Earlier this year, a Chinese “spy” balloon was spotted in the skies of the United States and was later shot down by jets over the Atlantic Ocean – an incident which escalated tensions between Washington and Beijing. Now, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday (June 28), citing preliminary findings from a closely held probe, that the spy balloon used American technology that helped it collect audio-visual information.
Citing US officials, WSJ said that analysis from several US defence and intelligence agencies found that the balloon carried commercially available US gear, along with more specialised Chinese sensors and other equipment to collect photographs, video and other information to transmit to China.
The report said that the findings support a conclusion that the craft was intended for spying, and not for weather monitoring as claimed by China. WSJ said that the balloon did not seem to send data from its eight-day passage over Alaska, Canada and some other contiguous US states back to China.
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Spy balloon saga
American authorities tracked the balloon after it was spotted, they later scrambled jets to shoot it down and had collected the debris to analyse it. However, China said that the balloon was a civilian “airship” which was used for research, mainly meteorological purposes.
The balloon episode sparked diplomatic tensions and posed an immediate impact on US-China ties.
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After the incident, a senior State Department official said that the spy balloon had equipment that was “clearly for intelligence surveillance,” including “multiple antennas” that were “likely capable of collecting and geo-locating communications”.
The officials in the US had claimed that the balloon could have been a part of a huge aerial spy program operated by the Chinese military, which apparently targeted more than 40 countries on five continents.
The US is also confident that the manufacturer of the Chinese balloon has a “direct relationship” with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
As quoted by news agencies, an official had said on grounds of anonymity that “it [the balloon] had multiple antennas to include an array likely capable of collecting and geo-locating communications.”
“It was equipped with solar panels large enough to produce the requisite power to operate multiple active intelligence collection sensors,” it added.
It was basically meant to collect information on military assets in countries and areas of emerging strategic interest to China including Japan, India, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines.
(With inputs from agencies)
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