French fighter Raphael. The slow death of the mother of all tenders. A footprint in the skies of military history and computer games

Dassault "Rafale" is a French multi-role fighter of the fourth generation. Designed for all-weather attacks on ground targets, overcoming enemy air defenses at low altitude, performing air defense missions and gaining air superiority. Capable of operating both at short and large distances from the departure airfield. The Rafale aircraft was conceived as an experimental fifth-generation advanced combat aircraft (ACX - Advanced Combat Experimental) for testing latest technologies, which could later be used to create a device designed to replace the French Air Force Jaguar and the French Navy Crusader and Super Etandar. The first prototype, equipped with two General Electric turbofan engines.

On July 4, 1986, on its first flight it exceeded the speed of sound. After 2 years, the prototype demonstrated a series of landings on the aircraft carrier Clemenceau. In April 1989, the aircraft was temporarily put under repair for installation of an uprated SNECMA M88-2 turbofan engine in the left nacelle. In this version, it took off on February 27, 1990. Subsequently, the M88 engine was chosen for installation on production Rafale aircraft.

Dassault "Rafale". Multirole fighter. (France)

The Rafale aircraft is designed in a canard design, with a delta wing and engine air intakes located under the fuselage bulges. Fly-by-wire flight control system. There is a system for reducing loads when exposed to gusts of wind and when driving on a runway with an uneven surface. The wing is equipped with automatically deflected three-section slats and three-section elevons along the entire span with simultaneous and differential deflection. New materials are widely used in the design (their mass accounts for 35% of the total mass of the aircraft airframe). Thus, the nose and tail of the fuselage, the front control surfaces, the fin, the rudder, the elevons and most of the wing parts are made of composite materials.

The middle part of the fuselage and the air intake panels are made of aluminum-lithium alloy, the slats are made of titanium. Experts say that the aircraft's landing gear is designed for landing at a vertical speed of 4 m/s. The power plant consists of two American-made F404 turbofan engines with a thrust of 7800 kgf each. It is reported that in production vehicles these engines will be replaced by more powerful M88 turbofan engines of our own production.

The aircraft is designed for maneuvering during air combat. To reduce the pilot's overload, the backrest of the pilot's seat has been tilted to 30-40°. The aircraft has a reduced static stability margin and is equipped with a fly-by-wire flight control system with quadruple redundancy on all channels. It works in conjunction with the control system power plant and is connected to the weapon control system.

2 modular design engines with afterburner thrust of 7440 kgf are installed. Starting from 2005, it is planned to install a more powerful version of the engine with a forced thrust of 8870 kgf.

Dassault "Rafale". Multirole fighter. (France)

The aircraft has a reduced static stability margin. The electronic remote control system provides good controllability at high angles of attack with automatic protection against reaching critical modes, reducing the impact of turbulence in flight with high speed at low altitude, as well as automatic control of engine thrust during landing.

The aircraft's target equipment includes the RBE2 radar, IR sensors for enemy missile launches, the SAGEM Ulis 52X INS with laser gyroscopes, as well as anti-jamming covert communications equipment for air-to-air and air-to-ground channels, and an identification system. Additionally used automatic system terrain following, SPECTRA defensive electronic system, forward-looking optoelectronic system. OSF helmet indicator, voice control system.

Options:

• "Rafale" A - prototype of the "Rafale" aircraft. It was slightly larger and heavier than the Rafale C/M aircraft and was equipped with two F404-GE-400 engines with a thrust of 6800 kg, on the basis of which the M88 engine was developed.
• "Rafale" B is a prototype, ordered as a two-seat trainer version of the "Rafale" C aircraft, but retaining all the functionality.
• "Rafale" C - two prototypes, ordered as single-seat multi-role combat aircraft. The first aircraft, ordered in April 1988, flew in February 1991. Originally designated "Rafale" D, the French term for stealth aircraft, it was renamed "Rafale" C in 1990. Air Force France requested 250 aircraft in single and two-seat versions.
• "Rafale" M - two prototypes ordered for the French Navy as a carrier-based single-seat multi-role aircraft designated "Rafale" M. Similar to the "Rafale" C aircraft, but equipped with a landing hook and a modified nose strut of variable length. The Navy requested 86 vehicles.

The Kruse EVA II speech control system with a continuous speech decoder was tested on the Rafale A aircraft. The system dictionary is about 100 words, which are commands for changing the format of displaying information on indicators, switching radio ranges and operating modes of systems. The voice alarm system was also tested.

Armament includes a GIAT M791B 30 mm cannon on the side of the left air intake; 14 external hardpoints that can carry Mika, APACHE, Exocet or AS.30L air-to-surface missiles, unguided or laser-guided bombs; suspended containers with reconnaissance equipment, electronic intelligence ELINT or jammers.

Dassault "Rafale". Multirole fighter. (France)

Characteristics:

• Crew: 1-2 people;
• Length: 15.30 m;
• Wingspan: 10.90 m;
• Height: 5.30 m;
• Wing area: 45.7 m²;
• Empty weight: 10,000 kg;
• Normal take-off weight: 14,710 kg;
• Maximum take-off weight: 24,500 kg;
• Payload weight: 9500 kg;
• Fuel mass in internal tanks: 4700 kg;
• Fuel mass in PTB: 6700 kg;
• Engine: 2 × two-circuit turbojet with afterburner SNECMA M88-2-E4 (engine dry weight: 897 kg);
• Maximum thrust: 2×5100 kgf;
• Afterburner thrust: 2×7500 kgf;
• Maximum speed at high altitude: ~ 1900 km/h (M=1.8);
• Combat radius: 1800 km;
• Combat radius: 1093 km in fighter-interceptor version;
• Service ceiling: 15,240 m;
• Rate of climb: >305 m/s (18,300 m/min);
• Thrust-to-weight ratio: 1.03;
• Maximum operational overload: −3.2/+9.0 g;
• Cannon armament: 1x30 mm Nexter DEFA 791B (rate of fire 2500 rounds/min), ammunition - 125 rounds of OPIT type (armor-piercing incendiary tracer) with a bottom fuse.
• Missiles: air-to-air - MICA, AIM-9, AIM-120, AIM-132, MBDA Meteor, Magik II; “air-to-surface” - ASMP with a nuclear warhead, Apache, AM.39, Storm Shadow, AASM.

France has always been one of the leading aviation powers in the world, this has been the case since the appearance of the first aircraft. French aviation was one of the strongest during the First World War, however, then the French somewhat lost their position, which became one of the reasons for the occupation in the Second World War. After its completion, the French began to actively recreate the national air force.

During the post-war period, French aircraft manufacturers were able to create many successful aircraft. The main aircraft manufacturer in the country is Dassault Aviation, which was founded by the talented aircraft designer and businessman Marcel Dassault. The latest brilliant work of this recognized master was the Dassault Rafale multi-role fighter.

"Rafal" belongs to the fourth generation of fighters, this aircraft is a completely French project, no one took part in its development foreign companies, it does not contain components manufactured in other countries. Currently, this fighter is considered one of the best in the world.

Experts are confident that the Dassault Rafale will most likely be the last combat aircraft created entirely in one European country.

History of creation

The development of the machine began back in 1983. The military wanted a new single combat aircraft that could carry out wide range tasks, combat ground, air and surface targets. At that moment, the situation was such that Dassault Aviation could not rush into development new car: France had big amount new and modern aircraft.

Two years earlier, the French withdrew from the FEFA European fighter program. The reason was very simple: France wanted to get a light aircraft (up to 9 thousand kg) that could be placed on the deck of an aircraft carrier, the rest of the program participants wanted to develop a heavy fighter.

The French military needed a compact fighter with low weight and low operating costs that could replace the seven different aircraft in service with the French Air Force and Navy at the time. That is why Rafale can be safely called a unique aircraft.

When creating the Rafale fighter, the designers of Dassault Aviation used forty years of experience working on the Mirage aircraft. It is very easy to see the features of this fighter in the Rafale.

In 1986, Rafale made its first flight, which is called an experimental demonstration modification of the aircraft. In fact, it was a prototype aircraft on which various design and technological solutions for the future fighter were tested.

In 1991, the next modification of the Rafale took off - Rafale C. It was a prototype of a single-seat interceptor fighter. That same year, the Rafale M, an aircraft designed for deployment on aircraft carriers, also took off. This Rafale was distinguished by increased weight and reinforced chassis design.

These modifications were adopted by the French Navy in 2004, and the Air Force in 2006. In 2009, the French military ordered another 60 Dassault Rafale fighters.

In 2011, the French Minister of Defense announced the cessation of production of Rafales, but at the beginning next year Dassault Aviation won a major tender for the supply of 126 Rafale aircraft to the Indian Air Force.

According to one information, the amount of the contract signed with Dassault Aviation was $10.4 billion, and according to other data, the French side was to receive more than $15 billion, including money for pilot training and aircraft maintenance.

The first eighteen aircraft were to be delivered to the Indians by Dassault Aviation in 2019, and the rest were to be manufactured locally. Last year information appeared that the contract had been cancelled. The reason for this was a significant increase in the cost of fighters, as well as the manufacturer’s refusal to transfer machine production technology to the customer.

Information also appeared that India is now considering Russian planes Su-30 as a cheap replacement for French aircraft.

Aircraft modifications

There are a total of six modifications of the Dassault Rafale:

• • Rafale A: a prototype vehicle, also called a prototype.
  • Rafale B: another experimental modification of the Rafale. This is a two-seater training vehicle that has fully retained its functionality.
  • Rafale C: single-seat ground-based vehicle.
  • Rafale M: ​​multi-role single-seat carrier-based fighter.
  • Rafale N: two-seat carrier-based aircraft.
  • Rafale BM: a multi-role aircraft designed to deliver nuclear weapons.

The cost of one car ranges from 84 to 124 million dollars.

Combat use

"Rafal" participated in real combat operations. It was first used in combat during the NATO campaign in Afghanistan in 2007, then these aircraft were used during the conflict in Libya in 2011.

During the Libyan campaign, Rafales destroyed several MiG-23 aircraft and Mi-35 helicopters.

During the entire operation of the aircraft, four accidents occurred, as a result of which five aircraft were lost and several pilots were killed. The incidents were caused by both technical problems and human factor.

Aircraft design

The Rafale multi-role fighter is designed according to the “tailless” design, with a delta wing of a significant area with large swells. At the front of the vehicle there is an additional high-mounted horizontal tail.

The wing has two-section slats and single-section ailerons. Part of the wing is made of titanium alloys, part of it is made of carbon fiber.

The power plant is twin-engine, located at the rear of the aircraft. Rafale is a single-fin vehicle.

When creating the machine, composite materials were actively used. One of the tasks that faced the designers of Dassault Aviation was to reduce the radar signature of the fighter. Composite materials account for 20% of the aircraft's area and 25% of its weight. In addition to reducing the visibility of the Rafale, this also made it possible to gain weight.

It should be noted that although the designers of Dassault Aviation paid great attention to reducing the radar signature of the aircraft, they did not copy the American experience in this direction, but went their own way. As a result, simpler and, most importantly, cheaper solutions were found. Parts of the fighter that are particularly problematic from the point of view of radar signature (the leading edges of the wing and tail, landing gear doors) received characteristic sawtooth edges, which significantly reduced their visibility.

The modification for the navy is distinguished by a reinforced landing gear design, a special brake hook on the rear of the fighter, as well as a special Telemir system, which synchronizes the operation of the aircraft and ship's navigation systems. As a result of such changes, the “marine” Rafale is five hundred kilograms heavier than the land modification.

The aircraft's power plant consists of two SNECMA M88-2-E4 bypass turbojet engines, which are built using the most latest technologies and materials used in this area.

They have monocrystalline turbine blades, a low-smoke combustion chamber, and disks are made of powder alloys. SNECMA M88-2-E4 has excellent characteristics, high controllability, and an excellent ratio of developed thrust to engine weight. SNECMA M88-2-E4 has a modular design, which greatly facilitates its maintenance and repair.

Developing engines for this fighter was a very difficult task. The customer required a product that would work reliably when the aircraft was performing a variety of missions (maneuverable air combat, high-speed breakthrough of an air defense system). At the same time, the engine had to have a long service life, excellent thrust-to-weight ratio and low fuel consumption. SNECMA M88-2-E4, installed on the Rafale, became the first French third-generation turbojet engine.

All Rafale aircraft are equipped with landing gear manufactured by Messier-Dowty, their legs retract forward. The chassis of ground-based and deck-based fighters are different; the latter are reinforced.

The cabins of the single-seat Rafales are equipped with Martin-Baker Mk.16 ejection seats, and the canopy opens to the right. The pilot's seat has excellent ergonomics. Data on the operation of aircraft systems and flight and navigation information are displayed on liquid crystal monitors.

Rafale can boast of the latest electronic components. The aircraft is equipped with a very advanced avionics system, which consists of a new generation Thales RBE2 radar with two-dimensional electronic scanning, as well as an optical system with a laser rangefinder and a helmet-mounted target designation system. There is also an on-board electronic warfare system: the French believe that it is preferable to suppress enemy air defense systems than to hide from them.

Flight performance

Video about the Dassault Rafale fighter

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Dassault Rafale is a French 4th generation multi-role fighter aircraft developed by Dassault Aviation. This machine is a completely French project - engines, weapons, avionics, as well as own production and is currently the last aircraft created without American or other foreign help. Development of the Rafale aircraft began in 1983, 2 years before France officially withdrew from the program to create a promising European fighter FEFA, which was later called Eurofighter 2000. Rafale, like the Eurofighter, is intended for use as a strike fighter-bomber and interceptor , capable of performing air superiority and air defense missions, as well as bombing ground targets.

In 1983, Dassault developed an experimental combat aircraft, Avion de Combat Experimentale (ACX), as part of a national program. France withdrew from the EFA project due to the fact that its armed forces, and especially Navy, wanted to get a compact and lightweight car, the weight of which was about 8 thousand kg. The ACX demonstration prototype weighing 9.5 thousand kg was being completed at that time. It first flew on July 4, 1986 and helped test the aerodynamic design, characteristics, configuration, system remote control, as well as a design with widespread use composite materials for the Avion de Combat Tactique project.

The ACX was later renamed Rafale A. It was initially powered by two General Electric F404-GE-400 bypass turbojet engines. After 460 test flights, which included landing on the deck of the aircraft carrier Clemenceau (touch and go-around), one engine (left) was replaced with the SNECMA M88-2, which was developed specifically for the Rafale.

The Rafale fighter was made according to the “duck” design, has a mid-mounted delta wing, with a high-mounted front horizontal tail. The wing is equipped with two-section slats and single-section elevons.

The main material for the wing is carbon fiber. The ends of the consoles and the fairing at the junction of the wing and fuselage are made of Kevlar; the slats are made of titanium alloys. 50% of the fuselage is made of carbon fiber; Aluminum-lithium alloys are used for the side casing panels. In total, in the Rafale airframe design, composites account for 20% by area and 25% by weight. As a result, the weight of the airframe decreased by 300 kilograms.

For naval forces France developed a deck-based version of the fighter, designated Rafale M. It is distinguished by a reinforced design of the landing gear and airframe, the presence of a brake hook under the rear fuselage, a built-in retractable ladder, and so on. The Telemir system is installed at the end of the keel, which ensures the exchange of data between the aircraft carrier's navigation equipment and the aircraft's navigation system. As a result of all modifications, the Rafale M fighter became 500 kg heavier than the Rafale C.

Rafale aircraft are equipped with landing gear manufactured by Messier-Dowty. On Rafale modifications C and B, the main supports have one tire each, and the front one has two tires. On the decked Rafale M, the front support is self-orienting. When towing, it rotates almost 360 degrees.

On Rafale fighters, all supports are retracted forward. All wheels are equipped with carbon brakes manufactured by Messier-Bugatti.

On single-seat Rafale C and M, the cabin is equipped with a Martin-Baker Mk.16 ejection seat, which ensures safe exit of the aircraft on the ground when parked. The lantern opens to the right on side hinges. In the control cabin, the instrument panel houses three digital LCD multifunction displays. In the center is a tactical display that serves to display flight and navigation information and information received from various sensors. On the sides there are displays displaying information about the operation of engines, hydraulic, fuel, oxygen and electrical systems, as well as other equipment.

The Rafale's power plant is two Snecma M88-2E4 bypass turbojet engines. The thrust of each is 4970 kgf (in afterburner mode - 7445 kgf). For Snecma, developing the M88 engine was quite a difficult task. The customer needed an engine capable of operating reliably during maneuverable air combat and during a high-speed breakthrough of the air defense system at low altitude. Those. the requirements included a long service life, low fuel consumption in various flight modes and a high thrust-to-weight ratio. Snecma chose a twin-shaft engine, which was later to become the ancestor of the third generation of French-made engines.

The M88 engine development program officially began in 1986. In February 1989, the first bench test of the engine took place, and in February 1990, flight tests began on the demonstration Rafale A. Final certification occurred in 1996.

To obtain an engine with high performance, the developers used various advanced technologies in the engine design. For example, compressor disks were made monolithically with blades in the turbine design high pressure Monocrystalline blades were used, and powder technology was used to manufacture turbine disks. The engine design uses ceramic coatings, a low-emission combustion chamber and composite materials. The creators of the turbofan engines were tasked with ensuring the minimum possible thermal signature of the fighter and reducing smoke in order to reduce visual signature.

A multi-stage approach was used to create the engine.

On single-seat fighters Rafale C and M, 5900 liters of fuel are stored in the internal tanks, and on two-seat Rafale B - 5300 liters. On 5 of the 14 external suspension units it is possible to accommodate external fuel tanks of various capacities. Fuel tanks with a capacity of 1250 liters are suspended on 4 underwing units, and on the central one - with a capacity of 2000 liters.

Rafale aircraft are armed with a 30-mm Nexter DEFA 791B cannon with a rate of fire of 2,500 rounds per minute. Ammunition - 125 armor-piercing incendiary tracer cartridges OPIT with a bottom fuse.

Missile weapons consist of:
- air-to-air missiles: AIM-9, AIM-132, AIM-120, MICA, Mazhik II, MBDA Meteor;
- air-to-surface missiles: Apache, Storm Shadow, AM.39, AASM, ASMP with a nuclear warhead.

Tests and combat use

The experimental Rafale A fighter made its first flight in July 1986. The first aircraft in the Rafale C variant (single-seat fighter-interceptor) took off in May 1991, and the first carrier-based Rafale M aircraft, intended for arming French aircraft carriers, took off in December of the same year. According to the serial production plan, 86 and 235 aircraft will be delivered to the French Navy and Air Force, respectively.

The first combat use of the Rafale took place in March 2007 during the NATO operation in Afghanistan. In addition, these aircraft, starting from March 2011, were used in the NATO operation in Libya against Gaddafi’s troops.

The operation of the Rafale was not without incident.
On December 6, 2007, a Rafale B modification fighter carrying out a training flight, flying from the Saint-Dizier air force base, crashed at 18:30 near the village of Nevik (central France). The cause of the crash was a failure in the fly-by-wire flight control system. Captain Emmanuel Moruse - the pilot of the plane was killed.

On September 24, 2009, two Rafale M modification fighters, 30 kilometers from the city of Perpignan, fell into the Mediterranean Sea as a result of a collision. The accident occurred at 18:10, during the return of the vehicles to the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. The cause of the disaster, according to the Accident Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Defense, was human error. The pilot of one fighter, captain second rank Francois Duflo, was killed. The pilot of the second, captain of the third rank Jean Beaufil, ejected.

On November 28, 2010, a Rafale M modification fighter, returning to the Charles de Gaulle, fell into the Arabian Sea after completing a combat mission to support coalition forces in Afghanistan. The accident happened 100 kilometers off the coast of Pakistan. The reason was a technical malfunction. The ejected pilot was picked up by a rescue helicopter.

On July 2, 2012, a French Rafale carrier-based fighter crashed during a training exercise. The incident occurred in the Mediterranean Sea with a vehicle based on the Charles de Gaulle. The pilot ejected and was picked up by an American helicopter. Joint exercises of French and American aircraft carriers were carried out in the Mediterranean.

The Rafale is in service with the French Air Force and Navy.
The Air Force accepted the aircraft into service in 2006. As of 2012, 38 Rafale B and 37 Rafale C vehicles were accepted.

The navy adopted the Rafale M in 2004. As of 2012, there were 36 aircraft.

In addition, Rafale won the Indian tender and took part in tenders for the supply of fighters to Brazil and the UAE. On January 31, 2012, Rafale won the international MMRCA tender

Modifications:
Rafale A – experimental demonstration Rafale. It was slightly larger and heavier compared to the Rafale C/M aircraft. It was equipped with a pair of F404-GE-400 engines with a thrust of 6800 kg (16 thousand pounds), on their basis the M88 engine was developed.
Rafale B – two-seater, ground-based. It was ordered as a training version of the Rafale C, with all functionality retained.
Rafale C is a multi-role land-based combat aircraft. Originally designated Rafale D, renamed in 1990. The French Air Force requested 250 aircraft in single and double versions.
Rafale M is a carrier-based single-seat multi-role aircraft. Similar to the Rafale C, but equipped with a landing hook, as well as a modified nose strut with variable length. The Navy requested 86 vehicles.

Flight characteristics of Rafale:
Crew – 1-2 people;
Aircraft length – 15.3 m;
Height – 5.3 m;
Wing span – 10.9 m;
Wing area – 45.7 m²;
Weight empty plane– 10000 kg;
Normal take-off weight – 14710 kg;
Maximum take-off weight – 24500 kg;
Payload weight – 9500 kg;
Fuel weight – 4700 kg;
Fuel mass in outboard fuel engines – 6700 kg;
Engine – 2 two-circuit turbojet SNECMA M88-2 with afterburner;
Dry engine weight – 897 kg;
Maximum thrust – 5100 kgf for each engine;
Afterburner thrust - 7500 kgf for each engine;
Gas temperature in front of the turbine – 1577 °C;
Maximum speed – Mach 1.8 (1900 km/h);
Combat radius (in the fighter-interceptor version) - 1093 km;
Combat radius – 1800 km
Service ceiling – 15240 m;
Rate of climb – 305 m/s.

However, along with the disputes about the guarantee that were deliberately splashed into the press, there were obviously conflicts over the issue of technology transfer and, probably, first of all, price. According to pessimistic estimates, the cost of the required number of Rafales was at least double the $10.4 billion included in the tender. This already entailed internal political problems: to sign such a contract in a country regularly shaken corruption scandals, is political suicide, especially before elections. Parliamentary elections took place in India in April-May 2014.

Theoretically, supporters of the contract had time until mid-February, when there was a moratorium on concluding new deals in the field of military-technical cooperation, but at the end of 2013 it became obvious that the ruling Indian National Congress (INC) was not eager to give a trump card to opponents. It seemed that providence itself was against Rafael - on October 2, 2013, the key negotiator on the Indian side, Assistant Minister of Defense for Aircraft Procurement, Vrun Kumar Bal, died of a heart attack

The hopes that, having received the credit of confidence in the event of victory, the INC would be able to push through the most difficult decision in the context of the sequestration of the defense budget, were not justified - the opposition nationalist Indian People's Party came to power, treating the purchase of Rafaels with great skepticism

After the change of government, the program was subjected to the most severe criticism. Thus, on December 30, 2014, the new Minister of Defense Manohar Parrikar said that the French side was extremely uncompromising in the negotiations and refused to fulfill the promises made during the competition. For the first time, an official of this level publicly refused to purchase Rafales. According to Parrikar, India would do well to purchase an additional batch of already developed Su-30MKIs. It is worth noting that the price of the Su-30MKI produced by HAL is approximately half that of the estimated cost of the Rafael.

However, Dassault does not appear to be succumbing to the increased pressure. The first export successes of the Rafale undoubtedly gave the French confidence in the negotiations. In February 2015, Egypt unexpectedly signed a contract to purchase 24 fighter jets. At the end of April, many years of negotiations with Qatar ended - the emirate also bought 24 cars with an option for another 12. In total, this ensured that the plant was loaded for at least an additional three to four years ( last years in order to stretch production until we receive export contracts"Raphael" for France were produced in a minimum volume of 11 pieces per year), and the threat of curtailing production was postponed.

Difficult negotiations, apparently, weighed heavily on both sides, and the mutual desire to put an end to them led to the astonishing outcome of the MMRCA.

Non-Solomon solution

In April, the new Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, visited France. On April 10, the local press published sensational news: an agreement was reached on the direct purchase of the first batch of French-assembled Rafales - and not 18, as planned under the terms of the MMRCA, but 36. The cost was estimated at about 4 billion euros. The increase in direct procurement immediately raised questions about the future of licensed assembly in India.

The fears were confirmed - on May 21, Parrikar said that India will limit itself to only purchasing 36 Rafales and will not organize a licensed assembly. The saved funds (90 Rafales were estimated by the Minister of Defense at $15.5 billion) will be used for other programs. Contenders for the freed up money, from the point of view of experts, can be called the same Su-30MKI program, within the framework of which India can order another 40-60 aircraft in addition to the existing ones, the national Tejas project and the joint Russian-Indian development of the fifth fighter generation FGFA based Russian project T-50 PAK FA. At the same time, official New Delhi, represented by the same Manohar Parrikar, stated that the main recipient would be the national project, but the Teja itself is currently a frankly crude aircraft with unclear prospects, including due to the critically delayed (already more than thirty years) development period...

Leading military developers from different countries, almost simultaneously, in the 1980s...90s of the last century, came to the idea of ​​​​the need to create a medium multi-role fighter. This is how a project appeared in Europe, and work on the future began in the USSR. However, French military designers felt that they needed a lighter aircraft capable of performing the same functions and carrying almost the same weapons.

France refused the further participation of its companies in the pan-European project Eurofighter 2000 (Typhoon) and Dassault Aviation began developing the Shkval fighter, which later became famous as the Dassault Rafale ─ a formidable fourth-generation multi-purpose air vehicle, entirely developed by the French.

History of creation

The Rafale, a French combat aircraft, appeared due to differences in the military doctrines of Western countries: Germany and England wanted to see the Eurofighter 2000 as a powerful air defense weapon, the latest interceptor, and France preferred to develop an aircraft that could replace the assault Mirages of the 2000 D/N series "or Étendard, Etander (also developed by Dassault).

The newest fighter and attack aircraft was to be used not only in defense, but also to gain air supremacy, assault strikes on ground targets, and gain air superiority.

Development of the new "Combat Experimental Aircraft"(French "Avionde Combat Experimentale" or ACX) began at the company that produced Etanders even before France left the pan-European Eurofighter program.

The condensed history of the emergence of one of the best multi-purpose air vehicles of our time can be represented as follows:

• 1983, the Dassault company begins development of a multi-role fighter based on the Tactical Military Aircraft;
• 1985, the project is given the name "ASH";
• 1986, Avion de Combat Experimentale makes its first test flight;
• 1987, the project receives the name Rafale-A and a turbojet engine from the French manufacturer “SNECMA”;
• 1990, developed and tested single-seat Rafale C (from “Chasseur”, “hunter”, as fighters are called in France) and Rafale-B (double);
• 1991, test flights with landing on an aircraft carrier of the Rafale M fighter with reinforced landing gear from Bugatti (Messier-Bugatti).

Somewhere around 91-95, the multi-purpose Rafale ceased to be completely French, a small but important imported part appeared: the Martin-Baker Mk.16 (US16E) ejection seat, this model developed at Lockheed was better than any French analogues.

Since 1996, large-scale production of the Dassault Rafale began for both the Air Force and the French Navy; in 2004 (Navy) and 2006 (Air Force), the aircraft entered service with the Fifth Republic.

Fighter-bomber design

Rafale belongs to the class of single-fin aircraft, both engines are located at the rear. Made according to the “duck” or “tailless” aerodynamic model that had proven itself well on the Mirages. When creating Shkval, the military demanded two main things from the manufacturing company:

• the aircraft must be lighter than the common European one;
• be less noticeable to enemy radars.

The engineers from Dassault Aviation managed to achieve an elegant solution to the problems assigned to them when they decided to use three main materials for the body of the aircraft and its wings:

• titanium;
• aluminum-lithium alloys;
• Kevlar;
• carbon fiber;
• composites.

More than 20% of the parts (by weight more than 25%) of this aircraft are made of composites and carbon fiber. The result was not a mindless copying of American stealth technologies, but an elegant, purely European solution with impressive overall performance characteristics:

• wing area – 46 sq. m.;
• wingspan - only 11 m (which is significantly less than the same figure for MiGs or American multi-role fighters);
• length ─ 15.3 m;
• weight (empty plane) ─ 9 tons (sea, with the M index exactly 500 kg heavier);
• weight (maximum take-off) ─ 21.5 tons;
• height ─ 5.3 meters.

At the same time, the vehicle is capable of reaching speeds of up to 2 thousand km/h, rising to a practical height of more than 15 thousand meters and is technically capable of withstanding overloads of up to 9 g. Thus, the new multi-purpose vehicle is capable of performing supersonic flights and maneuvers at speeds of more than 1.4 M or over 1,700 km/h. The aircraft is equipped with a front horizontal tail for greater maneuverability during sharp turns in dogfights or avoiding anti-aircraft shells or air-to-air missiles.

The creators also provided space for spare fuel tanks, both suspended (PTB) and conformal (CTB). In the case of supersonic flight, external fuel tanks are provided with smaller volumes than for long-distance operations (1250 and 2000 liters, respectively).

Interesting feature the aircraft was the location of the parabolic antennas of aviation radars: on interceptors they are installed mainly in the front, on fighters they are more in the stern. On the Rafale, these schemes are successfully combined (later becoming common for multi-purpose projects of the fourth and “4+” generations).

Moreover, the radars of the French fighter have been equipped since 2012 with phased antenna arrays (PAA), both passive and active (AFAR), which increases its survivability.

In addition to traditional radar means, the aircraft is equipped with such an interesting system as SPECTRa, developed specifically for it. The name of this the latest development standing for "Rafale Threat Protection and Prevention System".

It includes a system of infrared sensors that warn of radar and laser radiation from a fighter. And even equipment capable of suppressing enemy electronic warfare equipment and laser illumination.

Armament

The main armament is an automatic revolver aircraft cannon of the “Nexter DEFA 791B” type with only 125 rounds of ammunition. But they use it extremely rarely. But missile weapons allow Shkval to avoid resorting to this “final argument” for as long as possible.

Can carry air-to-air missiles of the following types:

• French short-range missile MICA;
• American Saunder or AIM-9 with infrared guidance head;
• American mid-range Slammer AIM-120;
• English infrared homing ASRAAM (AIM-132) for short range;
• cutting-edge Magique-II or Meteor missiles.

These are weapons for air combat and achieving air superiority. For attacking ground targets the following can be installed:

• Anglo-French aircraft cruise missiles Storm Shadow (“Storm Threat”);
• air-to-surface missiles such as Apache, AM-39 or ASMP, the latter of which can be equipped with a nuclear warhead.

On a combat mission, the multirole fighter is capable of carrying 12 bombs and from 8 to 12 (depending on type) missiles.

As intended, the Dassault Rafale is perfectly armed both for air combat and for attacking and suppressing ground targets.

Modern modifications

At the moment, only 165 Rafales have been produced, and, as is required for a multi-purpose military aircraft, they differ quite greatly in “specialization”, since more than ten modifications of this formidable aircraft have been developed. However, apart from the models modified specifically for the Indian and Egyptian Air Forces (index “BM” and “DM” for the Egyptians and types “BH”, “DH” for the Indians), the main types of Dassault Rafale today are:

• single-seat, types “D” and “M” (land-based and sea-based, respectively);
• modification for naval forces of the Standard F2 type (in service since 2006);
• carrier-based double, with index N;
• aircraft for using nuclear missiles, with the index BM.

The first Shkvals also fall into this classification, but Rafale types “A” and “B” are no longer produced, and the Rafale C variant, erroneously mentioned on most sites, has long been renamed Rafale D.

Combat use

Dassault Rafale, along with obsolete Mirages and other Western carrier-based aircraft, tested own strength in the military operation of the Western allies in Afghanistan (the first baptism of fire of the ground-based "D-type" Shkval) and in the invasion of the joint forces of the alliance in Libya.




During the last combat operation, an event advertised by the Western media took place: as part of the combat aviation of the forces of the Western allies, multi-purpose Rafale fighters M carrier-based aircraft destroyed six twenty-third MiGs and two Crocodiles (MI-35 helicopters).

Later, information appeared that these interceptors and attack helicopters of our production were indeed destroyed by Rafales, but during the attack on the airfield, and not in the air. So Rafal has not yet been able to meet a real and serious air enemy (as well as the latest Russian or American multi-purpose aircraft).

Currently, the carrier-based M type is actively used on board the flagship of the French Navy, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charlesde Gaulle, in the Syrian campaign against ISIS.

It is curious that the same “pan-European” Super-Etanders that France at one time refused to work on, and not Rafale, are used as attack aircraft on the Charles de Gaulle.

An interesting fact is that, despite four disasters in which five Dassault Rafales were irretrievably lost (in one of the incidents two such fighters collided), there are reports that any Shkval was shot down in a combat situation, like our Su -24 in 2015, not reported.

All accidents with French "sky hawks" occurred due to technical problems, or due to the inattention of the pilot, like the last disaster in the joint French-American exercises of 2012.

Comparative performance characteristics and performance characteristics according to the Indian salon 2012

The successful multi-purpose Dassault Rafale has firmly entered the history of aircraft manufacturing and the development of the world Air Force. This was proven, in particular, by the victory of designers from Dassault Aviation over American military manufacturers aircraft from Lockheed and Boeing, as well as over the Russian MiG bureau at a commercial exhibition in India in 2012.




A detailed table of data on the Indian Air Show 2012, the technical and flight characteristics of the Rafale in comparison with other, also very well-known brands of air combat vehicles of the same class:

A country	France	USA	USA	Russia	Other
Name	Dassault Rafale	F-16 Fighting Falcon	F/A-18E/F Super Hornet	MiG-35	Eurofighter Typhoon
Length, m.	15,30	15,03	18,31	18,31	15,96
Wingspan, m.	10,90	10,00	13,62	12,00	10,95
Wing area, sq.m.	45,7	27,9	46,5	30,0	50,0
9500	7800	8050	7000	7500
Weight (empty plane), kg.	10000	9979	14552	11000	11000
Pendants with weapons	14 (5 for heavy weapons)	11	11	10	13
Maximum thrust in afterburner, kN.	2x75	1x144	2x98	2x88.3	2x90
Maximum thrust, kN.	2x50	1x84	2x62	2x53	2x90
Max. speed at altitude, M.	1,8	2,0	1,8	2,25	2,25
Combat radius, km.	1389	550	722	1000	1390
Practical ceiling, m.	15.240	18.000	15.000	17.500	19.812
Cost (per year of the salon, $ million)	85-124	50	55	45	120

When comparing the numbers, even without a calculator, it is clear that the creators of the Rafale were able to achieve a golden mean between the weight of the aircraft, its armament and flight performance. And unlike the MiG-35 or Fighting Falcon, to which complaints arose, the Rafale was able to confirm all design characteristics on test flights.

A footprint in the skies of military history and computer games

Taking into account the results of the “Indian tender”, as well as the fact that of the ultra-modern multi-purpose military vehicles presented on it, only the Rafale took part in real military operations, we can say that this fourth-generation French fighter has already forever entered the history of aircraft manufacturing and military affairs .




It was on the basis of the Rafale that similar aircraft were built in Japan, India, China and Taiwan. True, in the Indian (code designation “Diamond”) and Taiwanese (Jingguo) versions, this unique device has lost its multi-purpose meaning and is produced exclusively as a fighter.

Particularly interesting is the joint project of China and Pakistan “Chengdu FC-1 Xiaolong” (Chengdu FC-1 Xiaolong), in the Pakistani classification - JF-17 Thunder.

Chinese and Pakistani aircraft designers have managed to successfully combine the advantages of Dassault Rafale and new developments based on Chinese modifications of the MiG-21!

The popularity of the multi-purpose Shkval is also proven by the fact that since 1997, aircraft of Rafale modifications have been constantly present in one of the most popular foreign computer flight simulators - Jane’s Fighters Anthology.

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