A bizarre twist in the Chinese spy balloon saga has finally revealed the contents of the mystery floating surveillance device.
Investigators discovered the balloon – which was found hovering over the US before it was eventually shot down over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina on February 4, 2023 – was secretly equipped with US-made technology.
It was full of the very same technology that may have helped Beijing spy on unsuspecting Americans, two sources with direct knowledge of the classified investigation told Newsweek exclusively.
Military analysts who dismantled the balloon found it was loaded with American-made satellite communication modules and sophisticated sensors from at least five different US companies, as reported by the outlet.
A Chinese patent uncovered during the investigation also alarmingly showed that Beijing had already mapped out exactly how to use American satellite technology to control these spy balloons and harvest sensitive data.
The necessary equipment was reportedly easily available for purchase online.
………’The balloon was intercepted by NORAD fighters over Utah, who determined it was not maneuverable and did not present a threat to national security,’ NORAD said.
‘The FAA also determined the balloon posed no hazard to flight safety. NORAD remains in close coordination with the FAA to ensure flight safety.’
That balloon entered US airspace over Alaska in January and eventually flew over a US military base in Montana before it was shot down by an F-22 Raptor off the coast of South Carolina.
In June, the Pentagon said it had ‘intelligence collection capabilities,’ but US officials could not confirm if China collected information in real-time.
The discovery then provoked Beijing, which vowed countermeasures, adding yet another strain to a relationship already battered by trade practices, tariffs, Taiwan, human rights, and China’s ties with Russia before President Vladimir Putin launched his Ukraine invasion.
Republicans criticized Former President Joe Biden for not having it downed sooner.
The incident also prompted a period when the military shot down other unidentified objects.
This was a brazen violation of our sovereignty and national security. The former Vegetable-in-Chief Biden let it float all the way across the country.
It should have been blasted out of the sky over Alaska. Instead they waited until after it sailed all the way to South Carolina collecting intel, before they finally shot it down.
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