US officials say getting their hands on China's spy balloon was a 'key' reason for shooting it down near a South Carolina beach

Tech Insider
A balloon flies in the sky over Billings, Montana, on February 1, 2022.
A high-altitude balloon over Billings, Montana, on February 1.

Chase Doak/via REUTERS

Japan says it has 'legal right' to destroy any foreign balloon in its airspace

Tech Insider
A high altitude balloon floats over Billings, Montana, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023.
A high-altitude balloon over Billings, Montana, on February 1.

Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP

China says it wants its busted balloon back after the US Navy fished the suspected spy craft out of the ocean

Tech Insider
Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023.
Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023.

Petty Officer 1st Class Tyler Thompson

Navy Releases Up-Close Pics of Chinese Spy Balloon Retrieval

Gizmodo

Last week, an unidentified object appeared 60,000 feet above the ground in Montana. Originating from China, the balloon gave all the appearance of being a spying aircraft.

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Photos capture the moment US Navy sailors pulled the downed Chinese balloon out of the ocean

Tech Insider
Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023.
Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023.

Petty Officer 1st Class Tyler Thompson

China Claims Ownership of Second Not-a-Spy Balloon Floating Over Latin America

Gizmodo

The great Chinese spy balloon drama of 2023 is not over yet. As it turns out, there’s another not-a-spy balloon floating over Latin America and yes, that one also belongs to China.

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A close read of Beijing's official statement shows it doesn't think the US violated international law by shooting down its balloon, says a legal expert who studies China

Tech Insider
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and members of his delegation meet with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and officials on January 15, 2023 in Cairo, Egypt.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and members of his delegation meet with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and officials on January 15, 2023 in Cairo, Egypt.

Fadel Dawod/Getty Images

The stealth F-22, the top US air superiority fighter, just got its first known air-to-air kill taking out a Chinese balloon.

Tech Insider
An F-22 Raptor fighter took down the balloon with one AIM-9X Sidewinder missile.
An F-22 Raptor fighter took down the surveillance balloon with one AIM-9X Sidewinder missile.

US Department of Defense

After a week adrift, a surveillance balloon from China has been deflated. Here's what we know about the suspect device and its mission.

Tech Insider
A map of the United States, with arrows pointing to where the Chinese surveillance balloon was spotted.

Getty Images

Republicans are blaming Biden for letting a suspected Chinese spy balloon cross into the US. It happened 3 times during the Trump administration, officials say.

Tech Insider : Politics
Donald Trump pointing at balloons.
Donald Trump looks at falling balloons at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on July 21, 2016.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

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