The Dassault Rafale is a French twin-engine multirole fighter capable of performing a variety of missions. A high-performance canard delta wing fighter that has been in service since 2001. We hear a lot in the news about American aircraft such as the F-16, but Dassault Rafale is currently collecting quite a few orders.
French Air Force Dassault Rafale. This type of fighter has been in service since his 2001 year. Image credit: Marklak via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Dassault Rafale was never even meant to exist. In the late 1970s, France was looking to replace its aging fighters. Participated in programs with Great Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain to create a common fighter design.
This program, which eventually led to the Eurofighter Typhoon, gave the European power great opportunity to create its own aircraft capable of air superiority, air interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, and other missions.
However, France was unable to accept some of the terms of the agreement and eventually abandoned plans to develop its own fighter, the Dassault Rafale.
The first Dassault Rafale demonstrator took off for its maiden flight in 1986. A near-production version of the Rafale C took off in 1991. It took a while for the jet fighter to develop into something combat-worthy, but in 2001 the first Dassault Rafale his jet entered service.
Today Dassault Rafale serves Croatia, Egypt, Greece, India, Indonesia, Qatar and of course France. About 240 Dassault Rafales have been produced to date.
Rafale fighter jets are one of Dassault Aviation’s primary sources of income. And it’s only growing. Defense-ua.com reports that Dassault Aviation has 92 orders for Rafale fighters in firm contracts, while potential orders for it are 170.
To date, the most prominent buyer of Dassault Rafale fighters is the United Arab Emirates, which has ordered 80 of them. Indonesia and India may expand Rafale’s fleets. And if you can afford to buy these jets, there’s Columbia interested. The French Air Force is looking to replace its aging Dassault Mirage 2000 and is likely to place an order for 42 Rafales by the end of the year.
The Dassault Rafale is an impressive 4th generation fighter. In length he is 15.27 meters, and in wingspan he is 10.90 meters. It can be single seater or twin seater. Rafale can be armed with different missiles and bombs depending on the mission. Capable of attacking other aircraft, ships, and ground targets.
Interestingly, the Dassault Rafale can also launch nuclear missiles. France’s ASMP-A is less powerful, but intended to act as a last-resort “warning shot” before the full-scale use of strategic nuclear weapons.
Dassault Rafale, along with the Eurofighter Typhoon and Panavia Tornado, are a good example of how advanced fighter aircraft can be developed in Europe. In fact, the development of the 5th generation successor has already begun. One day the Rafale will be replaced by a stealth aircraft.
sauce: Defense-ua.com
