30-6-2023 (WASHINGTON) The Pentagon announced on Thursday that the Chinese spy balloon, which was shot down by a US fighter jet over the Atlantic in February, did not collect any intelligence while flying across the United States.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder stated, “It’s been our assessment now that it did not collect while it was transiting the United States or overflying the United States.” He further mentioned that the US took measures to mitigate intelligence collection by the balloon, adding that the efforts made by the US contributed to the lack of intelligence gathering, without providing further details.
The large balloon, equipped with a significant payload of electronics, traversed the United States from Alaska in the northwest to South Carolina in the east between late January and early February this year. Its flight path included sensitive military installations, raising concerns that Beijing was gathering crucial intelligence. However, the balloon was successfully intercepted and brought down by the US military off the coast of South Carolina on February 4. Since then, the US has been examining the contents of the balloon.
The incident strained relations between Beijing and Washington, leading to Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceling a scheduled trip to China in February, which aimed to improve bilateral ties.
China had denied that the balloon was intended for intelligence collection, asserting that it had strayed off course while entering US airspace.
Previously, a US official had revealed that the balloon was equipped with multiple antennas, including an array capable of collecting and geo-locating communications. The official also mentioned that the balloon had solar panels large enough to generate sufficient power for operating multiple active intelligence collection sensors.
Earlier this month, ahead of Blinken’s rescheduled visit to Beijing, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping, the White House downplayed the significance of the balloon incident. President Joe Biden stated, “I don’t think the (Chinese) leadership knew where it was and knew what was in it and knew what was going on… I think it was more embarrassing than it was intentional.”
