France's potent Rafale fighter, a "Burst of Fire," unleashes speed, advanced weaponry, and carrier capability. Can it rival top-tier American jets?
by Kris Osborn, Warrior
“Burst of Fire” and “Gust of Wind” are the literal terms for France’s popular Dassault Rafale 4-Gen “plus” twin engine fighter jet now used by nine countries, a quasi-stealthy smooth fighter able to hit speeds of Mach 1.8, fire a wide complement of weapons and launch from a carrier. The aircraft does have its own distinct look as it has two wings on each side, a semi smooth, rounded blended wing body and thin angular front section.
Armed with French-built AESA Radar, infrared search and track, avionics and weapons systems, the Dassault can carry air-dropped precision bombs, air-fired Storm Shadow missiles, air-to-air weapons and a nuclear-capable cruise missile called the ASMP-A. There are many variants of the aircraft, including a single-seat carrier-launched aircraft; the Dassault is identified as a multi-role fighter capable of air-to-air, air-to-surface, and air-to-ground attack. The aircraft is in some respects similar to the multi-national Typhoon Eurofighter in terms of its ability to fire the Storm Shadow and operate with an AESA radar, yet it has its own distinct set of attributes engineered by French companies.
International Dassault
While built by French companies Dassault Rafael, Thales and Safran, the fighter became quite successful as an international platform and is in service with India, Egypt, Qatar, Greece, Croatia, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates and Serbia. The aircraft, which has 14 hard points to carry a large arsenal of attack weapons, was used in combat over Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq and Syria. Unlike the multi-national European Typhoon, the French Dassault’s sensors, EW, avionics and weapons systems were all built entirely in the single country of France. The Dassault Rafale was originally part of a European teaming arrangement to build the Eurofighter, a multi-national collaborative effort which has now become the well known “Typhoon.” France, however, exited this UK, Italy, Spain Germany collaborative initiative and built its own Dassault fighter.
Dassault Upgrades
The upgraded Rafale aircraft is newer than many 4th-gen aircraft which emerged in the 1980s such as the F-15 and F-16, yet its continued relevance hinges upon the extent to which it has been upgraded. If the Dassault Rafael has been upgraded or undergone some type of modernization effort or Service Life Extension Plan, then it could indeed prove extremely worthwhile in conflicts against 4th-generation aircraft. There have been so many technological breakthroughs in the last 20 years that the Dassault Rafale would have to have received regular upgrades in order to compete in a modern threat environment. However, the French military has upgraded the Dassault Rafale and one essay in a publication known as Flying says the Rafale scored a “hit” on an F-35 in a simulated air-combat contingency entertained in a completed exercise called Atlantic Trident 25.
Dassault 4.5-Gen
Described as a 4.5-Gen aircraft, the Dassault Rafael incorporates a highly effective and widely used Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar that allows the craft to search for and lock down targets in coordination with frontal “infrared search and track” sensors. If the Dassault Rafael undergoes upgrades, modernization efforts, or a Service Life Extension Plan, it could prove highly worthwhile in conflicts against 4th-generation aircraft. There have been so many technological breakthroughs in the last 20 years that the Dassault would have to have received regular upgrades in order to compete in a modern threat environment. While it has been upgraded to a massive extent to remain relevant, it is not entirely clear that the fighter would be sufficiently prepared for the newest and most advanced air defenses.
Kris Osbornis the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The HistoryChannel. He also has a Master's Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia