An American fighter jet shot down a Chinese balloon off the coast of South Carolina.

The US military managed to shoot down a Chinese balloon off the coast of South Carolina. To destroy a balloon equipped with reconnaissance equipment, an F-22 fighter was involved, which fired an AIM-9X missile at the balloon.

On the presented video frames, you can see the moment of the defeat of a Chinese reconnaissance balloon by an American combat aircraft. It is reported that the moment for the destruction of the balloon was chosen in such a way that the latter, during its fall, would not pose a threat to the civilian population.

At the moment, its fragments have been collected at the crash site of the balloon. According to the US Department of Defense, the balloon was equipped with reconnaissance equipment and, in all likelihood, it was spying on strategic nuclear weapons sites located on US soil.

Earlier it was reported that the United States made several unsuccessful attempts to shoot down an aircraft. This may indicate that the air defense systems of the United States are not adapted to defeat such targets.