Chinese spy balloon DID gather intelligence from sensitive US military sites before it was shot down

The Chinese spy balloon that flew across the US in February gathered intelligence from several American military sites before it was shot down, according to two senior US officials and a former senior administration official.

The sources said China could have gathered more intelligence if not for the Biden administration's efforts to block it. 

The intel collected was mostly from electronic signals, rather than images, the officials said to NBC.

Officials previously said the balloon was capable of collecting signals intelligence. 

Sailors assigned to Assault Craft Unit 4 prepare material recovered off the coast of Myrtle Beach in the Atlantic Ocean from the shooting down of a Chinese high-altitude balloon, for transport to the FBI, at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Virginia Beach on Feb. 10, 2023

The path of the intelligence collecting balloons which flew over the United States in February

China was reportedly able to control the balloon to pass over the same site multiples times.

This allowed it to transmit information in real time, the officials warned. 

Information collected from electronic signals can be picked up from weapons systems or communications between personnel on the base. 

A US Air Force U-2 pilot looks down at a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon as it hovers over the United States on Feb. 3, 2023

On 4 February, at the direction of President Biden and with the support of Canada, US fighter aircraft under US Northern Command authority engaged and brought down a high altitude surveillance balloon within sovereign US airspace and over US territorial waters.

Sailors were later assigned to recover the balloon from the Atlantic Ocean.

A 'UFO' was shot down on 10 February over Alaska. 

Another balloon was shot down a day later over Yukon, Canada.

On 12 February, another was shot down over the Great Lakes.