Chinese spy balloon. The Pentagon has published a selfie of the pilot with the balloon. This is the first close-up photo

The photo, taken in the cockpit of the U-2, was taken on February 3, the day before the balloon was shot down. It shows the pilot, part of the cockpit, a silvery-white balloon with solar panels and the shadow of an American reconnaissance aircraft. Officials quoted by CNN confirmed on February 9 the existence of a selfie taken by the pilot that shows both the author and the spy balloon itself.

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The same lower-quality photograph “has been circulating in national security blogs since at least Tuesday,” Forbes reported, noting that it was “the first close-up image of a Chinese balloon.” The previous ones showed the object only from the ground.

The US authorities described the flight of the Chinese balloon over the US as a “clear violation” of the country’s sovereignty. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, it was a civilian balloon used for meteorological purposesthat unintentionally flew into U.S. airspace. By order of the president Joe Biden The balloon was shot down by an American F-22 fighter off the coast of South Carolina. A single AIM-9X missile was used.

A senior State Department official said days after the shooting down that the balloon was equipped with spyware and was part of a global intelligence-gathering program in more than 40 countries on five continents. – United States consider taking action against PRC entities associated with the People’s Liberation Army that supported the balloon incursion into US airspace. (…) We are sure that the manufacturer of the balloon has direct relations with the Chinese military and is an approved supplier of AL-W (People’s Liberation Army) – he said in a statement to journalists.

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