U-2 Pilot takes Selfie with Chinese Spy Balloon.

 I got this off "Popular Mechanics" and thought it was pretty neat.

Department of Defense

• A rumored photo of the Chinese spy balloon taken by a U-2 pilot has emerged.
• One open source intelligence devotee has identified the terrain below as rural Missouri.
• The photo will likely be a defining image of a period when U.S.-Chinese relations began to truly deteriorate.

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For more than two weeks, rumors swirled that there was a selfie, taken by a U-2 spy plane pilot, that included the now-infamous Chinese spy balloon in the background.

The secretive nature of the intelligence community suggested the photo, if it existed, might never see the light of day. Now, a photo has emerged that confirms it’s the real thing. The stunning image sheds light on how dedicated the U.S. government was to keeping tabs on the lighter-than-air intruder—and shooting it down when the time was right.

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Finally, the selfie of the U-2S Dragon Lady pilot with the Chinese surveillance balloon above the continental United States. pic.twitter.com/XbjtImSUUn

— Aerospace Intelligence (@space_osint) February 21, 2023

The photo was shared yesterday on a number of social media accounts and appears above. The Twitter account explains that exactly where the photo came from is unknown, but seems to originate with the Dragon Lady Today website, which is devoted to all things U-2.

The photo really does appear to be a selfie taken by a U-2 pilot. The helmet’s sun visor is lowered in place, giving the pilot’s face the appearance of a round black marble. The knife-like right wing of the U-2 is clearly visible, as is the right side view mirror bolted inside the cockpit. The pilot was even able to catch the shadow of his own aircraft on the side of the 200 foot-wide balloon.

This content is imported from twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Ben geo-referenced the possible U-2 pilot balloon selfie with Sentinel imagery near Washington, Missouri. If it's not real, it's an amazing fake. https://t.co/ifJDCPxoCr

— John Wiseman (@lemonodor) February 22, 2023

 

One open source intelligence enthusiast was able to geolocate terrain features in the photo with the view over Washington, Missouri. The analyst states that the image is theoretically fakeable, “but it would be a lot of work to make everything match up.”

Update: The Pentagon admitted the photograph is real and has provided a newer, higher resolution photo, seen below. The location of Washington, Missouri is likely correct.

The photo officially released by the Department of Defense. The caption states: "A U.S. Air Force pilot looked down at the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon as it hovered over the central continental United States February 3, 2023."

Department of Defense

According to St. Louis Public Radio, the Chinese spy balloon was spotted over St. Louis, Missouri, on February 3. The balloon was shot down the next day in U.S. territorial waters, just off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. U.S. Navy divers working from the amphibious dock ship USS Carter Hall salvaged the remains, an operation that concluded on February 16th.

The Chinese surveillance balloon was flying at an altitude of 60,000 feet, above the service ceiling of most combat aircraft. The U-2, on the other hand, typically flies above 70,000 feet and the Dragon Lady’s introduction into service, in the late 1950s, put an end to America’s clumsy experimentation with spy balloons.

While there was real practical value in having a spy plane snap close-up pictures of the balloon, the photo also distills America’s vast technological aerospace advantage over China into a single image.