In 2023, a Chinese balloon entered US airspace, causing a great stir both in the government and among the population.
The incident occurred on February 4, when the US Air Force shot down a high-altitude balloon off the coast of South Carolina.
The balloon, which flew over Alaska and western Canada between January 28 and February 4, was initially described by the Pentagon as a surveillance balloon, which China denied.
At the time, the Chinese claimed that the unidentified flying object was just a civilian airship that had veered off course.
Clear view of the China Balloon flying over head today. NOT FOR BROADCASTING OR DOWNLOADED #ChinaBalloon #ChineseSpyBalloon #China #missouri #canon pic.twitter.com/GLC8MajL4D
— TylerSchlittPhotography (@Stormchaser_TS) February 4, 2023
However, according to a secret military report, the balloon was actually carrying technology from at least five American companies, including Iridium, Texas Instruments, Omega Engineering, Amphenol All Sensors Corporation, and Onsemi.
This technology was capable of surveying, photographing areas, and collecting intelligence data, according to a report by the iHeart radio.
Additionally, the balloon also had “launchable gliders for additional reconnaissance missions,” which could have gathered detailed data on Americans and included a short-duration messaging module called Iridium 9602, according to The New York Post.
“A Chinese company wouldn’t have provided them with full satcom [satellite communications] coverage of the US,” said a former federal intelligence official to Newsweek. The site also revealed that equipment from at least one Swiss company was also involved.
Despite the report, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC reiterated that the aircraft was just an innocent balloon that had veered off course and that its technology was solely for “meteorological studies.”
Photo and video: X @Stormchaser_TS. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
