Chinese Spy Balloon Carried US Technology, Raising Serious Security Concerns
An intelligence analysis of the Chinese spy balloon that traversed the United States in 2023 has revealed that it contained advanced technology from multiple American companies. Despite the Biden administration’s efforts to downplay the incident, sources say the surveillance equipment onboard was designed to gather intelligence, and it was made possible with US-manufactured components.
Investigators identified parts from at least five US companies inside the balloon. Among them were Texas Instruments, Omega Engineering, Amphenol All Sensors Corporation, and onsemi. Swiss manufacturer STMicroelectronics also contributed technology used in the balloon’s data-gathering systems.
🚨The Chinese spy balloon that traveled over half of the U.S. in 2023 was packed with technology produced by at least five private American companies.⁰
It's troubling that our adversaries can purchase U.S. tech and use it to spy on the American people. https://t.co/zdvQyTGNpQ— House Homeland GOP (@HomelandGOP) February 11, 2025
The report indicates that the balloon’s payload was equipped to take photographs and collect intelligence. Even more concerning, empty storage bays suggest it may have had the capability to deploy gliders for additional surveillance, a concept supported by existing Chinese aerospace research.
Chinese spy balloon that traversed US airspace was packed with American tech: report https://t.co/dSRTQo4Tsg pic.twitter.com/Wk8DSZmeV7
— New York Post (@nypost) February 11, 2025
American defense contractor Iridium admitted that its satellite communication modules, found in the wreckage, can be sold to China without a license under certain conditions. Jordan Hassim, the company’s communications director, stated, “There’s no way for us to know what the use is of a specific module.”
Despite these findings, the Biden administration insisted at the time that the balloon was not a significant threat. Former President Joe Biden claimed that Chinese leadership was unaware of its movements and dismissed it as “more embarrassing than intentional.”
The people who:
-Supported the FBI spying on parents at school board meetings
-Sent IRS agents to your door
-Praised illegal aliens crossing the border in record numbers
-Let a Chinese spy balloon fly across the country
Have a huge problem with DOGE.
Wonder why?
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) February 11, 2025
Lawmakers, including Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, sharply disagreed. McCaul warned that the balloon’s mission was clear: to gather intelligence on US military capabilities. The presence of American technology in the balloon raises serious questions about how China continues to gain access to critical surveillance tools.