Chinese balloon 'clearly' for spying, had antennas likely capable of collecting communications: US

A US State Department official said on Thursday that the Chinese balloon shot down by American jets over the Atlantic Ocean last weekend had antennas likely capable of collecting communication signals and other sensitive information.

According to a statement by a senior State Department official, the so-called "spy balloon" had equipment that was "clearly for intelligence surveillance," including "multiple antennas" that were "likely capable of collecting and geo-locating communications."

As per the official, 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).

Add WION as a Preferred Source

ALSO READ |Chinese spy balloons have flown over strategic US sites in the past: Pentagon

The official said that the detailed images taken by high-altitude U2s showed the balloon's payload equipment "was clearly for intelligence surveillance and inconsistent with the equipment onboard weather balloons".

As quoted by the news agencies, the official 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.

Watch this report:

A recent report by The Washington Post already claimed that China has used spy balloons to spy on other countries, including India and Japan. The report added that such surveillance balloon effort has operated for several years partly out of Hainan province off China's south coast.

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.

When the balloon was spotted flying across the US, it tracked it for a couple of days and eventually shot it down. The authorities collected the debris to analyse it further. A US State Department official said on Thursday that the Chinese balloon shot down by American jets over the Atlantic Ocean last weekend had antennas likely capable of collecting communications.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.