You Probably Don’t Know This About the Chinese Spy Balloon – Watch
New information has been revealed about the Chinese spy balloon that crossed the United States in February 2023. The balloon was able to capture imagery and collect some signals intelligence from U.S. military sites, according to a source familiar with the matter. The balloon was also able to transmit information back to Beijing in real time.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the multiple federal agencies discovered that the balloon was “crammed with commercially available U.S. gear, some of it for sale online, and interspersed with more specialized Chinese sensors and other equipment to collect photos, video and other information to transmit to China.”
The report also indicated that the spy balloon had large solar panels to power it and that it was able to capture “radar data.”
And China has threatened the U.S. about making details from its investigation into the balloon public, claiming that they will be forced to respond in a harsh manner.
U.S. senators wrote a letter to the president saying:
“In your State of the Union address this year, you promised the American people that you would protect the United States from the PRC’s threats to our sovereignty. While four months have passed since a Chinese surveillance balloon was allowed to fly across the United States, your administration has yet to provide the American people a full accounting of how this spy platform was allowed to traverse across sovereign U.S. territory, what the balloon carried, and what it collected during its mission. Your administration has also not taken appropriate steps to hold the PRC accountable for this flagrant violation of U.S. sovereignty. As such, we urge you to immediately direct all relevant administration officials to release information, as appropriate, to the American public regarding the Chinese spy balloon.”
The U.S. government has been concerned about China’s growing military capabilities, and the spy balloon is just one example of how China is trying to gather intelligence on its rivals. The balloon’s flight over the United States is a clear violation of U.S. airspace, and it is a sign that China is willing to take risks in order to collect intelligence.
The Chinese spy balloon that floated over the U.S. early this year was loaded with American-made equipment that helped it collect photos, videos and other information, U.S. officials said https://t.co/3V5gwqziST
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) June 29, 2023
