Dassault Rafale
Dassault Rafale
Role:
Two-seat Avion de Combat Tactique (French Air Force) or
single-seat Avion de Combat Marine (French Navy)
interceptor, multirole fighter and reconnaissance
aircraft.
DESIGN FEATURES:
Minimum weight and volume structure to hold minimum
cost; thin, mid-mounted delta wing with moving canard;
individual fixed, kidney-shaped intakes without shock
cones.
LANDING GEAR:
Hydraulically retractable tricycle type supplied by
Messier Dowty, with single mainwheels and twin,
hydraulically steerable, nosewheels. All wheels retract
forward. Designed for impact at vertical speed of 3 m
(10 ft)/s, or 6.5 m (21 ft)/s in naval version, without
flare-out.
POWER PLANT:
Two SNECMA M88-2 augmented turbofans, each rated at
48.7 kN (10,950 lb st) dry and 72.9 kN (16,400 lb st)
with afterburning. M88-3 of 87 kN (19,558 lb st)
maximum rating in production aircraft. Internal tanks
for more than 5,325 litres (1,406 US gallons; 1,171 Imp
gallons) of fuel. Fuel system by Lucas Air Equipement
and Zenith Aviation; equipment by Intertechnique. One
1,700 litre (449 US gallon; 374 Imp gallon) drop tank
on centreline; 2,000 litre (528 US gallon; 440 Imp
gallon) drop tank on each inboard underwing pylon;
and/or 1,300 litre (343 US gallon; 286 Imp gallon) tank
on each centre underwing pylon. Maximum external fuel
6,600 litres (1,742 US gallons; 1,452 Imp gallons).
Pressure refuelling in 7 minutes, or 4 minutes for
internal tanks only. Fixed (detachable) in-flight
refuelling probe on all versions.
ACCOMMODATION:
Pilot only, on SEMMB (Martin-Baker) Mk 16 zero/zero
ejection seat, reclined at angle of 29o. One-piece
Sully Products Speciaux blister windscreen/canopy,
hinged to open sideways to starboard. Canopy
gold-coated to reduce radar reflection.
AVIONICS:
Provision for more than 780 kg (1,720 lb) of avionics
equipment and racks.
Comms: EAS V/UHF and TRT Saturn UHF radios. TEAM
intercom; Sextant Avionique voice activated radio
controls and voice alarm warning system.
Thomson-CSF/CNI SB 25A IFF. Chelton aerials. Radar:
GIE Radar (Thomson-CSF/Dassault Electronique) RBE2
look-down/shoot-down radar, able to track up to eight
targets simultaneously, with automatic threat
assessment and allocation of priority.
Flight: SOCRAT VOR/ILS; SAGEM Sigma RL90 INS
(interface with carrier's navigation on Rafale M);
Thomson-CSF NC 12E Tacan; Sigma RL-90 ring-laser gyro
INS; Thomson-CSF/CNI AHV 17 radio altimeter and
SFIM/Dassault Electronique flight recorder. Sextant
Avionique GPS.
Instrumentation: Digital display of fuel, engine,
hydraulic, electrical, oxygen and other systems
information on collimated eye-level display and two
lateral multifunction touch-sensitive colour LCD
displays by Sextant. Fourth cockpit screen is
head-level tactical navigation/sensor display. Sextant
Avionique CTH3022 wide-angle, holographic HUD
incorporating Thomson TTD Optronique OTA 1320 CCD
camera and recorder. Sextant/Intertechnique Topsight
helmet-mounted sight.
Mission: Thomson-TRT/SAT OSF electro-optical
sensors. MIDS (Multifunctional Information Distribution
System) datalink (equivalent to JTIDS/Link 16). Various
reconnaissance, ECM, FLIR and laser designation pods.
Self-defence: Spectra radar warning and ECM suite by
Thomson-CSF, Dassault Electronique and Matra. Thomson
TTD Optronique DAL (Detecteur d'Alerte Laser) system.
ARMAMENT:
One 30 mm Giat DEFA 791B cannon in side of port engine
duct. Fourteen Alkan external stores attachments: two
on fuselage centreline, two beneath engine intakes, two
astride rear fuselage, six under wings and two at
wingtips. Forward centreline position deleted on Rafale
M. Normal external load 6,000 kg (13,228 lb); maximum
permissible, 8,000 kg (17,637 lb). In strike role, one
Aerospatiale ASMP standoff nuclear weapon. In
interception role, up to eight Mica AAMs (with IR or
active homing) and two underwing fuel tanks; or six
Micas and 5,700 litres (1,505 US gallons; 1,254 Imp
gallons) of external fuel. In air-to-ground role,
typically sixteen 227 kg (500 lb) bombs, two Micas and
two 1,300 litre (343 US gallon; 286 Imp gallon) tanks;
or two Apache standoff weapon dispensers, two Micas and
5,700 litres of external fuel; or FLIR pod, Atlis laser
designator pod, two 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) laser-guided
bombs, two AS.30L laser ASMs, four Micas and single
1,700 litre (449 US gallon; 374 Imp gallon) tank. In
anti-ship role, two Exocet or projected ANS
sea-skimming missiles, four Micas and 4,300 litres
(1,135 US gallons; 946 Imp gallons) of external fuel.
Aircraft Measures:
Wing span, incl wingtip missiles:
10.90 m (35 ft 9{1/4} in)
Wing aspect ratio: 2.6
Length overall: 15.30 m (50 ft 2{1/2} in)
Height overall (Rafale D): 5.34 m (17 ft 6{1/4} in)
Aircraft Performance:
Maximum Speed: mach 2
Thrust: 24,000 lbs.