Spy balloon sent data to China in real time, US media report
An overhead view of the Chinese balloon on 3 February, shown in a photo provided by the US department of defenceThe Chinese balloon that flew over the US earlier this year managed to gather intelligence from military bases for days before it was shot down, US media report.
The craft picked up electronic signals rather than taking pictures, according to one official quoted by the network.But US officials say they managed to limit the balloon's intelligence-gathering abilities as it floated over the country. "We do know that the balloon was able to be manoeuvred and purposely driven along its track," said spokesperson Sabrina Singh, who declined to say which military installations the balloon was able to hover over.
A public acknowledgement that the balloon was flying over the continental US set off days of tracking, sky watching and speculation. The craft - which was about 200ft tall - was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on 4 February by a US fighter jet.American officials later said they had recovered the balloon. Chinese officials say it was a civilian weather balloon and that the US overreacted by shooting it down.
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