as he approached the target, flying at a slightly higher altitude. The photo pre-dates the kill operation and was apparently taken as the balloon was flying somewhere over Montana.
A closer look at the photo will reveal the silhouette of the American plane on the balloon itself, but also the payload dangling underneath it. It's something not unlike the satellites flying higher in orbit, with solar panels deployed right and left of the central hardware.
The general public is not yet aware of exactly what technology the thing was carrying. U.S. officials earlier said it had the ability to look down at “strategic military sites,” and that more than justified actions taken against it.
The balloon’s remains were recovered on February 16. As we previously reported, the recovery operation involved an incredible amount of hardware and manpower. In all, one Navy destroyer, a cruiser, and a dock landing ship were all dispatched to the area where the balloon came down.
All the pieces retrieved during the operation have been moved to an FBI laboratory in Virginia for study. No info was provided as to when (or if) we’ll be informed of what the FBI finds.
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