U.S. officials have confirmed that the Chinese spy balloon, which flew over the U.S. in February, transmitted sensitive military information back to China. And it happened in real-time while the balloon was still in the air.
The balloon first entered U.S. airspace as it flew over Alaska on January 28 before making its way through Canada and re-entering the U.S. over Montana.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has continued to deny any such activity. And insist it was a weather balloon that had gone off course.
Senior U.S. officials reported on Monday that the balloon collected electronic signals, and transmitted data as it flew over multiple military sites.
Chinese obtain sensitive military information
According to defense officials, it was a PRC surveillance balloon that traversed the United States and Canada, purposely seeking to monitor sensitive military sites. The electronic signals that it collected can be transmitted from weapons systems or obtained through communications from base personnel.