America's NBC News says the Chinese balloon, which flew over the United States was able to collect military intelligence and send it back to China in real time.

The balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina in early February.

The US government has been carrying out an analysis of the balloon debris it recovered from the sea.

NBC News quoted multiple government officials on Monday as saying the balloon was picking up electronic signals from weapons systems and communications from base personnel.

The network reported China was able to control the balloon so it could make multiple passes over some of the sites, at times flying figure-eight formations to do so.

The balloon reportedly had a self-destruct mechanism that could be remotely activated by China.

The NBC quoted the officials as saying it's unclear if it did not self-destruct because the mechanism malfunctioned or because China decided not to trigger it.

The officials said China could have gathered much more intelligence if not for the Biden administration's efforts to move around potential targets.

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Monday that he would not comment on the media report.

He also said the government is still trying to learn more from the balloon debris.

The balloon flew over the western state of Montana, which is home to an air force base that contains intercontinental ballistic missile silos.