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* F-22 Raptor out of Langley took the balloon down with a single missile at 2.38pm
* An operation was underway to recover the wreckage and retrieve intelligence
* Biden told reporters, ‘I ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down on Wednesday as soon as possible … and I want to compliment our aviators who did it’
Joe Biden praised the Top Gun fighter jet pilot who shot down the Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina today after he vowed to ‘take care of it.’
An F-22 Raptor out of Langley Air Force base took the balloon down with a single AIM-9X sidewinder missile at 2.38pm, separating its surveillance payload and sending it plummeting towards the ocean off Myrtle Beach.
Footage showed the jet screaming towards the spy aircraft before firing the missile as stunned locals watched from the coast.
Read more ….
WNU Editor: Critics of President Biden are seeing this entire incident as a sign on how “weak” the U.S. has become …. Lawmakers react after Chinese spy balloon shot down: ‘Disastrous projection of weakness’ (FOX News).
Update: There is now a race for the wreckage …. Race for the wreckage: Fears China may reach spy balloon wreckage ahead of the US Navy salvage vessel that may not be on the scene for DAYS – as it lands in 47ft of water six miles off the coast of South Carolina (Daily Mail).
U.S. F-22 Raptor Shoots Down Suspected Chinese Surveillance Balloon Off The Coast Of South Carolina
Eyes on the sky as Chinese balloon shot down over Atlantic — AP
U.S. fighter jet shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon with missile, article with video — Reuters
US shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon over Atlantic Ocean — France 24
U.S. military shoots down suspected Chinese surveillance balloon — CNBC
Where the Chinese surveillance balloon was spotted before being shot down — ABC News
Suspected Chinese spy balloon shot down off South Carolina coast — CBS News
US military shoots down Chinese spy balloon over Atlantic Ocean — FOX News
US fighter jets shoot down Chinese spy balloon off East Coast — CNN
China balloon: US shoots down airship over Atlantic — BBC
US shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon over east coast — The Guardian
US shoots down Chinese ‘spy balloon’ off S. Carolina coast — DW
US Stealth Jet Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon Off Carolinas — Zero Hedge
The Chinese Balloon Was Shot Down By the U.S. Military. Here’s What We Know — Time
US downs Chinese balloon, a flashpoint in US-China tensions — AP