Rafale is a twin-jet combat aircraft capable of carrying out
a wide range of short and long-range missions, including ground and sea
attacks, reconnaissance, high-accuracy strikes and nuclear strike deterrence.
The aircraft were developed for the French Air Force and
Navy. France's Air Force and Navy ordered 180 (132 for the air force and 48 for
the navy), 100 aircraft had been delivered by the end of 2010.
The Rafale entered into service with the French Navy in 2004
and with the French Air Force in 2006. Ten aircraft are operational on the Charles
de Gaulle aircraft carrier.Rafale fighter aircraft development
Rafale B and C entered service with the French Air Force in
June 2006, when the first squadron was established. The second air force
squadron was set up in 2008. A €3.1bn ($3.89bn) contract to develop the fully
capable F3 standard aircraft was awarded to Dassault Aviation (€1.5bn), Snecma
(€600m), Thales (€500m) and other French contractors by the French Ministry of
Defence in February 2004.
Rafale engines
The Rafale is powered
by two M88-2 engines from SNECMA, each providing a thrust of 75kN. The aircraft
is equipped for buddy-buddy refuelling with a flight refuelling hose reel and
drogue pack. The first M88 engine was delivered in 1996. It is a twin-shaft
bypass turbofan engine principally suitable for low-altitude penetration and
high-altitude interception missions.
The M88 incorporates
the latest technologies such as single-piece bladed compressor disks (blisks),
an on-polluting combustion chamber, single-crystal high-pressure turbine
blades, powder metallurgy disks, ceramic coatings and composite materials.
The M88 engine
comprises a three-stage LP compressor with inlet guide vane, an annular
combustion chamber, single-stage cooled HP turbine, single-stage cooled LP
turbine, radial A/B chamber, variable-section convergent flap-type nozzle and
full authority digital engine control (FADEC).
Messier-Dowty
provides 'jumper' landing gear, designed to spring out when the aircraft is catapulted
by the nose gear strut.
Weapons
The Rafale can carry payloads of over 9t on 14 hardpoints
for the air force version, and 13 for the naval version. The range of weapons
includes: Mica, Magic, Sidewinder, ASRAAM and AMRAAM air-to-air missiles; Apache,
AS30L, ALARM, HARM, Maverick and PGM100 air-to-ground missiles; and Exocet /
AM39, Penguin 3 and Harpoon anti-ship missiles. For a strategic mission the
Rafale can deliver the MBDA (formerly Aerospatiale) ASMP stand-off nuclear
missile. In December 2004, the MBDA Storm Shadow / Scalp EG stand-off cruise
missile was qualified on the Rafale.
In September 2005, the first flight of the MBDA Meteor
BVRAAM beyond visual range air-to-air missile was conducted on a Rafale
fighter. In December 2005, successful flight trials were carried out from the
Charles de Gaulle of the range of Rafale's weapon systems – Exocet, Scalp-EG,
Mica, ASMP-A (to replace the ASMP) and Meteor missiles. In April 2007, the
Rafale carried out the first firing of the Sagem AASM (armement air-sol
modulaire - air-to-groung modular weapon) precision-guided bomb, which has both
GPS / inertial guidance and, optionally, imaging infrared terminal guidance.
Rafale have been equipped with the AASM from 2008. Rafale can carry six AASM
misssiles, with each aiming to hit the target with 10m accuracy. The Rafale has
a twin gun pod and a Nexter (formerly Giat) 30mm DEFA 791B cannon, which can
fire 2,500 rounds a minute. The Rafale is equipped with laser designation pods
for laser guidance of air-to-ground missiles.
Countermeasures
Countermeasures
The Rafale's electronic warfare system is the Spectra from
Thales. Spectra incorporates solid state transmitter technology, radar warner,
DAL laser warning receiver, missile warning, detection systems and jammers.
0 Comments