The Chinese hot air balloon that was flying over North America for more than a week before it was shot down over the Atlantic it was carrying equipment capable of tracking and intercepting communications, the US government claims.
A senior State Department official said Thursday that the equipment was spotted by a U2 spy plane sent to check on the balloon.
“The high-altitude balloon equipment was clearly for her collection of information and inconsistent with weather balloon equipment," the official said. "It had too many antennas in an array possibly capable of collecting and geolocating communications."
"It was equipped with solar panels panels αρκετά μεγάλα για να παράγει την απαιτούμενη ισχύ για τη λειτουργία πολλαπλών αισθητήρων collectionς πληροφοριών”.
Η China has used such balloons to gather intelligence in more than 40 countries on five continents, the US claims.
The US government is considering sanctions against those involved, possibly including the manufacturer of the balloon, which the State Department says is an "authorized seller" of China's People's Liberation Army.
"We will also look more broadly to uncover and address the PRC's [People's Republic of China] greater surveillance activities that pose a threat to our national security and to our allies and partners," the ministry said.
The US military is supposed to be unable to collect intelligence inside the US, so the U2 plane was granted special dispensation to conduct the counter-surveillance operation.
