The US Air Force Capped F-22 Raptor Production at 187 Aircraft at About $143,000,000 Each. In November 2009 a French Rafale Costing About 64,000,000 Euros Got Behind 1 and Took the Shot.

The US Air Force Capped F-22 Raptor Production at 187 Aircraft at About $143,000,000 Each. In November 2009 a French Rafale Costing About 64,000,000 Euros Got Behind 1 and Took the Shot.

The F-22 Raptor was built to kill an enemy fighter before that fighter knew it was there, at roughly $143,000,000 an aircraft. At the Advanced Tactical Leadership Course at Al Dhafra Air Base in November 2009, the exercise deliberately removed that advantage and forced the Raptor into close-range engagements. Cockpit footage released years later shows a French Rafale — a fourth-generation fighter costing around 64,000,000 euros — moving into a f…