Adapt and deliver

French Air Force Rafale B in flight. © Dassault Aviation

With its 10-tonne empty weight, the Rafale is fitted with 14 hard points (13 on the Rafale M). Five of them are capable of carrying heavy ordnance or drop tanks. Total external load capacity is more than nine tonnes (20,000 lbs.).

With its outstanding load-carrying capability and its advanced mission system, the Rafale can carry out air-to-ground strikes as well as air-to-air attacks and interceptions during the same sortie. This gives it a real ‘Omnirole’ capability combined with remarkable survivability.

The Rafale’s weapons system is based on an architecture that is open enough to be adapted to most current and future weapons.

In-flight refuelling of a Rafale from another Rafale fitted with a "buddy" refuelling pod.

The Rafale has been cleared to operate the following weapons:

The METEOR very long-range air-to-air missile,
The MICA air-to-air “Beyond Visual Range” (BVR) interception, combat and self-defence 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).
The HAMMER (standing for Highly Agile and Manoeuvrable Munition Extended Range) modular, rocket-boosted air-to-ground precision guided weapon series now available in 250 and 1000 kg variants. It is fitted with INS/GPS, INS/GPS/IIR (imaging infra-red) or INS/GPS/laser guidance kits at the front, and with a range augmentation kit at the rear.
The SCALP long-range stand-off missile,
The AM39 EXOCET anti-ship missile,
Laser-guided bombs with different warheads and seekers
Classic bombs non guided
The 2500 rounds/min NEXTER 30M791 30 mm internal cannon, available on both single and two-seaters
Specifics armaments selected by some clients.

The Rafale’s interoperability in the field of weapons is guaranteed by the Mil-Std-1760 compliance of the stores management system, which provides for easy integration of customer-selected weapons.

“Buddy-buddy” refuelling missions can be carried out in portions of the airspace out of reach of dedicated and vulnerable tanker aircraft or for on-board operations from aircraft carriers.

Adapt and deliver

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