US Air Force F-22 Raptor taking off from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, USA, on 4th February 2023 on a mission to shoot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon. The balloon, which had been in US and Canadian airspace since 28th January, was successfully shot down off the coast of South Carolina. Recovery of the balloon debris concluded on the 17th February. The Chinese government claimed that the balloon was a civilian craft conducting meteorological research that had been blown off course.