Washington: The US Department of State official on Thursday said that the Chinese balloon that flew over the United States was unmistakably equipped for collecting intelligence.
According to reports, a US Department of State official said that “The Chinese spy balloon shot down by the US military over the Atlantic Ocean was capable of collecting communications signals,”.
The report further added that the Chinese balloon “was part of a fleet of surveillance balloons directed by the Chinese military that had flown over more than 40 countries across continents.”
An AFP report quoting a US Department of State official added that the detailed images which were taken by the high-altitude U2s showed the balloon’s equipment “was clearly for intelligence surveillance and inconsistent with the equipment onboard weather balloons,”.
Earlier on February 4, a US fighter jet shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that was spotted in its skies.