Video: F-22 Raptor destroys Chinese spy balloon that flew over the US for several days

The other day, the United States Department of Defense officially confirmed that a

spy balloon.The American authorities were sure that the balloon belonged to China, but did not dare to shoot it down, because the debris could threaten the lives of civilians. However, the balloon was still destroyed.

What is known

On February 1, 2023, a hot air balloon was seen overthe state of Montana. The spy balloon continued to move east. For observation, fifth-generation F-22 Raptor fighters were used, which were located at the Nellis airbase.

CONFIRMED: US missile shoots Chinese spy balloon, military traffic blocked – balloon coming straight down now. At last updated had descended more than 20k feet.

— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) February 4, 2023

Aerospace Defense CommandNorth America (NORAD), which coordinates the air defense of Canada and the United States, said that the Chinese balloon did not pose a threat to either the civilian population or the military. At the same time, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) closed the airspace.

VIDEO: https://t.co/PBLMX3qdh7

— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) February 4, 2023

On February 4, the balloon was destroyed over the coast of California. For this, the F-22 Raptor fighter was used. The destruction of the balloon was shown live by the American channel Fox News.