What is Dassault Rafale ?

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Dassault Rafale is one of the finest airframes to have ever entered in service which effectively combines 21st Century Technology and a 4.5 Generation Airframe to effectively nullify the limitations posed by 5th Generation Airframes and to give an aircraft that is well affordable and possess many 5th Generation Features with an effective trade-off between stealth and other capabilities.

Rafale is unique in the sense of being “Omnirole” which makes it an aircraft to cater to any demands: Air Superiority, Close Air Support, Air Interdiction, Nuclear deterrence, Naval Strike and more.

Dassault Rafale is the only Fighter Aircraft to possess a Targeting Pod which provides Color Imagery!

Rafale features a unique “Man-Machine Interface” (MMI) which integrates Hands on Throttle and Stick ( HOTAS ) to Touch Screens allowing the pilot an unhindered performance in adverse conditions as systems resources are managed via left and right touch screens.

Rafale Air-Intakes is a tradeoff between Side Intakes and Ventral Air takes for better Attack Capabilities. F-22 “Raptor” features Side Intakes while Eurofighter Typhoon features Ventral Air takes.

Over the last decades, air forces have always been the first military component engaged in all crises or conflicts, from the Falklands to the Gulf, from Bosnia to Kosovo, from Afghanistan to Libya, and more recently Mali, the Central African Republic, Iraq and Syria.

Rafale has been designed with Low Observable ( LO ) Features which has been estimated between 0.05 to 0.1-meter square Radar Cross Section which is equal to that of a “Sparrow”.

Military aviation is undoubtedly the most strategic weapon today, both in terms of combat effectiveness and of critical technologies implemented.

Rafale combines up Electronic Warfare means, Terrain Following System, Active Cancellation and design features to achieve the considerable amount of stealth required for a 4.5 Generation Aircraft

In modern warfare, air dominance from day one is a must, so that air-to-ground and air-to-sea operations can be conducted safely and efficiently.

Rafale extensively utilizes composite materials and Radar Absorbent Material along with suppression of “Radar” waves by Spikes to prevent any considerable amount of detection.

In the course of asymmetrical and counter-insurgency conflicts, the air arm also remains at the forefront of the military effort, its flexibility and firing power helping ensure that allied forces prevail.

Rafale features an advanced quadruple redundant Fly-By-Wire Flight Control System controlled by one Analogue Channel and three Digital Channels giving maximum reliability over other platforms.

The September 11 events have shown that, in peacetime, it is essential to secure the national airspace with easily deployable control and air defense assets.

The decisive place of the air component in modern warfare is demonstrated by the defense strategies decided by those nations who want to keep a leading role on the world stage.

Rafale’s digital FCS has not encountered a single accident in over one million flight hours giving Rafale, a stupendous reliability and maximum preciseness.

The Rafale, with its “Omnirole” capabilities, is the right answer to the capability approach selected by an increasing number of governments.

Rafale’s Optronique Secteur Frontal consists of two sensors with an Infra-Red Detector on the left, used as FLIR which can detect air targets up to 100 kilometers, and a TV/IR Sensor featuring a laser rangefinder which can identify a target up to 40 kilometers.

It fully complies with the requirement to carry out the widest range of roles with the smallest number of aircraft.

The Rafale participates in permanent “Quick Reaction Alert” (QRA) / air-defense / air sovereignty missions, power projection and deployments for external missions, deep strike missions, air support for ground forces, reconnaissance missions, pilot training sorties and nuclear deterrence duties.

The Air Force single-seat Rafale C, the Air Force two-seat Rafale B, and the Navy single-seat Rafale M feature maximum airframe and equipment commonality, and very similar mission capabilities.

This gives Rafale an edge in Passive Electro-Optical Detection System over Stealth Aircraft also like during ATLC 2009 when French Rafales scored an air-to-air kill in Within Visual Range against F-22, thanks to its Optronique Secteur Frontal.

TALIOS Multifunctional Targeting Pod features permanent pod view which allows the pilot to keep an eye on the battle scenario and zoom into his target while it can slew his targeting pod to friendlies in the area at the same time. This gives Rafale’s targeting capability an edge over its adversaries, which enters into the aircraft’s database giving a tactical situation display

Rafale features a net-centric capability due to its open architecture and data fusion software which allows the Rafale to enter into the Battlespace with a highly secure data link allowing the Rafale to exchange information with other aerial and ground assets through “Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver” in real time, building up a coherent mode of compatibility among other assets deployed in the combat multiplying the effectiveness.