(Reuters) – The Chinese spy balloon that floated over the U.S. early this year used American equipment that helped it collect photos, videos, and other information, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing preliminary findings from a closely held investigation.
Multiple federal agencies, according to the Wall Street Journal, found that the balloon was “crammed with commercially available U.S. gear, some of it for sale online, and interspersed with more specialized Chinese sensors and other equipment to collect photos, video, and other information to transmit to China.”
The surveillance balloon was powered by huge solar panels, according to the article, and it could also gather “radar data.”
China has promised to retaliate harshly if the US releases information from its probe into the balloon.
Republican senators criticized the Biden administration for holding back information about Chinese aircraft flying over critical American military installations.
(Reporting by Shubhendu Deshmukh in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
