US spy plane pilot takes cockpit selfie above suspected Chinese surveillance balloon

A US Air Force pilot has taken a selfie from his cockpit with a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon in the background – before the aerial object was eventually shot down by the US military.

These newly released photos, taken by the pilot of a U-2 spy plane, provide clear images of the balloon's payload as it passed over the continental United States.

North American Aerospace Defense Command said the balloon, which US officials suspect was carrying out a spying mission, was around 60m high and weighed more than 900kg.

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