WASHINGTON: Underwater use dronewarships and inflatable boats, the Navy is carrying out a vast operation to piece together all the pieces of the enormous spy balloon an American fighter jet shot down off South Carolina on Saturday.
In the most recent footage released by the Navy on Tuesday, sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 are seen leaning over a rigid hull inflatable boat and pulling large swathes of the white outer fabric and hull structure of the ball.
The head of the US Northern Command, General Glen Van Hercksaid on Monday teams were taking precautions to guard against the risk of part of the ball being rigged with explosives.
The balloon was about 200 feet (60 meters) tall and carried a long array of sensors underneath, which VanHerck said was about the size of a small regional jet.
The Navy is also using ships to map and scan the seafloor for all remaining parts of the balloon, so US analysts can get a full picture of the types of sensors the Chinese were using and better understand how the balloon was able to maneuver.
The balloon debris is scattered in water about 15 meters deep, but extends over an area 15 football fields long and 15 football fields wide, VanHerck said.
In the most recent footage released by the Navy on Tuesday, sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 are seen leaning over a rigid hull inflatable boat and pulling large swathes of the white outer fabric and hull structure of the ball.
The head of the US Northern Command, General Glen Van Hercksaid on Monday teams were taking precautions to guard against the risk of part of the ball being rigged with explosives.
The balloon was about 200 feet (60 meters) tall and carried a long array of sensors underneath, which VanHerck said was about the size of a small regional jet.
The Navy is also using ships to map and scan the seafloor for all remaining parts of the balloon, so US analysts can get a full picture of the types of sensors the Chinese were using and better understand how the balloon was able to maneuver.
The balloon debris is scattered in water about 15 meters deep, but extends over an area 15 football fields long and 15 football fields wide, VanHerck said.
