American Fifth-Gen F-22 Raptor Not “Invincible,” Once “Shot Down” by Rafale in UAE Air Exercise

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — The United States and its media often proclaim that their fifth-generation fighter jet, the F-22 Raptor, is “invincible” and cannot be defeated by any other combat aircraft, especially those from Russia and nations not aligned with the U.S.

However, the accuracy of the U.S. claims about the “invincibility” of the F-22 Raptor, an Air Dominance fighter jet is questioned.

Is the Raptor truly unbeatable in aerial combat, or are these U.S. claims merely psychological warfare against its adversaries?

The assertion of the F-22 Raptor’s “invincibility” may be off the mark, as evidenced during an air exercise held at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in November 2009, where the Lockheed Martin-manufactured F-22 Raptor was reportedly “defeated.”

At this UAE Air Force base, F-22 Raptors from the 1st Fighter Wing of the U.S. Air Force in Virginia engaged in mock combat with Rafale jets from the French Air Force and Eurofighter Typhoons from the British Air Force.

 

The exercise also included Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter jets from the UAE Air Force.

Reports from this “mock combat” exercise indicate that a Rafale jet, armed with air-to-air  missiles, successfully “shot down” a Raptor in simulated combat.

Furthermore, the French Air Force released a video demonstrating a Rafale jet in an advantageous position to launch a “MICA” guided missile against a significantly pressured F-22 during the exercise.

 This release followed the U.S. Air Force’s denial that a fifth-generation F-22 had been successfully “shot down” by the older and supposedly less advanced 4.5-generation French-made jet.

The U.S. Air Force claimed that no F-22 Raptors were “shot down” during the UAE exercise.

They also asserted that the Raptor successfully shot down six Rafale jets in one-on-one engagements, with five additional encounters ending in draws.

 

This was the narrative presented by the U.S. military.

Through the release of this video, France aimed to demonstrate that the Rafale is on par with the F-22 Raptor, serving as a valuable marketing tool for Dassault Aviation, the developer of the Rafale.

Notably, it wasn’t just the Rafale that allegedly “shot down” a Raptor at Al Dhafra Air Base; a Mirage 2000 from the UAE Air Force was also claimed to have successfully downed what was then considered the world’s most advanced fighter jet.

The success of the comparatively less advanced Mirage 2000 technology challenged the image of the U.S. and the F-22 Raptor even further.

Defense observers have noted that the F-22 was previously defeated by a U.S. Air Force F-16 in a 2006 exercise, a feat reportedly repeated by a Growler jet in 2008 or 2009.

 

Lt. Col. Dirk Smith, an F-22 Raptor squadron commander, told a defense magazine that no matter how advanced a jet is, a pilot can still make mistakes.

The performance of any aircraft ultimately depends on the pilot’s skills.

During another air exercise in Alaska in 2012, German Air Force pilots flying Typhoon fighter jets engaged in close-range combat with Raptors.

One German pilot remarked that no aircraft has an advantage in close-range air combat.

 He noted that the F-22 Raptor is hard to match in Beyond Visual Range (BVR) engagements at high altitudes and speeds, where it can leverage its advanced radar and long-range air-to-air missiles.

“In close-range combat, the heavier F-22 is at a disadvantage,” he said. — DSA

(MORE ARTICLES ABOUT F-22 RAPTOR)

 

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