F-22 marks first ‘kill’ as US deals with intruding Chinese spy balloon

After spending four days controversially floating across the continental US, the Chinese surveillance balloon saga reached its climax on February 4, when it was finally shot down by a US Air Force (USAF)-operated Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor fifth-generation air superiority fighter – marking the type’s first official ‘kill’ in operational service. The move to shoot down the intruding Chinese surveillance balloon was ordered by President Joe Biden on February 1, when the high-altitude platform was first sighted above Billings, Montana