Washington, USA (CNN) – The Pentagon released a “selfie” photo taken by an American pilot from the cockpit of a U-2 surveillance plane, while he was flying over the Chinese airship, which US officials said was a spy balloon and was shot down by the military. USA earlier this February.
The selfie, taken by the U-2 pilot, shows the aircraft’s shadow on the balloon and a clear view of the balloon’s payload as it passed over the United States. The pilot was flying at an altitude of 60,000 feet.
The balloon was first spotted by the United States on January 28. The US military finally shot it down off the coast of South Carolina after crossing the country over the Atlantic Ocean on February 4. The wreckage recovery operation ended on February 17. Parts of the wreckage have been transferred to the FBI in Virginia for further study.
The U-2 is a single-seat, high-altitude reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft. Because these planes fly at altitudes over 70,000 feet, pilots must “wear a full pressure suit similar to those worn by astronauts.”
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