Rafale, French Air Force and Navy's Potent Hardware

By NORSYAFAWATI ABDUL WAHAB PARIS, July 2 (Bernama) -- Rafale, the multirole fighter jet, is the pride of France and stands testament to both the nation's military might and its prowess in defence technology. Developed by Dassault Aviation, which was established in 1949, the capabilities of this sophisticated fighter aircraft have been proven during the country's military engagement in Afghanistan, Libya and Mali. Rafale is now one of the contenders to replace the Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF) MiG-29N. The RMAF procured 18 MiG-29Ns from Russia in 1995, with 17 still in service and one having crashed in 1998. Rafale is now in service with France's air force and navy, and Dassault is confident that the plane's state-of-the-art technology will prevail over the next four decades in maintaining air superiority. This agile aircraft, which is capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound), has not only helped to secure the French airspace but has also brought technological leap in how aircrafts of the future will be designed. This writer recently had the opportunity to visit several locations to see the Rafale right from its design and assembly to the operations stage. The visit was in conjunction with the Paris International Air Show in Le Bourget from June 17-23. TECHNOLOGICAL LEAP The visit started at Dassault Aviation's headquarters in Saint Cloud, located about 2km from Paris, and this is where the delta wing fighter jet's production starts. The Rafale was designed using the state-of-the-art software 'Catia,' which was developed internally to create a virtual 3D digital image of the aircraft. According to Dassault Aviation's Engineering programme director Jerome Camps, the virtual design is the first of its kind and provides huge savings as there is no need for a costly prototype or a mock-up of the aircraft, similar to how it was done previously. "This 3D design technology has helped us tremendously in designing, documenting, servicing, manufacturing parts and assembling the aircraft all in one go, and there is no need for prototypes to be built many times over. "Even before Rafale was manufactured, this software had helped to identify the defects and shortcomings in developing the aircraft as the software allowed the aircraft to fly virtually," said Camps. "With the virtual digital drawings, Dassault has managed to create Rafale within the budget and this is a major achievement for us," he added. Apart from Rafale, Camps pointed out that Dassault has also built commercial private jets such as the Falcon using the same software. At the same location, this writer was then taken to the "Immersive Reality Centre," where virtual designs were highlighted with greater details. Here, customers are given the opportunity to take a closer look at the virtual design and customise external and internal dimensions, colour and other features before the start of production. RAFALE'S FINAL ASSEMBLY The flight from Paris to Bordeaux, where Rafale's final assembly plant is located, takes 15 minutes. Here, the components from different defence contractors located around France are brought together and assembled. It takes about six months to assemble a Rafale fighter jet. This assembly plant in Merignac has the capacity to roll out about 10 of such multi-purpose fighter jets in a year. After the assembly process is complete, the Rafale undergoes ground test within the same plant with its avionics, navigation, communication and weapon systems put to test. Then, the test pilot takes the aircraft to the sky to evaluate its airworthiness and safety before it is handed over to the customer. RAFALE IN ACTION The French airbase located in Saint Dizier has 47 Rafale fighter jets in operation. "Since the September 11 incident, which took place in 2001, the time for the Rafale to be airborne upon receiving instructions has been reduced to two minutes from 15 minutes previously," noted Lt Col Nicolas Lyaufey. Lyaufey is now the head of Aerial Operations for one of the squadrons at the airbase. This pilot has logged 1,000 flying hours on Rafale, and vouches for the aircraft's agility and tactical prowess. He flew the aircraft during the operations in Mali, where 60 percent of the air strikes using Rafale were conducted in the night. "Rafale has the capability of firing an assortment of six weapons in one go," he said, adding that the mission in Mali had recorded a 97 percent success rate. "We deployed six Rafale fighters in Mali and dropped more than 80 bombs using the aircraft," he noted. PROVEN CAPABILITY IN WARFARE Rafale, just like many of its American counterparts, has a number of unique advantages and is well positioned to replace Malaysia's MiG 29N. Nevertheless, what differentiates this Dassault Aviation's masterpiece from its competitors is its proven omnirole capability in warfare, which is still at the prototype stage for many producers of fighter jets. Due to its omnirole capability, Rafale can be used in aerial engagements, to conduct attacks from the air to the ground and from the air to the sea, for aerial reconnaissance and also to deter a nuclear attack. But will Rafale meet Malaysia's defence requirements and is it worthwhile to invest in this plane? This is something people at RMAF will be looking into, and Rafale will certainly be one of the choices to consider. -- BERNAMA