After the controversial episode involving a spy balloon from China that crossed the territory of the United States, American authorities announced yesterday (9) that sensitive information from the 'intruder' balloon was obtained by the U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane.

According to the information in the Air & Space Forces Magazine, the U-2 was able to identify that the balloon contained a surveillance package equipped with collection and location antennas, a fact claimed by US intelligence agencies.

Due to the high-resolution images captured by the U-2 of the spy balloon, the United States claims that the balloon is capable of carrying out operations to collect intelligence systems. The U-2 flight required a special permit for investigation, the plane has a maximum ceiling of 70.000 feet (21 km).

The balloon shot down by an F-22 raptor became the epicenter of an argument between US and Chinese officials. In its defense, China claimed that the balloon fulfilled the function of meteorological collection and observation and that it was off course. At the time of the shooting, the balloon was flying between 60 and 65 thousand feet.

Our good friend@RealPhotoholicgot the awesome 4K video of the #ChineseSpyBalloon going down and even added some music to it. 🤣@jamiearnoldWMBF⁩ ⁦@wmbfnewsGo pic.twitter.com/l5l8Qkz6Yg

—Andrew Dockery (@AndrewWMBF) February 4, 2023

On the other hand, the US State Department issued a note on the case claiming that the company responsible for manufacturing the balloon has a direct relationship with the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA).

Finally, the United States also accused China of having used the balloon to observe sensitive USAF areas, such as the Malmstrom air base, used to store intercontinental range ballistic bombs (ICBM), including the LGM-30 Minuteman III.

Lockheed Martin U-2 Dragon Lady

The Lockheed Martin U-2 Dragon Lady is an aircraft that performs reconnaissance missions at high altitudes, it is one of the classics of aviation from the Cold War era that until today maintains its spy flights. The USAF's current U-2 fleet is 27 aircraft, while NASA operates two models. Both aircraft have an average fleet age of 39 years.

Even acting in these missions since the Cold War, only 1.500 pilots graduated to fly this aircraft known for its difficult piloting.

With information: Air & Space Forces Magazine