US Says Chinese Ballon It Shot Down, Capable Of Gathering Intelligence

A suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that the US shot down this week was able gather intelligence communications signals, a US official has said.

It was equipped with multiple antennas capable of “intelligence collection operations”, a senior state department official said in a background briefing.

The us believes the balloon is part of a wider fleet of surveillance balloons that has spanned five continents.

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China has said the decision to shoot down the balloon was “irresponsible” and did not “create a proper atmosphere for dialogue” between the two countries.

The US Navy is still recovering debris from the balloon in the Atlantic ocean.