The US Department of Defense has released a photo of an airman flying over a Chinese balloon that was shot down earlier this month.
This selfie was taken from the cockpit of a U-2 spy plane as military leaders tracked the progress of a high-altitude balloon over the continental United States.
Beijing has maintained that the balloon was a weather craft that was blown off course.
But Washington says the balloon was part of a broader Chinese intelligence-gathering program.
As the balloon flew over American soil, at least two planes gathered information about its characteristics and speed.
A senior State Department official said earlier this month that the flyby revealed it was “capable of conducting signals intelligence gathering operations”.
Authorities first became aware of the balloon when it entered Alaskan airspace on January 28.
Fighter jets from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) – a joint operation between the US and Canada – spotted the alien object, but the military did not shoot it down at the time.
Officials explained that they could not shoot the balloon down on the ground because of its size and the potential risk to civilians on the ground from the debris field.
A defense official told US lawmakers earlier this month that the balloon was as tall as the Statue of Liberty and had a “payload the size of a jetliner.”
The photo released Wednesday was taken on February 4, a day before the plane was shot down off the coast of South Carolina. He has reportedly “achieved legendary status” within the Pentagon.
The balloon is said to be hovering at 60,000 feet (18,200m) in the air.
According to the Air Force, U-2 aircraft routinely fly above 70,000 feet.
The single-seater spy and surveillance aircraft, codenamed the Dragon Lady, was previously flown by the CIA. Pilots are required to wear full pressure suits similar to those worn by astronauts.
Efforts to recover the balloon’s shattered remains in the Atlantic Ocean ended last Friday.
Debris pieces, including its payload, have been recovered and are being studied, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said.
