I know I’m a week late, but it was stated last Friday that the Ukrainian Air Force successfully shot down a second Beriev A-50 ‘Mainstay’ Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), the latest in a long string of aircraft losses in their 3-day special military operation in Ukraine.
Disclaimer: I’ve been working on this post for a week, but Ukraine won’t stop shooting down Russian fighter jets long enough for me to post it. As a matter of fact, they shot down another Su-34 as I was finishing up this post.
Beriev A-50U ‘Red-41’, in service with the Russian VKS
What is an AWACS?
In short, an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) is a special plane with a big a** radar dome stuck on the top. They’re mounted on big airplanes like the Boeing E-3 Sentry (based on the old Boeing 707). Their radar monitors the airspace in a large area (hundreds of miles) for friendly and enemy aircraft, cruise missiles, and pretty much anything else in the sky (including birds).
How Did Ukraine Shoot It Down?
Dramatic footage shows a Russian A-50 early warning and control aircraft intercepted by several air defence missiles resulting in its destruction. pic.twitter.com/yw4NsgwyW9
At first, I figured this shootdown was the work of the mysterious roaming Patriot battery near the front lines that keeps downing Russian jets, but it is reported that it was actually an ancient Soviet S200 SAM system. I’m totally speculating here, but here’s what I think happened:
Ukraine strikes air defense radar installations along and near the frontlines. In order to try to maintain their aviation operations, the Russians call their A-50 forward to augment the radar coverage. Ukraine then takes the opportunity to take out the A-50.
If this is actually accurate, it poses the question: what will Russia do next? Will they bring another A-50 to the front lines and risk losing another one? I guess only time will tell.
Why Is This Shootdown So Important?
In short, this is a really special airplane. Russia had 9 in pre-war service. Now they have 7, assuming all 9 were originally operational. To put that in perspective, the US Air Force has 31 E-3 Sentry AWACS in its fleet (with NATO having an additional 17), and the Navy has 55 of the smaller carrier-based E-2 Hawkeye AWACS. (Not to mention the incoming E-7 Wedgetails).
A US Air Force Boeing E-3 SentryA US Navy E-2 Hawkeye
The A-50 is based on the Ilyushin Il-96 strategic airlifter. The Il-96 is still being manufactured, but it is unclear if the A-50 is still being made. If not, it’s unlikely that production lines could be started in time to replace these losses. So unless India will sell them one of theirs, they might just be out of luck.
Nuclear War
I’m working on a post about the risks of Russia using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, and why they won’t. Hopefully I’ll have that done soon.
I didn’t think I’d ever be writing a blog post about Taylor Swift. I was recently asked by a Swiftie who knows my love of aviation and solving weird problems if Taylor Swift can make it from her concert in Tokyo back to Las Vegas to cheer on Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
I am going to have to make some assumptions in order to make this math possible; those will be noted below.
So, here we go. This will be fun.
The Problem
Taylor is still on her record-smashing ‘Eras’ world tour. She has a show at the Tokyo Dome on Saturday, February 10th at 6:00pm Tokyo time (1:00am Las Vegas time). Her show runs approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes. I will assume that the show starts on time at 6:00pm and lasts for 3 hours and 15 minutes.
Current Time Tracker: 9:15pm JST / 4:15am PST (37 hours to kickoff)
Step 1: Tokyo Dome to Airport
Tokyo has 2 main airports- Haneda and Narita. Narita is approximately 1 hour from the Tokyo Dome while Haneda is much closer at 36 minutes.
Transportation Map to Haneda and Narita airports from the Tokyo Dome
I am going to assume that she will use Haneda airport for this flight and increasing the travel time to 45 minutes for simplicity of math.
She’ll be flying private, so she won’t have to go through security or any of the other airport niceties that us plebians deal with every time we fly. Her pilots should have her plane fueled up, walk around done, pre-flight checks done, navigation system programmed, and ready to push and start when she arrives. That being said, it’s still going to take some time to load persons and baggage, get final clearances and to taxi, so I’m going to use 11:30pm as a departure time.
Current Time Tracker: 11:30pm JST / 6:30am PST (35 hours to kickoff)
Step 2: Narita Airport to Harry Reid Airport
The Airplanes
Taylor has 2 airplanes: A Dassault Falcon 7X and a Dassault Falcon 900. Both aircraft are trijets, meaning they have three engines instead of the usual two found on private jets.
The Falcon 900 has a range of 4,000 nautical miles (nm) with a cruise speed of Mach 0.85 (510kts (knots)/590mph). On the other hand, the 7X has a range of 5,950nm and a cruise speed of Mach 0.8 (459kts/528mph).
NOTE: Taylor Swift sold her Falcon 900 on January 30th, 2024- after I started writing this post. She wasn’t going to be able to use it here anyway so I’m going to keep it in for fun.
The Route
There are a few routes that airplanes can take between Haneda International Airport (ICAO code: RJTT) and Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas (ICAO code: KLAS). I’m going to assume they use the following route with a distance of 4,972nm.
NOTE: RJOO and KPHX are shown on the map as they are alternate airports and not included in the 4,972nm.
Given that distance, Taylor will have to use her Falcon 7X, allowing her to cruise at Mach 0.8. That means the trip will take approximately 10 hours and 25 minutes, depending on winds and any required changes in routing and required holds over KLAS. I’m going to say 11 hours travel time to be safe.
Current Time Tracker: 5:30pm PST (24 hours to kickoff)
Step 3: On the Ground at Harry Ried
The biggest problem of the trip so far is something we have all dealt with before- parking. In her case, parking for her Falcon 7X- not like the Dodge Durangos and Buick LaCrosses (or full-size pickups) that you and I deal with parking in metro areas. There are approximately 475 parking spaces in all of the Las Vegas-area airports. As far as I can find, all 475 of those spots are already booked for the weekend. It is possible that Taylor has already booked one of these 475 spots, in which case this section can be disregarded.
Las Vegas-area sectional chart. Public airports are labeled in green.
She will also need a landing slot. The NFL works closely with the FAA and the local airports, so they almost certainly have the pull to guarantee her a place to land, but possibly not a place to park. I am going to assume that she will land at Harry Ried International Airport as it is the main airport for Las Vegas and is closest to Allegiant Stadium.
LIV Golf has a Golf Tournament at the Las Vegas Country Club that concludes on Saturday, so it is possible that some of the spots could become available if there are golfers in attendance who aren’t football fans and would rather get out of town.
KLAS Airport Diagram. Most private parking is on the left side of the diagram, by the FBOs (Fixed-Base Operators) circled in red.
If she can’t find a parking spot (who among us hasn’t been in that situation), she could do a ‘drop-and-go’ flight, which is exactly what it sounds like. Taylor and her entourage would be ‘dropped’ at Harry Ried Airport and her pilots and plane would ‘go’ and park somewhere else outside of the Las Vegas area.
I’m going to assume that it will take an hour on the ground at Harry Ried.
Current Time Tracker: 6:30pm PST (23 hours to kickoff)
Step 4: Harry Ried to Allegiant Stadium
Taylor obviously won’t be going straight to Allegiant Stadium if she arrives 23 hours before kickoff, but for posterity, it should take 10 minutes on a normal day to get from Harry Ried to Allegiant Stadium. I’ll estimate 30 minutes here to account for extra activity in preparation for the Super Bowl.
Harry Ried International Airport (KLAS) to Allegiant Stadium
Final Time Tracker: 7:00pm PST (22.5 hours to kickoff)
Conclusion
So, yes. Thanks to the magic of the International Date Line, Taylor Swift will make it to Las Vegas with plenty of time for a good night’s rest before the big game and have plenty of energy to celebrate the Chiefs’ (hopeful) win afterward.
To the person who asked- thanks for the question, that was a lot of fun to figure out. If you have more weird aviation or travel problems you want me to tackle, contact me!
The US says it will allow its Western allies to supply Ukraine with advanced fighter jets, including American-made F-16s, in a major boost for Kyiv.
Jonathan Beale, BBC
America and its allies plan to provide F-16s to Ukraine — although the fighter jets may not necessarily come directly from the United States — as part of a long-term effort to strengthen the country’s security, a senior Biden administration official said Friday.
Peter Alexander and Rose Horowitch, NBC News
Over the next few weeks, the US and partner nations will launch a joint training program in Europe in which Ukrainian pilots will learn how to operate fourth-generation fighter jets, like the US-made F-16, a senior Biden administration official told Breaking Defense.
Ashley Roque, Breaking Defense
So that means the war is over and Ukraine is going to run a ‘reverse Desert Storm’ air campaign and drive out the Russians, right?
Hopefully you could detect the sarcasm through text in that previous paragraph. No, this isn’t going to end the war. No, Ukraine isn’t going to become the US Air Force. But they can definitely make a big difference. How? Let’s talk about it.
NOTE: I have some TL;DRs (Too long; didn’t read) if you want to skip some of my nerd spiraling. They’re in these blue boxes.
Back to the Soviet Union
I’ll try to not get too far down the historical rabbit hole here, but any discussion of eastern air strategy has to start with the Soviet Union. Knowing that they were outmatched by NATO in the air, the Soviets decided to invest heavily in developing Ground-Based Air Defense (GBAD) systems. The Soviet Union (and now Russia) has always been the king of the air defense market. They are one of the few countries who can supply a full-service Integrated Air Defense System (IADS)- S-300 and S-400 for strategic and long-range targets, mobile BUKs, Tors, and Pantsirs for short and medium-range targets, and Strela MANPADS (Manned Portable Air Defense Systems) to be carried by light infantry. The S-300 and S-400 are considered to be some of the most potent air defense systems in the world. NATO countries (*cough*Turkey*cough*) have taken delivery of S-400 systems even though that decision resulted in its being kicked out of the F-35 JSF (joint strike fighter) program.
None of the focus on GBAD is to say that the USSR didn’t have a large air force. It did. At the time of the Soviet Union’s collapse, they had more airframes in service than the United States Air Force currently does. Big, however, does not equal effective in every combat environment. The Soviet Air Force was not designed to be an equal to the United States Strategic Air Command (SAC). It consisted heavily of long-range strategic bombers intended for nuclear strike missions, and in naval aviation using long-range cruise missiles designed to sink NATO aircraft carriers.
When the USSR broke up, Russia got to keep a majority of the Soviet pilots, but not aircraft- the aircraft were distributed across the multiple former Soviet republics. Yes, Russia did negotiate the purchase or return of many aircraft back to Russia, but the air force available to them was still designed to start and then survive a nuclear apocalypse, not win dogfights or provide close battlefield support.
I could talk about the cash infusion of the early 2000s or the reorganization to the current VKS (Vozdushno-kosmicheskiye sily) in 2015, but that’s not what this post is meant to be about.
Modern Air Doctrine
Anyone who has seen Top Gun might think that all fighter jets do is dogfight other fighter jets in dramatic close-range combat using their cannons. The reality is that this is almost never the case. Almost all of modern air-to-air kills have been done beyond visual range (BVR) with guided missiles, or are attacks on ground targets with air-to-ground missiles and guided bombs. So yeah, a realistic Top Gun would be pretty dang boring.
Air Superiority/Supremacy (And why no one has achieved it yet)
What are Air Superiority and Air Supremacy?
Well, they are what they sound like- ruling the airspace above a combat zone.
The official definitions according to the U.S. Department of Defense are:
Air Supremacy: “degree of air superiority wherein the opposing air force is incapable of effective interference.”
Air Superiority: “degree of dominance in [an] air battle … that permits the conduct of operations by [one side] and its related land, sea and air forces at a given time and place without prohibitive interference by opposing air forces.”
Operation Desert Storm
Famously, during Desert Storm, the US and coalition forces quickly commanded air near-total superiority over Iraq with a large cruise missile and air campaign- Hellfire missiles and 70mm rockets launched from AH-64 Apaches on key radar installations, Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from the USS Missouri and USS Wisconsin, F-117 Nighthawk stealth bombers dropping Paveway laser-guided bombs on Baghdad, AGM-86 cruise missiles launched from B-52s at power plants and communications sites, air defenses struck by F-4G Wild Weasels, US Navy A-6 Intruders launching decoy glider drones toward Baghdad, lighting up the radars for US Navy F/A-18 Hornets armed with High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARMS) to destroy, and ground targets and airfields struck by many other fighter aircraft, and a whole lot more.
I could go on and on about the masterpiece that is the Desert Storm air campaign, but I’m here to talk about Ukraine.
How to Achieve Air Superiority
One big component of achieving air superiority is Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD) missions. SEAD missions are interesting because their objective is for aircraft to find and destroy the things whose very purpose is to find and destroy them. They are also a huge part of any air supremacy campaign. They require specially-trained pilots in special aircraft, and even then are still incredibly dangerous.
The other big component is pretty simple- destroy all the enemy’s aircraft. They will have a hard time contesting their airspace without any aircraft with which to fly.
A lot of people in the west (myself included) thought that Russia would launch their invasion with an air campaign similar to Desert Storm or Iraq II’s ‘shock and awe.’ And sure, Russia did launch their own air campaign. But instead of radar installations and communications centers, their cruise missile targets seemed to be random airports and empty fields. Their SEAD missions were flown by untrained pilots in unsuitable aircraft, rendering them ineffective.
In fairness to Russia, the lack of accurate targeting could come down to the FSB’s faulty intelligence reports.
So why hasn’t either side achieved air superiority?
It’s an interesting result of both countries having been one country relatively recently. The Soviet Union’s focus on air defense has determined both sides doctrine. Ukraine has a very potent air defense network that Russia failed to destroy during their opening assault. Russia’s air forces are still largely ineffective, only launching standoff munitions from far behind their own frontlines.
On the other side, Ukraine doesn’t have the air force to achieve their own air superiority. Their GBAD network and small fleet of fighters can keep the airspace contested, but aren’t enough to achieve superiority.
TL;DR: Air superiority is controlling the airspace above a combat zone. Neither side has achieved it because the Russian VKS sucks and Ukraine’s air defense doesn’t.
Ukraine’s Air Force
The Ukrainian Air Force’s fleet is currently comprised of Soviet-built aircraft produced before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The F-16 ‘Fighting Falcon’ (also commonly called the ‘Viper’) is a multirole and air superiority fighter built by General Dynamics (now Lockheed Martin) starting in 1974. It has a top speed of Mach 1.7+ (1,319 mph, depending on configuration) with a service ceiling of 50,000+ feet. For armaments, the F-16 has an integrated M-61A1 20mm multibarrel cannon and 11 external hardpoints allowing it to carry a variety of weapons including air-to-air missiles like the AIM-9X Sidewinder or AIM-120 AMRAAM, air-to-ground missiles such as the AGM-88 HARM, anti-ship missiles like the AGM-84 Harpoon, several types of bombs including the GBU-27 Paveway III, and even B61 and B83 tactical nuclear weapons (and no, we aren’t going to give tactical nukes to Ukraine). The hardpoints can also carry external fuel tanks to expand the stock 7,000 lb fuel capacity to 12,000 lbs.
TL;DR: It’s a very capable and flexible platform. Please excuse my nerding out.
Why does Ukraine want F-16s?
The answer to this question might seem obvious at first- American fighter jets good, Russian fighter jets bad or broken. But it isn’t that simple.
Several members of the Ukrainian parliament said that they wanted F-16s because of their powerful radars that can locate ground targets up to 500 miles away. This is far beyond the capabilities of the existing Ukrainian Air Force.
The planes can also play a part of Ukraine’s air defense network- shooting down missiles, drones, and aircraft, saving Patriot or S-300 surface to air missiles (SAMs).
The F-16 can also provide close air support for ground troops. The term close air support is frequently used with the venerable A-10 Warthog or the AH-64 Apache, but the F-16 is also capable of providing precision close air support. This ability can play a large role in future Ukrainian offensives.
Another offensive capability is providing deep fires- striking targets deep within Russian occupied territory without leaving safe Ukrainian airspace. This allows Ukraine to strike Russian command and control posts, supply depots, logistic bases, and other military targets as far away as occupied Crimea and the Black Sea.
How Will Russia Respond?
They’ll nuke us, obviously. I mean, they put their nuclear forces on ‘high combat alert’ (the equivalent of the US raising their DEFCON) on February 27th 2022, 3 days after the invasion started. And they threatened to nuke in April of 2022 if they provided weapons to Ukraine. And again in June 2022 after the arrival of the US M777 Howitzers and the announcement of HIMARS. In September, Russia threatened the west with retaliation if they provided longer-range missiles to Ukraine (US ATACMS, British Storm Shadows, etc), saying that they would be a ‘party to conflict.’ They again warned of ‘consequences’ in December 2022 if the US sends Patriot Missiles. In February 2023, Putin warned the west about sending modern tanks. And that brings us to today. Clearly, the entire western world is a nuclear wasteland, right? Because the west provided all of those things to Ukraine. (In fairness, the US never provided ATACMS, but the British provided Storm Shadows and the French provided SCALPs).
TL;DR: “We will nuke you if…” – Help Ukraine at all (Feb 2022) – Send artillery (Apr 2022) – Send HIMARS (Jun 2022) – Send long-range missiles (Sept 2022) – Send the Patriot System (Dec 2022) – Send modern tanks (Feb 2023) – Send F-16s (May 2023)
Again, hopefully you picked up on the sarcasm. Russia didn’t use nuclear weapons against the west despite our crossing all of their ‘red lines.’ And I’m confident that they won’t. If people are interested, I can make a whole post about why I don’t think Putin will use nuclear weapons. If you want my thoughts on that, leave a comment on this post or check out my Contact Page.
Will F-16s Make a Difference?
Definitely. The exact way Ukraine with utilize them is still unknown, but their capabilities and the Ukrainians’ ability and motivation to quickly learn new advanced western weapons systems leaves little doubt in my mind that the F-16 will be put to good use.
The End?
This post was way longer than I thought it would be. Thanks for sticking around and making it this far; it means a lot to me. I’d love to hear your thoughts and questions. Check out my Contact Page for my Twitter and email or comment on this post; I’d love to talk with you.
I’ve seen a lot of questions being asked about the ‘Chinese Spy Balloon’ (referred to as CSB going forward to avoid typing ‘Chinese Spy Balloon’ over and over again) and a lot of misinformation being spread. So, let’s talk about it. Facts here will be sourced, along with my informed speculation based on my knowledge of aviation and conversations I have had with those who operate in the national security sphere. Note that as a citizen, I will also be using ‘we/us’ interchangeably with ‘The United States.’
Notice:
This post will focus on the original ‘Chinese Spy Balloon’ that was traversed North America in late January and early February. For the recent incidents, I have also added an ‘Additional Balloons/Objects’ and ‘What the hell is going on here?’ sections to the bottom of the post.
I have gone through several delays in publishing this post as more information has come out. If there are any major updates to the publicly available information, I will update this post and re-share it on social media.
The balloon over Myrtle Beach, SC, shortly before being downed By Russotp – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
What is the CSB and where did it come from?
What is the CSB?
According to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), it’s an errant weather balloon. The US says it’s a spy balloon. I trust the CCP about as much as I trust week-old room-temperature gas station sushi, so we can be pretty confident it isn’t just a weather balloon. So what is it really? We don’t know. Here’s what we do know about it. It’s a high-altitude balloon that can carry a large payload. It’s big. Here’s a graphic comparing it to everyday things, such as a human, the Statue of Liberty, or the F-22 Raptor that shot it down.
By osunpokeh – Own work.
Where did the CSB come from?
Well, China. We don’t know where. This map is the estimation of its track across the world. It appears to have first entered American airspace in Alaska on January 28th, passing over Canada, and crossing into US territory over the state of Idaho on January 31st. NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) and U.S. Northern Command tracked the balloon after it entered American and Canadian airspace.
By M.Bitton – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
It was then spotted over Montana on February 1st, which is home to multiple U.S. Military installations and Minuteman nuclear missile silos. This is obviously concerning.
[The balloon] generally followed jet stream patterns, the official said, except when it stopped to loiter near sensitive sites, such as Malmstrom Air Force Base, undercutting Chinese assertions that the balloon is a wayward device.
Unnamed Defense Official cited by The Washington Post
What were the balloon’s capabilities?
We do have some information here, courtesy of the US Department of Defense and State Department. According to them, the balloon had a ‘signals intelligence array,’ in other words, a big antenna that can track and listen into communications devices. They haven’t said what it was trying to collect- military communications, civilian communications from ordinary mobile phones, or something else entirely. More will be known (and hopefully released, but probably not) as the wreckage is recovered.
Is the wreckage being recovered?
Yes. The US Navy, Coast Guard, FBI Counterintelligence Agents, and Navy Divers have been working to recover debris. Vessels deployed to retrieve the wreckage include the guided-missile destroyer USS Oscar Austin, guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea, and dock landing ship USS Carter Hall. Debris already captured has been sent to the FBI lab in Quantico, VA for analysis by the FBI’s Operational Technology Division. China says it wants the debris back, but the US is obviously not going to consider that request anytime soon.
Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a portion of the balloon from the Atlantic
Why did we wait so long to shoot it down?
There are 2 main reasons given for why we did not immediately shoot the CSB down- Risk to the population on the ground and ability to gather intelligence. The Air Force worked with NASA to determine a debris field, which was projected to be approximately 7 miles spread out. The balloon was also at an altitude of ~60,000ft, well above the altitudes that civilian airplanes fly at.
President Biden gave his authorization to take down the Chinese surveillance balloon as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to U.S. civilians under the balloon’s path.Military commanders determined that there was undue risk of debris causing harm to civilians while the balloon was over land. As a result, they developed a plan to down the balloon once it was over water in U.S. territorial airspace.
—
I would also note that while we took all necessary steps to protect against the PRC surveillance balloon’s collection of sensitive information, the surveillance balloon’s overflight of U.S. territory was of intelligence value to us. I can’t go into more detail, but we were able to study and scrutinize the balloon and its equipment, which has been valuable.
Senior Defense Official from an off-camera, on-record press briefing
HOw did we gather intelligence?
This part is very cool. According to reports, we used Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS (Airborne Early Warning and Control System, a Boeing RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft, and the F-22 Raptor (that ultimately shot it down) to track the balloon’s movements. U-2S reconnaissance aircraft were also used to surveil the balloon above the US. The U-2S’s high service ceiling (70,000 ft) allowed it to get far closer to the balloon than other aircraft. This would allow the U-2S’s advanced electronic warfare suite to jam or monitor radio transmissions from the balloon, including with Chinese satellites. The U-2 really deserves a post of its own someday as there is a fascinating story behind its development.
The U-2
All About the Shoot Down
If I’m honest, this is what I am really excited to write about and where the majority of my knowledge lies. So away we go.
F-22 Raptor ‘FRANK01’ tracking the balloon By Russotp – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
Video of the F-22 Raptor shooting down the CSB. Courtesy of Mark Hasara, ret. USAF Air Tanker pilot. I used this video because Mark calls out the correct weapons callouts (Arms Hot, Fox 2) over the video. If you are interested in aviation or defense, I highly recommend following him on TikTok @markhasara.
The CSB was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on February 4th. At 60,000 feet, the US would have used a dedicated ‘Air Superiority Fighter’ to perform the shootdown. The Air Force has 2 Air Superiority Fighters- the F-15 Eagle and F-22 Raptor.
Me next to an F-15. I have yet to find an Air Force Base that will let me get a picture with a Raptor.
My initial assumption upon hearing that an operation to down the balloon was underway is that F-15s would be used. Their ceiling (max altitude) is 65,000 feet whereas the Raptor’s official published ceiling is ‘50,000+ feet,’ and the US Air Force has 226 F-15 Eagles in active service compared to only 187 F-22 Raptors. The F-15s are also stationed at far more Air Force Bases across the country. Ultimately, the F-22 was chosen to down the balloon.
“…the F-22 versus the F-15 is like having two Football Teams against each other and one of them [the Raptor] is invisible.”
Mike ‘Dozer’ Shower, F-15 Eagle and F-22 Raptor Pilot
I don’t know why the F-22 was chosen for this mission over the F-15, but I’m glad it was. The F-22 is one of the coolest aircraft in service anywhere on the planet. It is a ‘Stealth Air Superiority Fighter,’ and one of the few military aircraft that cannot be exported to foreign militaries due to its sensitive stealth technology.
The F-22 that fired the missile was from Langley Air Force Base (now part of Joint Base Langley-Eustis) in Hampton, VA (for simplicity I am going to refer to Joint Base Langley-Eustis as Langley AFB). Langley AFB is home to both the 27th Fighter Squadron and 94th Fighter Squadron, both of which operate the F-22 raptor with tail designations ‘FF’.
All aircraft in the skies have callsigns. The Raptors on the shootdown mission had callsigns ‘FRANK01’ and ‘FRANK02.’ While at first glance this may seem insignificant, the ‘FRANK’ callsign is a nod to Frank Luke Jr, a World War I fighter ace known as the ‘Arizona Balloon Buster,” having downed 14 German surveillance balloons.
Frank Luke Jr, the “Arizona Balloon Buster”
The F-22 used an AIM-9X ‘Sidewinder’ Air to Air Missile to down the CSB. The AIM-9 first entered service in 1956. So yeah, we shot down China’s fancy balloon with a missile that first entered service in the ’50s. In fairness, the ‘-9X’ variant entered service in 2003, featuring upgraded infrared imaging capabilities and compatibility with the U.S Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System, and a new two-axis thrust-vectoring control system. In plain English, it’s faster, more accurate, and more maneuverable than previous variations. As an Air-to-Air missile, it is classified as a ‘Fox 2’ missile.
The AIM-9L Sidewinder, similar in appearance to the AIM-9X used in this incident. By David Monniaux modified by FOX 52 – File:AIM 9L Sidewinder
Details about the F-22 Raptor
An F-22 Raptor flies over Kadena Air Base, Japan, Jan. 23, 2009, on a routine training mission
A lot about the F-22 Raptor is classified. Here are some facts about the Raptor courtesy of manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
Max Speed: Mach 1.8 (Mach 2+ when using reheats [afterburners])
The Raptor is a seriously cool airplane. Its first Combat Strike was on September 22nd, 2014, conducting the opening strikes over Syria during Operation Inherent Resolve. Raptors dropped 1,000-pound GPS-guided bombs on ISIL targets near the Tishrin Dam during the initial strike and dropping 270+ bombs at 60 locations over the coming months. While primarily being used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) during Operation Inherent Resolve, they were also used to defeat pro-Assad and Russian Wagner Group mercenaries near Khasham, Syria and performing close air support operations throughout the operation.
What makes the Raptor so special and why am I so excited that it was used?
To be short, its stealth characteristics. Very little is known about the actual stealth capabilities of the aircraft. The purpose of ‘stealth’ in aircraft design is to minimize visibility of the aircraft on radar. Without going in to too much detail, here’s a quick overview of what stealth is:
While at this time, it is not possible to make an aircraft totally invisible to radar, technology can be used to reduce its ‘radar cross section.’ A ‘radar cross section’ or ‘radar signature’ is how visible a target is on a radar scope, with larger radar cross sections meaning easier detection. Stealth is often achieved through design (physical shape of the aircraft) and using radar-absorbing materials to coat the aircraft, as well as other technologies that we aren’t allowed to know about.
To maintain stealth, the F-22 keeps its armaments (weapons) in internal weapons bays, whereas earlier-generation Air Superiority fighters like the F-15 keep their weapons on hardpoints on the wings.
F-22 Raptor (front) vs F-15 Eagle (rear). Note the smooth bottom of the Raptor as opposed to the outboard fuel tanks and armaments on the Eagle.
The Raptor CAN carry external fuel tanks and weapons if necessary, but in deployments where maintaining stealth is necessary, only the inboard weapons bays are used.
The weapons bay can hold AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to Air Missile), AIM-9 Sidewinder, and (soon) AIM-260 JTAM (Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, a ‘Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile’) missiles. The main armaments bay was designed for air-to-air missiles but can also be fitted with two racks to carry air-to-surface ordnances- one 1,000lb or four 250lb bombs, totaling 2,000lbs of air-to-surface ordnance. Up until the shootdown of the balloon, the primary armaments of the Raptor were air-to-surface ordnances (bombs).
Additional Balloons/OBJECTS
South America
On February 3rd, a second Chinese surveillance balloon was reported flying over Latin America. The Costa Rican General Directorate of Civil Aviation confirmed that an object “not of Costa Rican Origin” had breached its airspace. The Colombian Air Force tracked an object “with characteristics similar to those of a balloon” at 55,000ft moving at 25 knots (29 miles per hour). The Colombian government did not determine it was a threat to national security and defense or air safety.
On February 6th, Mao Ning, a CCP spokeswoman, confirmed the balloon belonged to China, but said it was used for “flight tests” and was blown off course like the one spotted and shot down over North America. Yeah, they’re really trying that excuse again.
Alaska
On February 10th, the US Military shot down another ‘High-Altitude Object’ over Alaska, reportedly at 40,000ft. The US does not know who owns the object, and spokesman John Kirby said he would not call it a balloon. This object was also shot down by a F-22 Raptor with an AIM-9X missile, becoming the Raptor’s 2nd air-to-air kill.
“The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight … Out of an abundance of caution, and at the recommendation of the Pentagon, President Biden ordered the military to down the object and they did and it came inside our territorial waters and those waters right now are frozen.”
Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby
Canada
One day later, on February 11th, an ‘unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace’ was shot down by a US F-22 Raptor under the command of NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted. According to Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, NORAD detected the high-altitude object late Friday evening. Two F-22 aircraft monitored the object over Alaska, and Canadian aircraft joined as the object crossed into Canadian airspace. After speaking with Prime Minister Trudeau, President Biden authorized the takedown of the high-altitude object. A US F-22 shot it down with a AIM-9X missile, marking the Raptor’s 3rd air-to-air kill.
“…the unidentified, unmanned object” be taken down “out of an abundance of caution and at the recommendation of their militaries”
White House readout of the call between PM Justin Trudeau and Pres. Joe Biden
As Canadian authorities conduct recovery operations to help our countries learn more about the object, the Federal Bureau of Investigation will be working closely with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, US Pentagon Spokesman
This news is breaking as I am writing this, so more will hopefully be known in the coming days.
Why did A US AIRCRAFT shoot down an object in Canadian airspace?
Good question. The request came from NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command. While most famous for tracking Santa on Christmas Eve, NORAD is responsible for ‘aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection’ for Canada and the Continental United States. Think of it as ‘two countries, one team.’ The F-22 has vastly superior air-to-air capabilities than the Canadian CF-18 (Canada’s version of the F/A-18 Hornet) and had already been shadowing the object since it was over Alaska, so it was used for the shoot down mission.
Canadian CF-18 multirole aircraft
Montana
As I was preparing to hit ‘publish’ on this post, news broke that the FAA issued a TFR (closed some airspace) over Montana for Defense Department activities. Some reports have indicated that the Air Force is tracking another object over Montana. The airspace has since reopened with a statement that “Department of Defense activities will resume in the morning.” In my view, the Air Force is waiting for daylight to shoot down the object. Why? Finding debris and coordination with civilians is easier during the daytime.
So what the hell is going on here?
No idea. Only time will tell what the objects over Alaska, Canada, and now Montana are. If it’s anything interesting, I’ll make a new post, but for now, let’s just watch those F-22 Raptors at work. If I can find an Air Force Base that will let me get some pictures with one, you’ll be the first to know.
