25
WASHINGTON — The US Air Force shot down a Chinese spy balloon on Saturday as soon as it reached the open sea after crossing the continent. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the shooting took place six nautical miles (11.1 kilometers) offshore over US territorial waters. One of the two F-22 fighter jets that took off from Langley Air Force Base, the balloon with an AIM-9X “Sidewinder” air-to-air missile.