Chinese spy balloon DID collect intelligence from sensitive US military locations as it flew across America before being shot down
- Breaking: more to follow
The Chinese spy balloon used by few in the US in February gathered information from several US military sites before being shot down, according to two senior US officials and a former senior government official.
The sources said China could have gathered more information had the Biden administration not tried to block it.
The information gathered came mainly from electronic signals, rather than images, the officials said.
Officials previously said the balloon was capable of gathering intelligence.
Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 5 February 2023
The path of the intelligence-gathering balloons that flew over the United States in February
A U.S. Air Force U-2 pilot looks down at a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon as it hovers over the United States on Feb. 3, 2023
On February 4, at the direction of President Biden and with the support of Canada, U.S. fighter jets under the authority of U.S. Northern Command deployed and lowered a high-altitude surveillance balloon into sovereign U.S. airspace and over U.S. territorial waters.
Sailors were later assigned to recover the balloon from the Atlantic Ocean.
On February 10, a ‘UFO’ was shot down over Alaska.
A day later, another balloon was shot down over Yukon, Canada.
On February 12, another was shot down over the Great Lakes.