Leader Intel Document Proved Chinese Balloon Spied On U.S.

Chinese spy balloon shot down by the US in February carried solar panels that produce electricity to power a radar that can generate images at night, the Washington Post disclosed over the weekend, Eric Beech reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: The balloon's surveillance capabilities were detailed in a US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) paper allegedly leaked to a Discord chatroom by Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard.

The balloon's surveillance capabilities were detailed in a US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) paper allegedly leaked to a Discord chatroom by Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, the Washington Post said.

Teixeira, 21, was charged on Friday in Boston with unlawfully copying and transmitting classified material.

The balloon caused an uproar in Washington and damaged US-China ties when it flew over the US in January and February. It was downed off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4 by a US Air Force jet.

The NGA document said the balloon could generate up to 10,000 watts of solar power to operate a surveillance system known as synthetic aperture radar.

That type of radar can return images at night and can penetrate clouds and thin materials such as tarps to show objects beneath, the newspaper reported.

The balloon also had a parabolic dish measuring 1.2 meters in diameter, several unidentified sensors, and a possible mast antenna.

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