The Chinese ‘spy balloon’ was able to send data to Beijing in real time

The ‘spy balloon’ managed to send data to China
It transmitted information in real time
US not sure if China got the data
Not much more sophisticated than a satellite
US intelligence not concerned
The US was able to protect sensitive sites
A fleet of Chinese balloons operating across the globe
Hainan province, where balloons come from
At least 24 missions over five continents
About six of those missions in US airspace
China maintains it was an accident
“A civilian airship that deviated far from its course”
The US has been assessing the possibility of it being accidental
Even if accidental, they took advantage of their position
US believes it tried to gather data from sensitive military sites
The incident has escalated tensions between the US and China
The ‘spy balloon’ managed to send data to China
The Chinese spy balloon that transited the US earlier this year, and that was taken down by the military in February, managed to collect data intelligence from US military sites, NBC News reported citing US officials.
It transmitted information in real time
By the time the balloon was shot down, it had already flown through a big chunk of populated land and was able to transmit information back to Beijing in real time, the network reported.
US not sure if China got the data
However, the US government still doesn’t know for sure whether the Chinese government could wipe the balloon’s data as it received it, Reuters reported.
Not much more sophisticated than a satellite
But the intelligence community
is not overly concerned about the information the balloon was able to gather, a source told CNN, because it is not much more sophisticated than what Chinese satellites are able to collect.
US intelligence not concerned

A US intelligence official told CNN that although analysis of the balloon remains ongoing, so far, its flight over the United States “does not appear to have provided critical new insights” to China.

The US was able to protect sensitive sites

The US also knew what the balloon’s path would be and was able to protect sensitive sites and censor some signals before the balloon was able to pick them up, US officials said in February.

A fleet of Chinese balloons operating across the globe
In 2022, the US intelligence community developed a method of tracking a fleet of these Chinese balloons operating across the globe, controlled by the Chinese military, CNN reported.
Hainan province, where balloons come from

The surveillance program, which includes a number of similar balloons, is in part run out of the small Chinese province of Hainan, officials told CNN.

At least 24 missions over five continents

The US does not know the precise size of the fleet of Chinese surveillance balloons, but sources told CNN that the program has conducted at least two dozen missions over at least five continents in recent years.

About six of those missions in US airspace

Roughly half a dozen of those flights have been within US airspace, although not necessarily over US territory, according to one official familiar with the intelligence.

China maintains it was an accident

China has maintained that the balloon was actually just a weather balloon thrown off course. In February, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the balloon entered US airspace accidentally.

“A civilian airship that deviated far from its course”

"It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes. Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course," the spokesperson said in a statement in February.

The US has been assessing the possibility of it being accidental

The US has been assessing the possibility that it was not deliberately maneuvered into the continental US by the Chinese government, US officials told the  media.

Even if accidental, they took advantage of their position
However, US officials believe that even in the case of it being accidental, China took advantage of the situation, as once it was over Montana, it appeared to use its position to loiter over sensitive sites and try to collect intelligence.
US believes it tried to gather data from sensitive military sites

The balloon first crossed into US airspace over Alaska in late January before passing through Canada and down into Montana, where it hovered for a few days, leading the US to believe it was trying to surveil sensitive military sites, like Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.

The incident has escalated tensions between the US and China

It was eventually shot down by the US off the East Coast on February 4, and the incident further escalated tensions between Washington and Beijing, including the postponement of a diplomatic visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China.

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