When a Chinese high-altitude reconnaissance balloon violated U.S. airspace in February, it was reported that it was gathering information from sensitive U.S. military bases and was able to transmit it in real time to China.

On 2 March (local time), NBC broadcasting, citing a former and current high-ranking US official, said that the balloon, which was remotely controlled by the Chinese side, repeatedly traveled over the military base several times, circling in a figure-eight shape.

Most of the information seized by the balloon was found to be electronic signals emitted from weapons systems or exchanged by unit personnel, rather than visual images such as photographs.

These sources explained that the Joe Biden administration was able to prevent further intelligence gathering by responding by moving the location of potential reconnaissance targets within U.S. military units or by interfering with the detection of electronic signals from balloons.

The balloon was also equipped with a remotely-operated self-destruct device, but it was confirmed that it did not actually work during the process from discovery to shootdown.

However, it is not known whether the Chinese side did not make the decision to explode or if it was a simple malfunction, the source said.

The presence of a Chinese reconnaissance balloon was made public on Feb. 3 when it was seen by civilians over Montana.

Montana is home to Malmstrom Air Force Base, one of three U.S. nuclear missile hangars, which has raised the possibility that the reconnaissance balloon was flown for intelligence-gathering purposes.

The balloon first entered U.S. airspace on Jan. 8 when it entered the U.S. state of Alaska, and U.S. authorities shot it down over the East Coast on Feb. 2 and have been collecting and analyzing the wreckage.

Chinese authorities strongly criticized the U.S. for shooting down the balloon, saying it was a civilian airship for weather observation.

However, U.S. authorities have concluded that it was an intelligence-gathering reconnaissance balloon based on the detection of antennas that appeared to be used for intelligence reconnaissance and large solar panels that produce the power needed to operate multiple active intelligence-gathering sensors.

White House National Security Council Strategic Communication Coordinator John Kirby declined to answer when asked what information the balloon had accessed, saying only that "after confirming that it entered U.S. airspace, we took steps to limit the balloon's ability to gather information."

Asked at a briefing if the reconnaissance balloon had transmitted information to China in real time, Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said, "We cannot confirm whether there was a real-time transmission of information from the balloon to China."

Singh added, "We are currently analysing the information, but we have nothing to add at this time."

(Photo=U.S. Naval Research Institute Twitter capture, Yonhap News)