Military2023

F-22 shoots down Chinese surveillance balloon off South Carolina

When: 4 Feb 2023
Where: Atlantic Ocean off the U.S. East Coast
Sources: 2 public sources

U.S. Navy sailors recover the Chinese surveillance balloon shot down by an F-22 off South Carolina U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tyler Thompson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

An F-22 from Langley AFB downed a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon about six miles off South Carolina after it crossed the continental U.S. The episode preceded the shootdowns of three more objects later that month.

Sources

OfficialF-22 Safely Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon Off South Carolina Coast (Jim Garamone) (opens in a new tab)U.S. Department of War (DOD News) / 2023-02-04
PressSuspected Chinese spy balloon shot down off South Carolina coast (opens in a new tab)CBS News / 2023-02-04

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Where it fits

Earlier in MilitaryColombian Air Force tracks a balloon-like object3 Feb 2023 Later in MilitaryNORAD chief says earlier Chinese balloon transits went undetected6 Feb 2023

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