The US shooting down a balloon on Sunday that they suspected to be a spying device from China has ignited interest in spy balloons. But, this is not the first time a shootout of a foreign surveillance device or a spy balloon like this made headlines.
Here's a look at some similar incidents:
1.) A US spy plane was shot down by the Soviet Air Defence Forces in May 1960 while conducting photographic aerial reconnaissance deep inside Soviet territory. The single-seat aircraft had taken off from Pakistan's Peshawar and crashed near Sverdlovsk (present-day Yekaterinburg), after being hit by a surface-to-air missile. The pilot, who escaped with a parachute, landed safely and was captured.
According to reports, although the US authorities acknowledged the incident as the loss of a civilian weather research aircraft operated by NASA, later they were forced to admit the mission's true purpose after the Soviet government produced the captured pilot and parts of the plane's surveillance equipment, including photos of Soviet military bases.
Read more: What is a spy balloon? China's 'surveillance' device shot down in US
2.) The Hainan Island incident occurred on April 1, 2001, when a US signals intelligence aircraft and a Chinese interceptor fighter jet collided in mid-air. The US aircraft was operating about 110 km away from the Chinese island province of Hainan, as well as about 160 km away from the China military installation in the Paracel Islands when it was intercepted by two Chinese fighter jets. The collision caused a Chinese pilot to go missing, reports claimed.
The incident caused tension between the two countries. The 24-member US crew, who were forced to make an emergency landing, were detained and interrogated by Chinese authorities for 11 days until the US issued a statement regarding the incident, ABC News reported.
Watch: The moment US military shot down Chinese 'spy' balloon
3.) In 1955, the US launched Project Genetrix -- an air force program designed to release surveillance balloons over China, Eastern Europe, and the Soviet Union to take aerial photographs and collect intelligence. The balloons reached altitudes of 15 to 30 km, well above any contemporary fighter plane. A number of these spy balloons were shot down or blown off course, and the program led to many diplomatic protests from the target countries.
Read more: Chinese 'spy' balloon's downing creates spectacle over US tourism hub
