India most powerful air-superiority fighter jet Dassault Rafale

India most powerful air-superiority fighter jet Dassault Rafale

       Dassault Aviation is a French aerospace company that shapes the future by designing and building military aircraft, business jets and space systems. Designer and builder of the Rafale, a twin- engine multirole fighter that performs all types of combat missions for both air forces and naval air arms. Designer of the nEUROn combat drone, built by a European team, and a leading player in Europe’s future air combat systems. Designer and builder of the Falcon family of business jets, recognized for their handling qualities, operational flexibility, low fuel consumption and innovative solutions. Designer and builder of Falcons modified to carry out maritime surveillance, intelligence, medical evacuation and other special missions. The hub of a strategic industrial network comprising hundreds of companies in France and international markets. Core shareholder in the Thales Group. Expertise in a number of technologies that are key to national sovereignty. Pioneer in digital technologies and behind CATIA™, the 3D CAD / CAM system that has become a global standard. Creator of more than 100 prototypes in the last century, with over 10,000 aircraft delivered to 90 countries.

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 Dassault Rafale is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Equipped with a wide range of weapons, the Rafale is intended to perform air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike and nuclear deterrence missions. The aircraft were developed for the French Air Force and Navy. 

The Rafale entered service with the French Navy in 2004 and the French Air Force in 2006. Ten aircraft are operational on the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrie The State of Qatar signed a contract with Dassault Aviation to acquire 24 Rafale fighters in May 2015. The $7bn contract also includes an option for 12 additional fighters and the option was exercised by Qatar in December 2017. The deliveries of the 36 multirole fighters are expected to start in 2019.

SPECIFICATIONS

S.NO	TYPES	PARAMETERS
1	Role	Multirole fighter
2	National origin	France
3	Manufacturer	Dassault Aviation
4	Number built	175 (as of January 2019)
5	Program cost	62.7 billion
6	Crew	1 to 2
7	Length	15.27m
8	Wingspan	10.80 m
9	Height	5.34m
10	Wing area	45.7m
11	Empty weight	10,300 kilograms (B) 9,850 kilograms (C) 10,600 kilograms (M)
12	Loaded weight	15,000 kilograms
13	Max. takeoff weight	24,500 kilograms (B/C/D)
14	Fuel capacity	4,700 kg internal for single-seater (C); 4,400 kgfor two-seater (B)
15	Powerplant	2 × Snecma M88-2 turbofans
16	Dry thrust	50.04 kN each
17	Thrust with afterburner	75 kN each
18	Maximum speed	Mach 1.8 (1,912 km/h)
19	Low altitude	: Mach 1.1 (1,390 km/h)
20	Range	>3,700km with drop tanks
21	Service ceiling	15,235 m
22	Rate of climb	>304.8 m/s
23	Wing loading	328 kg/m2
24	Thrust/weight	0.988 (100% fuel, 2 EM A2A missile, 2 IR A2A missile) version B
25	Armament	Guns: 1× 30 mm (1.2 in) GIAT 30/M791 autocannon with 125 rounds
26	ardpoints	14 for Air Force versions (Rafale B/C), 13 for Navy version
27	Air to Air Missiles	Magic II MBDA MICA IR or EM MBDA Meteor (planned)
28	Air-to-ground	MBDA Apache MBDA Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG AASM-Hammer (SBU-38/54/64) GBU-12 Paveway II, GBU-22 Paveway III, GBU-24 Paveway III, GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway II AS-30L Mark 82
29	Air-to-surface	MBDA AM 39-Exocet anti-ship missile
30	Nuclear Deterrence	ASMP-A nuclear missile
31	Avionics	Thales RBE2-AA AESA radar Thales SPECTRA Electronic Warfare system. 32Thales/SAGEM-OSF Optronique Secteur Frontal infra-red search and track (IRST) system

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In 1979, the French company Dassault joined the European Collaborative Fighte 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  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.

The Rafale, a fully “Omnirole” fighter, is available in three variants.

they are
1. the Rafale C single-seater operated from land bases,
2.the Rafale M single-seater for carrier operations,
3. the Rafale B two-seater flown from land bases.

All three variants share a common airframe and a common mission system, the differences between naval and land versions being mainly limited to the undercarriage and to the arresting hook.

OMNIROLE BY DESIGN.

When the Rafale programme was launched, the French Air Force and French Navy published a joint requirement for an omnirole aircraft that would have to replace the seven types of combat aircraft then in operation.

The new aircraft would have to be able to carry out a very wide range of missions.

1. Air-defense / air-superiority,
2. Anti-Access/Aera Denial,
3. Reconnaissance,
4. Close air support,
5. Dynamic Targeting,
6. Air-to-ground precision strike / interdiction,
7. Anti-ship attacks,
8. Nuclear deterrence,
9. buddy-buddy refuelling.

These requirements were taken into account from the start of the Rafale’s development, leading engineers to invent an aircraft which goes beyond the needs of each type of mission.

A FULL RANGE
OF ADVANCED WEAPONS

A FULL RANGE  OF ADVANCED WEAPONS.

The mission system of the Rafale has the potential to integrate a variety of current and future armaments.The Rafale has been cleared to operate the following weapons.
1. The MICA air-to-air “Beyond Visual Range” (BVR) interception, combat and self-defense              missiles, in their IR (heat-seeking) and EM (active radar homing) versions. The MICA can be used within visual range (WVR) and beyond visual range (BVR).
2. The HAMMER (standing for Highly Agile and Maneuverable Munition Extended Range) modular, rocket-boosted air-to-ground precision guided weapon series, fitted with INS/GPS or INS/GPS/IIR (imaging infra-red) guidance kits, or with the upcoming INS/GPS/laser guidance kit.
3.  The SCALP long-range stand-off missile.
4. The AM39 EXOCET anti-ship missiles
5. Laser-guided bombs,
6. The 2500 rounds/min NEXTER 30M791 30 mm internal cannon, available on both single and two-seater
7. The upcoming METEOR long-range air-to-air missile.

Overview

The Rafale M features a greatly reinforced undercarriage to cope with the additional stresses of naval landings, an arrestor hook, and "jump strut" nosewheel, which only extends during short takeoffs, including catapult launches. It also features a built-in ladder, carrier-based microwave landing system, and the new fin-tip Telemir system for syncing the inertial navigation system to external equipment. Altogether, the naval modifications of the Rafale M increase its weight by 500 kilograms compared to other variants. The Rafale M retains about 95 percent commonality with Air Force variants including,  although unusual for carrier-based aircraft, being unable to fold its multi-spar wings to reduce storage space. The size constraints were offset by the introduction of Charles de Gaulle, France's first nuclear-powered carrier, which was considerably larger than previous carriers, Foch and Clemenceau.

Engine

French company Safran, which manufactures the M88 engine of the Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft plans to increase its thrust from 7.5 tone to nine tons. La Tribune newspaper said yesterday quoting CEO of Safran, Philippe Petitcolin that, the engine upgrade in terms of thrust was necessary as the Rafale had grown heavier over the years due to addition of weapons and other systems. He said that the original thrust of the Rafale engine was the same since the launch of the French fighter. The Rafale was designed over two decades ago. However, the upgrade issue had not been discussed with Dassault Aviation, the Safran CEO added. "It is time to ask the question whether it is appropriate to launch a study that would increase the engine thrust. Technically we can do. We are in discussion with the relevant authorities to see if possible.

 Cockpit

The Rafale's glass cockpit was designed around the principle of data fusion a central computer intelligently selects and prioritises information to display to pilots for simpler command and control.

Dassault knows how to make an aircraft with great looks. Dating back to the 50s, they have designed and manufactured quite a few beauties. The primary flight controls are arranged in a hands on throttle and stick compatible configuration, with a right handed side stick controller and a left handed throttle. As I have grown, so has my respect and admiration for the design and engineering from other countries.

The seat is inclined rearwards at an angle of 29° to improve g-force tolerance during manoeuvring and to provide a less restricted external pilot view. An intelligent flight suit worn by the pilot is automatically controlled by the aircraft to counteract in response to calculated g-forces. Combine a sleek design with 4th and 5th generation warfighting capabilities and you’ve got a platform that’ll kick your ass while looking good.

Radar and sensors.

The Rafale was first outfitted with the Thales RBE2 passive electronically scanned multi-mode radar. Thales claims to have achieved increased levels of situational awareness as compared to earlier aircraft through the earlier detection and tracking of multiple air targets for close combat and long-range interception, as well as real-time

generation of three-dimensional maps for terrain-following and the real-time generation of high resolution ground maps for navigation and targeting. In early 1994, it was reported that technical difficulties with the radar had delayed the Rafale's development by six months. In September 2006, Flight International reported the Rafale's unit cost had significantly increased due to additional development work to improve the RBE2's detection range.

Weapans

1. Air to air missiles

2. Air to ground missiles

3. Air to surface missiles