A Chinese spy balloon that was shot down by the U.S. in February carried photo voltaic panels that would generate sufficient electrical energy to energy a sort of radar that may generate pictures at night time and thru clouds, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing leaked U.S. intelligence paperwork.
The balloon’s surveillance capabilities have been detailed in a U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) doc allegedly leaked to a Discord chatroom by Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, the Post mentioned.
Teixeira, 21, was charged on Friday in Boston with unlawfully copying and transmitting labeled materials.
The balloon prompted an uproar in Washington and broken U.S.-China ties when it flew over the U.S. in January and February. It was downed off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4 by a missile fired from a U.S. Air Force jet.
According to the NGA doc, the balloon may generate as much as 10,000 watts of solar energy, greater than sufficient to function a subtle surveillance system generally known as artificial aperture radar, the Post mentioned.
That sort of radar can return pictures at night time and may penetrate clouds and skinny supplies reminiscent of tarps to point out objects beneath, the newspaper reported.
The balloon additionally had a parabolic dish measuring 1.2 meters in diameter, a number of unidentified sensors and a attainable mast antenna, the Post mentioned.
The Pentagon declined a request by Reuters to touch upon the Post report.
Source: www.anews.com.tr
