A bizarre twist in the Chinese spy balloon saga has finally revealed the contents of the mystery floating surveillance device.
Investigators discovered the balloon – which was found hovering over the US before it was eventually shot down over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina on February 4, 2023 – was secretly equipped with US-made technology.
It was full of the very same technology that may have helped Beijing spy on unsuspecting Americans, two sources with direct knowledge of the classified investigation told Newsweek exclusively.
Military analysts who dismantled the balloon found it was loaded with American-made satellite communication modules and sophisticated sensors from at least five different US companies, as reported by the outlet.
A Chinese patent uncovered during the investigation also alarmingly showed that Beijing had already mapped out exactly how to use American satellite technology to control these spy balloons and harvest sensitive data.
The necessary equipment was reportedly easily available for purchase online.
Last February, the Pentagon determined the high-altitude balloon found and intercepted by the US Military was ‘likely’ a ‘hobby balloon.’
In a statement, NORAD, along with the Federal Aviation Administration, said at the time that the mystery balloon was monitored from ground radars ‘until it left US airspace overnight.’
The US Military intercepted a balloon that was found hovering over Utah on Friday. The Pentagon said that it was not a threat. Pictured: File photo of China spy balloon over US in 2023
A similar balloon was found hovering over the US and was eventually shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb 4, 2023
‘The balloon was intercepted by NORAD fighters over Utah, who determined it was not maneuverable and did not present a threat to national security,’ NORAD said.
‘The FAA also determined the balloon posed no hazard to flight safety. NORAD remains in close coordination with the FAA to ensure flight safety.’
That balloon entered US airspace over Alaska in January and eventually flew over a US military base in Montana before it was shot down by an F-22 Raptor off the coast of South Carolina.
In June, the Pentagon said it had ‘intelligence collection capabilities,’ but US officials could not confirm if China collected information in real-time.
The discovery then provoked Beijing, which vowed countermeasures, adding yet another strain to a relationship already battered by trade practices, tariffs, Taiwan, human rights, and China’s ties with Russia before President Vladimir Putin launched his Ukraine invasion.
Republicans criticized Former President Joe Biden for not having it downed sooner.
The incident also prompted a period when the military shot down other unidentified objects.
The earlier incident forced Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a planned trip to China while criticizing it as an ‘irresponsible act.’
Last June, Biden said he didn’t think ‘the leadership knew where it was and knew what was in it and knew what was going on,’ calling it ‘more embarrassing than it was intentional.’
Last year’s incident brought forth information on a series of sightings
Navy sailors recovered parts of the spy balloon after a US jet shot it down off the coast of South Carolina last year
In November, President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco as the two has high-stakes conversations about the US-China relationship
China claimed the balloon was being used for weather-related issues, even though US intelligence agencies concluded that it was used for spying.
And last November, Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco as the two has high-stakes conversations about the US-China relationship.
The two leaders met for four hours at a historic home outside of San Francisco.
Their encounter began with a warm double-clasped handshake, and a declaration by Xi that the world is ‘big enough’ for both countries, despite years of rising rhetoric and provocations.
‘The China-US relationship has never been smooth sailing and always faces problems of one kind or another ,’ Xi said through a translator as he met Biden at the time.
‘Yet it has kept moving forward amidst twists and turns. For China and the United States, turning their back on each other is not an option. It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other, and conflict and confrontation has terrible consequences for both sides. Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed.’
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
