The stealth F-22 just got its first known air-to-air kill taking out a Chinese balloon.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

The F-22 got its first air-to-air kill taking out the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon, which spent the better part of the week floating above the United States and Canada at 60,000 feet.

"This was a PRC surveillance balloon. This surveillance balloon purposely traversed the United States and Canada, and we are confident it was seeking to monitor sensitive military sites," a Department of Defense official said in a press release, noting that officials from the People's Republic of China claimed the balloon was a "weather balloon that was blown off course."

The balloon went down over the Atlantic Ocean off the South Carolina coast Saturday afternoon after an "F-22 Raptor fighter from the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, fired one AIM-9X Sidewinder missile," per the DOD press release.

It is believed to be the F-22's first air-to-air kill, according to Defense One.

Link to tweet

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-stealth-f-22-the-top-us-air-superiority-fighter-just-got-its-first-known-air-to-air-kill-taking-out-a-chinese-balloon/ar-AA178nvj

[riversedge]

1. Tax money well spent on this IMHO

[WarGamer]

2. Just like 100 years ago... but the F22 was a canvas covered wooden biplane

[Disaffected]

3. What remarkable feat next?

Shooting fish in a barrel??

[agingdem]

4. and the MAGA scum

will accuse Biden of wasting tax payer dollars when any 18 year old with a modified rocket launcher could have done the same thing for nothing...

[Nevilledog]

5. If they pop 4 more balloons they get the big teddy bear!

[Irish_Dem]

6. $216 million dollar airplane shoots down balloon.

Sidewinder missile is $400,000.

But when the President of the United States orders you to shoot something down
you shoot the mother effer down, no questions asked.

Flight crew got some field experience too.

Drinks at the Officer's Club afterwards must have been epic.

[hack89]

8. It was the best and most likely only way to shot it down

The F-22 is the only plane that can fly that high with an air-to-air missile.

[Irish_Dem]

10. I know.

Air Force families like to joke around sometimes like anybody else.

[fescuerescue]

7. I think it's also the first air to air kill over the continental United States.

Great victory for Joe Biden.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

9. Top Balloon movie! Nothing died so..is that a "kill" an aviator would be proud of?

Will a movie be made of this daring feat of American aviation?

Stealth technology required cause that balloon had a camera shooting at it maybe!

[fescuerescue]

11. I dunno. But firsts are firsts

In general I don't think it's the death of a human that fighter pilots are proud of, it's the downing of the machine.

From what I can tell, fighter pilots have a deep comradely even with enemy pilots.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

12. There are no comrades in war, that's Hollywood b.s. Russia/Ukraine...no comrades.

[sarisataka]

14. I guess you have never heard of Charlie Brown

And Franz Stigler.

There is even a song about it

[yagotme]

13. A "kill" is destruction of the aircraft.

On fire, out of control/missing pieces, and pilot bailout.