Chinese spy balloon infiltrated U.S. airspace using American internet service provider

US Intelligence officials have disclosed that the Chinese spy balloon, traversing the United States for a week in February, used an American internet service provider for communication. The balloon, detected over Alaska on January 28, ventured into U.S. airspace, passing over the Malmstrom Air Force base in Montana, a location housing nuclear assets. On February 4, the Air Force dispatched an F-22 fighter jet armed with an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile to intercept the balloon over water. According to a recent NBC report, citing reliable U.S. sources, the balloon was linked to a U.S.-based company, facilitating communication with China regarding its navigation. The report reveals that this connection enabled the balloon to transmit bursts of data to its home base in China, utilising high-bandwidth collections over short periods. The identity of the involved company has not been disclosed. Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu insisted that it was a weather balloon engaged in meteorological research that inadvertently drifted into U.S. airspace due to weather patterns. The unnamed internet service provider refutes these claims. This revelation follows reports that the Biden administration initially planned to keep the spy balloon incident confidential, acknowledging intelligence gaps. A senior Biden administration official denied any intention to withhold information from Congress, emphasising the need to protect intelligence interests. NBC disclosed that on January 27, General Mark Milley and NORAD Chief Gen. Glen VanHerck discussed deploying F-22 jets to assess the balloon’s characteristics. Following this, the Pentagon confirmed the object as a surveillance-equipped balloon, roughly the size of three school buses. President Biden became aware of the situation on February 1, with the public learning about it after NBC’s report. Gen. VanHerck underscored that the incident exposed intelligence gaps, cautioning that the Chinese balloon program remains active.