Everything To Know About The Dassault 'Rafale' Twin-Jet Fighter Aircraft
Delta wing aircraft stand out as some of the most interesting variants of fighter jets. Perhaps the most widely recognized delta wing fighter throughout the world is the Eurofighter Typhoon. However, Dassault Aviation, hailing from France, also has a delta wing fighter in its arsenal with two decades of proven use within the French Navy and a myriad of other deployments throughout the world. In fact, it's so popular throughout the world that Dassault has sold more export models than have stayed in France.
The Dassault Rafale is a twin-jet delta wing fighter that serves a wide scope of disciplines. The Rafale excels in air defense, in-depth strikes, reconnaissance, and anti-ship strikes. It comes in both single-seat and two-seat variants and services from both land and sea. It's aerobatic, fast, and can carry an absurd amount of armament. Here are all the nitty-gritty details that make all of that a reality for the Dassault Rafale.
Modern Design, Engineering, and Technology
Unlike its Eurofighter counterpart, the front canards on the Rafale are a lot closer to the delta wing. Dassault says its research with fluid dynamics shows that keeping the canards closer to the wing allows for a wide range of center-of-gravity positions, allowing for extreme aerobatics across all flying disciplines. Its agility remains unaffected even in extreme angle-of-attack scenarios with a full load of armament.
The Rafale is largely built with composite materials. This makes it extremely lightweight in comparison to full aluminum and titanium airframe aircraft. Despite its lightweight, the airframe is extremely strong. Its load limit is up to nine positive Gs and -3.2 G. It has a maximum speed of Mach 1.8 and a service ceiling of 50,000 feet.
The Rafale also has an advanced radar system that has both look-up and look-down detection with multi-target tracking. It also has real-time 3D map generation for blind conditions and is currently the only fighter aircraft with this function. Finally, it has an advanced helmet-mounted display system that projects data directly in front of the pilot and weapons operator's eyes.
Expansive weaponry
The lightweight airframe of the Rafale allows for an impressive amount of armament. Its total external load capability is 20,000 pounds. It carries everything from air-to-air missiles to classic unguided bombs.
Internally, the Rafale has a 30mm cannon that is capable of firing up to 2,500 rounds per minute. It also carries Metero long-range air-to-air missiles, the Mica "beyond visual range" heat-seeking missiles, the Hammer air-to-surface extended-range guided rocket, the SCALP long-range missile, AM39 Exocet anti-ship missile, and classic bombs. Its combination of weaponry and agility make the Dassault Rafale one of the few aircraft to "shoot down" an American F-22 Raptor during a training exercise in the United Arab Emirates.
Currently, the Dassault Rafale is in service in eight countries. Egypt, India, Qatar, Greece, Croatia, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia all have Rafales in their respective military fleets. Of course, the French Navy and French Air and Space Force also have a fleet of Rafales at their disposal.