Dassault Rafale

The Dassault Rafale had already reached development by the time the Dassault Mirage 2000 reached operational status.

The Dassault Rafale, when released into operational service in the late 1990's, was the pinnacle of French aircraft engineering. The system incorporated the latest in fly-by-wire technology, composite materials and aerodynamic design to compliment the broad array of roles required of any fighter in any military force.

The Dassault Rafale was already on the drawing boards even as the Dassault Mirage 2000 (detailed elsewhere on this site) was being designed and produced. With France initially a part of the Eurofighter Typhoon conglomeration, the Rafale development was put into high gear when France withdrew from the program. The Rafale would become possibly the best Dassault fighter ever produced and step forward as the next generation in French aircraft design.

The twin-engine fighter was fitted with the popular and successful SNECMA turbofan generating a combined thrust of nearly 20,000lbs with afterburn capability. The delta wing design that popularized the early Dassault aircraft was back, this time complimented by the addition of two small forward-mounted canard planes. The addition of these minor surfaces added greatly to the agility of the machine as a whole, coupled with the already impressive lift and drag generated by the overall design.

The Rafale has come in three flavors - a true air defense variant, a two-seat multi-role strike fighter / conversion trainer and a single-seat naval fighter variant with the appropriate designations of "C", "B" and "M" respectively. The M navy variant was selected to replace the past-prime Vought F-8 Crusaders that saw combat action in United States hands as late as the Vietnam Conflict. The two-seat B strike model represents the ultimate in the Rafale series as that particular system adds the power of ground strike capability augmented by the nearly 18,000lbs of stores that the aircraft can handle.

The fuselage material construction is made up of specialized composites to assist the aircraft in maintaining the smallest of radar signatures. In a way, the system represents the first French attempt as stealth technology with this kind of focus. A mixture of carbon and Kevlar components are said to make up the finish throughout the surface of the aircraft. Titanium and aluminum-lithium are also reported to have been used in construction.

As it stands, the Rafale will see service with French forces for years to come. Modernization programs and software system upgrades will no doubt prolong the aircrafts lifespan - considering it now makes up both the frontline fighter of the air force and the navy, the system should do quite well for itself.