U.S. military personnel inspecting a downed Chinese spy balloon have recovered electronic parts and “sensors” they believe may have been used to gather intelligence. U.S. Northern Command confirmed the news in a statement Monday evening, writing: “Crews have been able to recover significant debris from the site, including all of the priority sensor and electronics pieces identified as well as large sections of the structure.” The balloon, which was taken out just off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4, was the first of four such “objects” shot down by the U.S. military in recent days. The other three missions were more difficult than the first because the size of the targets was much smaller than the original spy balloon, officials told Reuters. In fact, shooting down one object over Lake Huron in Michigan Sunday took two sidewinder missiles after the first missed, Reuters reported, citing a U.S. official. Those weapons can run close to half-a-million dollars each, according to recent defense budget figures.
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