Dassault Rafale
Fighter Jetconfirmed
The Rafale is a twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft. It excels in air superiority, strike, close air support, in-depth strike, anti-ship, nuclear deterrence, and reconnaissance missions. Equipped with the RBE2 AESA radar and SPECTRA EW suite.
Specifications
| Type | Fighter Jet |
| Origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Dassault Aviation |
| Introduced | 2001 |
| Generation | 4.5th |
| Status | In service |
| Ceiling | 17,060 |
| Range | 3,700 |
| Weight | 10,300 |
| Speed | 1,912 |
| Crew | 1 |
History
Development started in the 1980s after France withdrew from the Eurofighter program. First flew 1986, entered French service 2001. Long struggled with exports; broke through with Egypt, India, Qatar, Greece, Croatia, and UAE contracts. India ordered 36 in 2016 and 26 naval in 2025.
Operators
| Country | Quantity | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| India | — | |
| France | ~200 (Air + Navy) | confirmed |
| Egypt | 54 Rafale (24 + 30 batch) | confirmed |
| Indonesia | 42 | confirmed |
| Ukraine | — |
Text adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo from Wikimedia Commons; see the Wikipedia article for author and license.
