USA: Pentagon releases aerial photo of Chinese 'spy balloon' taken by air force pilot

The U.S. Defense Department has released a selfie taken by the pilot of a US Air Force U2S Dragon Lady who was surveilling the Chinese spy balloon as it travelled across American airspace earlier this month.

During the balloon's flight, it was regularly followed by US spy planes before being shot down over the South Carolina coastline on the orders of President Joe Biden on February 4.

The selfie was taken on February 3, when the balloon was close to Kansas.

China claimed it was a civilian balloon used for meteorological research and sharply criticized the U.S. for shooting it down.