The United States Navy has released photos of a suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down on Saturday (Feb 4).

The US Fleet Force Command posted several photos on Facebook, saying sailors recovered a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach in South Carolina on Sunday.

The team that helped recover the debris is part of the Navy's Expeditionary Combat Force that clears explosive hazards and "secures the undersea domain for freedom of movement".

US officials said on Monday that the downed Chinese balloon will be analysed by intelligence experts and there is no plan to give the remains back to Beijing.

The team that helped recover the debris is part of the Navy's Expeditionary Combat Force that clears explosive hazards and "secures the undersea domain for freedom of movement".

US officials said on Monday that the downed Chinese balloon will be analysed by intelligence experts and there is no plan to give the remains back to Beijing.

General Glen VanHerck, head of the US Northern Command, separately told reporters that a Navy ship is in the process of mapping the debris field, which is expected to measure about 1,500m by 1,500m.

The balloon itself was up to 60m tall and carried a payload weighing several thousand pounds that was roughly the size of a regional jet aircraft, he said.

After slowly traversing the middle of the United States, reportedly over several top secret military sites, the balloon headed out over the east coast, where President Joe Biden ordered it to be shot down.