During the 1960s and 1990s, South Africa, still ruled by the Apartheid regime, was involved in a ruthless war against its neighbors that sought to make Namibia independent.

As the conflict escalated, several international restrictions forbade the South African Air Force from acquiring new aircraft, leaving it with an outdated fleet of fighters that were no match for the Soviet MIG-23, its African opponents boasted.

South Africa was left with only two options to continue the fight: create a new fighter or extensively upgrade its fleet of French Mirage IIIs. The country chose the latter, and an astonished world witnessed the transformation of a late second-generation aircraft into a fourth-generation fighter ready for the threats of its time.

Born from outdated Mirage IIIs, the Atlas Cheetah could easily travel at supersonic speeds, was as maneuverable as the feline that bore its name, and could strike hard and fast against any air or ground target of the African Savannah.


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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.