Dassault Rafale B
Two-seat French multirole fighter with close-coupled canards and a defensive suite instead of stealth.
- Close-coupled canards
- SPECTRA defensive suite
- Two-seat crew
- Omnirole design
Specification
- Origin
- France
- Manufacturer
- Dassault Aviation
- Role
- Multirole
- Generation
- 4.5
- Introduced
- 2006
- Combat type
- Air
- Spawn code
- rafaleb
On the server
The Rafale B is the two seat land based version, in French Air Force service from 2006 and used for the full range of missions including the airborne nuclear role. Its canards sit close to the wing rather than out front, which improves airflow over the delta at high angle of attack instead of acting mainly as trim surfaces. Dassault built it around SPECTRA, an integrated electronic warfare and self protection system that detects, jams and decoys threats, on the argument that active defence can substitute for radar shaping. On MCS the Rafale is one of the most balanced fighters available. It turns well without bleeding energy the way a pure delta does, carries a heavy and varied load, and its systems make it hard to lock cleanly. It is not the fastest and not the stealthiest. Recommended for pilots who want one aircraft that is competent at everything.