What is Dassault Rafale ?

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

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

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.

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

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 upto 100 kilometres , and a TV/IR Sensor featuring a laser rangefinder which can identify a target upto 40 kilometres.

This gives Rafale an edge in Passive Electro-Optical Detection System over Stealth Aircrafts 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.

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.

Rafale’s SPECTRA Electronic Warfare Suite possess a feature called "Active Cancellation" , which works by detecting a radar signal and generating a radiation field with the same amplitude and frequency but the opposite phase. This kind of field could be generated by passing current through these antenna.

This kind of field could be generated by passing current through these antenna. This gives Rafale , a considerable amount of stealth characteristics as it can be used to suppress radar signals in addition to a LPI (Low Probability of Intercept) Radar , Rafale possess , which denies any considerable tracing of Rafale’s radio waves and any subsequent tracking and jamming. With a GaN Based SPECTRA Suite , the stealth of Rafale is expected to increase manifold almost comparable to a 5th Generation Aircraft.

Rafale’s beefed up airframe and intakes , allow it to carry some 2.5 times its own empty weight , carrying a mix of different weapon system for both Air-to-Air and Air-to-Ground Roles.

For Air-to-Air , it can carry METEOR , MICA , MAGIC II Missiles while for Air-to-Ground Role it can carry APACHE , Storm Shadow and Hammer Missiles. It can also be armed for anti-shipping role with Exocet Block 2 Anti-Ship Missile and for Nuclear Deterrence with an ASMP-A nuclear missile. Rafale being a tradeoff in air-to-air capabilities with better payload capability , allows it to perform multiple jobs single handedly effectively making it “Omnirole”.

Rafale features a Fighter Sphere Tablet , which allows the pilot to efficiently collect all the information on an Electronic Media device rather than on a paper. The Fighter Sphere Tablet consists of a manual , navigation maps , performance calcualtion softwares and more giving the pilot a more stress-free and redundant error-free flight period.

The Rafale is referred to as an "omnirole" aircraft by Dassault.

n the late 1970s, the French Air Force and Navy were seeking to replace and consolidate their current fleets of aircraft.

In order to reduce development costs and boost prospective sales, France entered into an arrangement with UK, Germany, Italy and Spain to produce an agile multi-purpose fighter, the Eurofighter Typhoon.

Dassault built a technology demonstrator which first flew in July 1986 as part of an eight-year flight-test programme, paving the way for the go-ahead of the project.

The Rafale is distinct from other European fighters of its era in that it is almost entirely built by one country, involving most of France's major defence contractors, such as Dassault, Thales and Safran.

Introduced in 2001, the Rafale is being produced for both the French Air Force and for carrier-based operations in the French Navy.

The Rafale has been marketed for export to several countries, and was selected for purchase by the Indian Air Force, the Egyptian Air Force, and the Qatar Air Force.

The Rafale has been used in combat over Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Iraq and Syria. Several upgrades to the weapons and avionics of the Rafale are planned to be introduced by 2018.[13]

In the mid-1970s, both the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air) and Navy (Marine Nationale) had requirements for a new generation of fighters to replace those in or about to enter service

In 1979, the French company Dassault joined the MBB/BAe "European Collaborative Fighter" (ECA) project which was renamed the "European Combat Aircraft"

The French company contributed the aerodynamic layout of a prospective twin-engine, single-seat fighter; however, the project collapsed in 1981 due to differing operational requirements of each partner country

In 1983, the "Future European Fighter Aircraft" (FEFA) programme was initiated, bringing together Italy, Spain, West Germany, France and the United Kingdom to jointly develop a new fighter, although the latter three had their own aircraft developments.

A number of factors led to the eventual split between France and the other four countries.