With the Rafale, has India chosen the best fighter in the world to arm its aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, the last of its fleet in “make in India” mode? It is more than likely. In front of him, Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet was no match for him.
Guest of honor on July 14, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today confirmed an order from France for 26 Rafale Marines. This is the first time this device has been sold to a foreign country. But what is the Rafale Marine?
If the public says “the” Rafale, the singular is not suitable for the French fighter plane. Dassault created not one, but three versions of the fighter. Two were designed for the Air and Space Forces (“B” for two-seater and “C” for single-seater) and one single-seater, M for Marine, for Naval Aviation of the French Navy.
A redesigned ejection seat
These three devices, finely detailed by Omnirol Explosiona site dedicated to fighter jets, they have 80% of the same components, but the “air” and “marine” versions are far from identical.
They are obviously recognizable by the “Air Force” and “Navy” inscriptions on the fuselage and their tricolor cockade. The one for sailors is decorated with an anchor.
There are also other more discreet details. The inverted triangle placed in the cockpit to warn of the danger associated with the ejection seat is red for aviators and gray for sailors. Also, the ejection is done slightly to the left so as not to hit the aircraft carrier island.
Other features include a car-like windshield washer to clean airplane windshields where salt and scum settle on.
A 5G push
But mostly technical modifications have been made to catapult from an aircraft carrier and land. To do this, they have a launch bar at the front and a landing hook at the rear to hold on to the stop line. The “M” has a raised badge at the front due to the more massive and taller front axle. But these devices are far from being mere accessories. These are true technical and mechanical feats.
A conventional landing gear would not withstand this force and would be torn off without even allowing the aircraft to take off. The Rafale M does it without difficulty, going from 0 to 240 km/h in 3 seconds to take off on the 75-meter runway of the Charles De Gaulle, 15 meters less than an American aircraft carrier. It is also thanks to this rare performance that the Rafale M is the only non-US combat aircraft authorized to operate on US Navy ships.
Resist a “controlled crash”
The same goes for the landing gear installed between the two reactors. It is about stopping in a few seconds at more than 70 meters an airplane that reaches 145 knots, or 268 km/h.
This hook is attached to one of the three stopper strands. Why three? To make sure you catch at least one. This performance is based above all on the talent of the pilot, who must make a 180° turn to be in line with the ship, and on the deck officer, a naval aviation pilot who gives instructions for a successful maneuver in a moving ship. .
All these elements make the Rafale Marine a slightly heavier aircraft than the Air versions. And for good reason, in addition to the specific elements of this model, Dassault also had to reinforce the structure to absorb the power of the catapult launch and landing to make this device a super supersonic aircraft.
Source: BFM TV
