Chinese spy balloon was equipped with tech from at least 5 US firms: report
A Chinese spy balloon that floated across the U.S. before being shot down off the South Carolina coast in 2023 was carrying technology from at least five American companies, according to a report published Monday.
Among the equipment recovered from the balloon were a satellite communication module, sensors and other sophisticated surveillance equipment, some of which was housed in a foam cooler, Newsweek reported, citing two sources with direct knowledge of a U.S. military technical analysis.
The FBI declined to comment on the report when reached by Fox News Digital.
The Chinese spy balloon flew from Alaska to the East Coast, where it was shot down by the military over the Atlantic Ocean on Feb. 4, 2023.
Beijing claimed it was a weather balloon, though an investigation by U.S. intelligence agencies found the balloon was used for spying. Information captured by the spy balloon is not believed to have been successfully sent back to Beijing.
The identification of U.S.-made technology inside the balloon raises questions about commercially available equipment that can be sold to, or in some cases resold, to America's adversaries.
The sources, who spoke to the outlet on condition of anonymity, said a short burst messaging module called Iridium 9602 was among the tech equipment recovered. The device is produced by Virginia-based global satellite communications provider Iridium.
Jordan Hassim, Iridium's Executive Director for Communications, told the outlet that the company doesn't condone the use of its radios or modules "being used in ways they shouldn't be."
"There's no way for us to know what the use is of a specific module," Hassim said. "We need to know the module specifically. For us it could be a whale wearing a tag tracking it, it could be a polar bear, an explorer hiking a mountain."
If the company learned one of its devices was being misused, Hassim said it would immediately work with partners such as the U.S. government to disable it.
The sources said the four other U.S. companies whose parts were identified in the balloon are Texas Instruments, Omega Engineering, Amphenol All Sensors Corporation and onsemi. Equipment from STMicroelectronics of Switzerland was also recovered and identified.
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