The Fighter That Quietly Smoked the F-22 (and America Forgot)

The F-22 Raptor was engineered to be a spectre. A fifth-generation marvel with thrust-vectoring, supercruise, and radar-absorbing skin, an almost alien machine built to dominate the skies for the next four decades. The Dassault Rafale? A fourth-generation workhorse from the 80s. Lighter, older, conventional. No stealth coating. No physics-defying engines. On paper, it was a mismatch. But dogfights aren't fought on paper. Over the scorching sands of the UAE, the two jets clashed at blistering speed. And when the cockpit footage finally leaked, the Pentagon went silent. --- Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between. As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.