Topline
The Chinese balloon that flew across the U.S. before being shot down by the military earlier this year used American-made components on board to conduct surveillance, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, throwing more light on the incident that sharply escalated diplomatic tensions between Washington and Beijing.
A fighter jet flies near the remnants of a large balloon after it was struck by a missile over the … [+]
Key Facts
Citing unnamed U.S. officials, WSJ reported that investigators found the spy balloon used a mix of “commercially available U.S. gear” which can be purchased online along with “more specialized Chinese sensors.”
Initial results of the multi-agency-led investigation also found that the spy gear onboard the balloon was capable of capturing photos, videos and other data which could be transmitted back to China, the report added.
The investigators, however, believe that the balloon did not transmit any data back to China while flying over the U.S. although it is unclear if this was due to a glitch or the U.S. military’s electronic countermeasures.
It is unclear if U.S. officials plan on making these findings public or inform Chinese officials about it.
Contra
The purported findings of the investigation appear to contradict an NBC News report from April which said that the balloon had collected data from sensitive U.S. military locations and transmitted it back to China in real time. The report, which cited two unnamed senior U.S. officials, added that Beijing was able to control the flight path of the balloon and was able to collect information from “electronic signals.”
Crucial Quote
In a statement issued in February, days before the balloon was shot down, Pentagon officials said: “We assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective. But we are taking steps, nevertheless, to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information.”
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/06/29/chinese-spy-balloon-reportedly-used-us-made-gear-that-could-be-bought-online/