This is how Chinese spy balloons are made 4:30
(CNN)
The US Defense Department has released the selfie a U-2 spy plane pilot took while flying over the Chinese surveillance balloon that shot down the US military earlier this month. .
The selfie, taken from the U-2's cockpit, shows the aircraft's shadow on the balloon and a clear image of the payload it was carrying as it crossed the continental United States.
CNN was the first to report the existence of the selfie.
A US Air Force pilot flies over China's surveillance balloon on February 3, 2023. Recovery efforts began shortly after the balloon was shot down.
(Credit: US Department of Defense)
The balloon was first detected in the US on January 28 and shot down by the Army off the coast of South Carolina after it crossed the country.
A senior State Department official noted earlier this month that the flyovers "revealed that the high-altitude balloon was capable of conducting signals intelligence-gathering operations."
Officials said they had decided not to shoot down the balloon over the US because of its size, fearing that falling debris could injure civilians or damage property on the ground.
General Glen VanHerck, commander of the US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, later explained that the balloon was 60 meters high with a payload weighing hundreds of kilograms.
advertising
The officials also maintained that the balloon was not capable of meaningful intelligence gathering, in part because the US took steps to protect against it immediately after detecting it.
The U-2 is a single-seat, high-altitude reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft with "glider-like characteristics," according to the Air Force.
Because the planes "regularly fly at altitudes of more than 70,000 feet (21,000 meters)," the pilots "must wear a full pressure suit similar to those worn by astronauts."
The photo released Wednesday clearly shows the pilot flying above the balloon, which was hovering at 60,000 feet (18,000 meters) when it was spotted over Montana.
Recovery efforts began immediately after the balloon was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean on February 4 and concluded on February 17.
Pieces of the debris were transferred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory in Virginia for further study.
Pentagon Assistant Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said Wednesday that the balloon's payload had been recovered.
ChinaGlobeSelfie