Chinese spy balloon shot down over US sends real-time data to Beijing What information does it collect?

A Chinese spy balloon shot down over the United States is transmitting real-time data to Beijing collected from US military bases it flies over, according to a report obtained by NBC News.

The spy balloon mostly collected electronic signals from US military bases that were relayed to Beijing in real time, US officials said, according to NBC News. Business Insider. The Pentagon said it could not confirm the NBC report.

The balloon, instead of photos, collected mostly electronic signals as it passed over sensitive installations, the publication said Monday, citing two senior U.S. officials and a former senior Biden administration official. The three officials were not named by NBC News.

Electronic signals collected by the balloon could include communications between base personnel or signals from weapons systems, officials said.

While moving over some of these military targets, the balloon sometimes flew in a figure-eight pattern, officials said.

The balloon can be piloted over the US on its way

The balloon traveled from Alaska and Canada to the coast of South Carolina for a week before being shot down by the US military on February 4. China’s foreign ministry said the balloon was a civilian vessel, but the Pentagon said it was “definitely” sent for surveillance purposes.

The United States had previously said it was waiting to shoot down the balloon because officials believed it posed a low threat of gathering information valuable to Beijing.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said it could not confirm the NBC News report.

“I can’t confirm if there was real-time transmission from the balloon China At this pointsaid Sabrina Singh, deputy spokeswoman for the Pentagon.

“We are still evaluating what information China has been able to gather, but we know that the data has provided little added value to what has been previously gathered by satellites.“, she added.

Singh also refused to say which military base the balloon flew over. However, she confirmed that the balloon “It can steer its course with maneuver and purpose“.