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A U.S. F-22 Raptor fighter shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday.
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The U.S. first detected the high altitude surveillance balloon on January 28.
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The Biden administration enhanced the surveillance of airspace, which facilitated spotting this latest spy balloon.
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The U.S. Navy is spearheading the recovery efforts and collecting debris of the balloon.
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An oceanographic survey ship and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 are also involved in the search.
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The operation started on Monday after rough sea conditions prevented it from starting on Sunday.
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The Pentagon referred questions about the operation to North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, which didn't respond to a request for comment.
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Similar balloons have entered U.S. airspace at least four times during the Trump and Biden administrations, but this was the longest.
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The U.S. intelligence community only informed U.S. Northern Command about the balloons after they left U.S. airspace.
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The debris field from the downed balloon measures approximately 1500 square meters and is situated in water roughly 50 feet deep. The public is warned against collecting any debris that may wash onto the shore.