On 4 February 2023, an F-22A Raptor assigned to the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base, VA, shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina. Now do not take the claim that it was this particular F-22 Raptor seriously as I have no proof that it was. However, on the other hand, it is very much possible that it was. There are numerous statements that support my unconfirmed claim that 08-4153 shot the balloon down.
- 08-4153 is an F-22A Raptor assigned to the 1st Fighter Wing 27th Fighter Squadron at Langley AFB.
- 08-4153 is named the Arizona Balloon Buster (though it could be just that it was named after Frank Luke, a WWI pilot who shot down 14 German balloons)
- The F-22 that shot down the balloon is assigned to the 1st Fighter Wing out of Langley AFB.
Evidence to the facts provided are here:
Arizona balloon buster - YouTube
F-22 Safely Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon Off South Carolina Coast > U.S. Department of Defense > Defense Department News
Casual Photoholic on Twitter: "Good Morning America 🇺🇸. Original Owner of this #Viral Content Here! Cropped 4K Footage 🦶 🎥🎬 of moment of impact of the #ChineseSpyBalloon being shot down. For licensing info…Please contact Brett Adair at [email protected] . He has RAW 4K and will be glad to assist. https://t.co/Q13szg4im3" / Twitter
Airframe Details for F-22 #4153 (f-16.net)
Of course the fact that it was this particular aircraft is speculation, but that doesn't mean that you cannot enjoy this livery for the Top Mach Studios F-22A Raptor. Make sure you drop the file F-22A_Arizona_Balloon_Buster into your Community folder.
FiscalPegasus35
I was waiting for something like this! Awesome job, love it!
groovyy
no balloon kill marking?
Strider_1 author
It's on the portside nose. You can't see it in the images because it's covered up by the ladder.
1 years ago
goose84
Did you by chance add the balloon kill insignia on the cockpit rail
Strider_1 author
It's on the portside nose. You can't see it in the images because it's covered up by the ladder.
1 years ago
goose84
Ohhh no you didn’t lmao wow I knew it would be hear soon lol