Several defense and intelligence agencies, as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), have analyzed the wreckage, which was found after the US military discovered and shot down the balloon nearly five months ago. The Wall Street Journal.
The analysis found that the balloon was crammed with commercially available US equipment, some of which can be purchased online, as well as more specialized Chinese sensors and other equipment to collect images, videos and other information that will be transmitted to China, according to the sources. . They say these findings support the conclusion that the spacecraft was intended for espionage and not for meteorological observation, as Beijing has claimed.
After the Air Force dropped the object off the coast of South Carolina on February 4, the FBI initially led the investigation of the wreckage found. Sources later told the newspaper, among other things, that the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) had been included in the analysis because of its expertise in military-related equipment.
The sources said that the initial results of the investigation began to circulate within the intelligence and defense agencies as of the second half of March. They said the goal was to get the latest information about the object’s capabilities in the event that another balloon appears over US airspace.
Officials said that suspended from the balloon was a satellite-like device equipped with sensors, solar panels and other hardware that captures images, videos and radar data. The propeller-equipped vehicle can maneuver and, depending on the weather, is able to remain over the site for extended periods of time. US President Joe Biden described the balloon as carrying “two truckloads of spy equipment”.
Upon further inspection of the wreckage, the Americans obtained information about how the balloon worked, how it was controlled, how it was supposed to transmit data, and what sensors it had. Investigators also tracked purchase orders for some of the equipment and the buyers’ relationship with the Chinese government.
