Chinese spy balloon may have had advanced radar that can see through objects, generated enough energy to power a house

The Chinese spy balloon that traversed the United States before being shot down may have had the capability to see through certain objects and could generate thousands of watts of solar power, a new report from the Washington Post claims.

The spy balloon caused nationwide panic as it flew across the United States, stopping over Montana, before eventually being shot down off the eastern seaboard. Military personnel eventually shot missiles at the balloon, along with three other objects that were later determined not to be related to Chinese intelligence at all.

The spy balloon, now referred to as Killeen-23, is now known to have had a series of perplexing features after classified documents were leaked by a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman.

The documents revealed information that was as recent as 10 days after the Chinese balloon was shot down on Feb. 15, 2023, and contained specs on other previously unknown balloons.

Killeen-23, along with other balloons labeled Bulger-21 and Accardo-21, were detailed in the classified documents. The balloons are named after famous criminals, including Tony Accardo, "Whitey" Bulger, and Donald Killeen, a government official confirmed to the Washington Post.

According to leaked images, Killeen-23 had complex reconnaissance capabilities, which could have included "synthetic aperture radar" (SAR), which has the ability to see at night and penetrate the atmosphere and thin materials.

SAR works by sending microwave pulses at the Earth to create images. This allows for nighttime imagery and reconnaissance that passes through objects in nature that can disrupt visibility, such as clouds, smoke, topsoil, ice, and snow.

Amazingly, it can also see through thin materials such as tarps.

The balloon also had a parabolic dish with sensors and solar panels that could generate up to 10,000 watts of power. Engineers at the National Space Intelligence Center say that this could power any type of surveillance technology, including the radar.

Other details of the balloon remained unknown to authorities at the time.

“No imagery collections of the bottom of the Killeen-23 payload to analyze for an optical sensor," the documents read.

Bulger-21 came equipped with sophisticated surveillance equipment as well, as it circumnavigated the planet from December 2021 to May 2022. Documents also revealed that this balloon carried a “full motion video payload with a capability to zoom.”

Accardo-21 too had similar equipment, but also included a "foil-lined gimbaled" sensor, according to the report.

The Pentagon, the Defense Department, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment to the Washington Post.

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