The Chinese balloon that flew over the entire United States at the beginning of the year before being shot down in the Atlantic used American technology in its espionage work, as revealed exclusively by the influential newspaper The Wall Street Journal.
The spy balloon was loaded with equipment made in the United States, with which it collected photos, videos and other information.
Several Defense and Intelligence agencies, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), analyzed the remains recovered after being shot down by an Air Force plane.
That analysis found that the globe was littered with commercially available American equipment, some of it for sale online, and interspersed with more specialized Chinese sensors and other devices for recording photos, video and other information to transmit to Beijing.
MUN-GEN USA-CHINA-GLOBE
Associated Press
Those findings, US officials said, support the conclusion that the balloon was meant for spying, not monitoring the weather, as Xi Jinping’s regime has claimed.
Officials described the Chinese balloon, with its mix of standard and specialized equipment, as a clever attempt at surveillance by Beijing.
Although the balloon collected data during its eight-day passage through Alaska, Canada and the northern United States, the spacecraft did not appear to send that information to China, according to analysts.
AMN-GEN USA-CHINA-SPY BALLOON
Associated Press
AMN-GEN CHINA-USA-SPY BALLOON
Associated Press
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