A US Air Force pilot managed to capture a selfie with an alleged high-altitude Chinese surveillance balloon the day before it was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month, the Pentagon confirmed on Wednesday.
A U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane under US Northern Command authority was sent to monitor the balloon as it flew over the continental US during the final days of January and into early February.
A pilot took a picture of the balloon from the cockpit, and it began circulating online earlier this week.
Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters at a Wednesday briefing that she can “confirm the photo’s authenticity, and we are planning to release it”, when asked about the selfie.
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Insider obtained a copy of the selfie from the Air Force, which said the photo was taken over the “Central Continental” US on February 3, a day before it was shot down by an F-22 Raptor off the coast of South Carolina.
