Two firsts for USAF's Raptor

On 4 February 2023, a USAF FF coded 1st Fighter Wing Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor took out an alleged Chinese high-altitude surveillance/reconnaisance balloon.

Flying from Joint Base Langley-Eustis (VA), and at the direction of the President of the United States, the Raptor, under US Northern Command authority, engaged and brought down the high-altitude surveillance/ reconnaisance balloon within sovereign US airspace and over US territorial waters off the coast of South Carolina.

While the F-22A fighter, from Langley-Eustis fired one AIM-9X Sidewinder missile at the balloon, this marked the first official Air-to-Air kill for USAF's Raptor.

A second first is the fact that the F-22A fired the Sidewinder at the balloon from an altitude of 58,000 feet (some 17,700 meters). From an operational perspective this is an above average high altitude. An average fighter aircraft has a operational ceiling of 50,000 feet. The balloon at the time was between 60,000 and 65,000 feet. While conducting exercises in the past, Raptors have been firing Sidewinders at aerial targets before. While carrying out those exercises above the Gulf of Mexico for instance, those have never materialised that high altitudes.

The 1st Fighter Wing F-22As involved, using callsigns "Frank 1" and "Frank 2", were supported by F-15C Eagles flying from the 131st Fighter Squadron/104th Fighter Wing based at Barnes Air National Guard Base (MA). Multiple USAF tankers from states including Oregon, Montana, South Carolina and North Carolina supported the mission.

As for the Raptor "Frank" callsigns; many balloons were shot down during WW-I. Frank Luke Jr, also known as the "Arizona balloon buster", an ace with 19 aerial victories, shot down 14 German balloons. Luke AFB (AZ) is named after the WW-I airman.

On 6 and 7 May 2023, the Airpower over Hampton Roads Air Show at Joint Base Langley-Eustis is held. No doubt there will be something to see about the fact of the balloon kill by the 1st Fighter Wing.

Photos by USAF