“The sale of 80 Rafale to the UAE Federation is a French success story: I am very proud and very happy as a result. I wish to thank the authorities of the Emirates for their renewed confidence in our aircraft,” said Eric Trappier, the Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, in a press release statement in December 2021. “This contract, which is the largest ever obtained by the French combat aeronautics industry, consolidates a national industrial base, which is without doubt unique in Europe, comprising as it does major groups and SME/SMIs, around a company which has been the prime contractor for all the generations of military and civil aircraft for the past 70 years.”
Once the UAE receives its Rafales, it will join the small club of countries flying the twin-engine combat jets alongside France, India, Qatar, Egypt, Greece, and Croatia, who also struck a deal with Dassault Aviation to purchase 12 Rafales right after Abu Dhabi.
In April 2022, Dassault Aviation announced that it had received the first downpayment from UAE, with the latter expecting to welcome its new fleet in 2027.
The F4 Rafale
The Rafale (“Burst of Fire”) is a twin-engine, multi-role fighter jet introduced by Dassault Aviation in the early 2000s. Soaring across the sky since 2004, the fighter jet can serve several missions, including air sovereignty, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike, close-air support, ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance), and nuclear deterrence with a wide range of weapons. Depending on its loadout, it can also perform against air, ground, and maritime targets.
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The F4 Rafale variant is under development, which the French ministry of defense launched in May 2017. Its first test flight campaign was conducted in April last year and is estimated to be in service later this decade.
A two-manned crew, a standard Rafale has a length of 15.30 m, a wingspan of 10.90 m, and a height of 5.30 m, with an overall empty weight of 10 t. It is outfitted with two Snecma M88-4e turbofans that each generate up to 50.04 kN dry and 75 kN with an afterburner. The fighter jet has an impressive performance, capable of up to 750 knots (Mach 1.8) maximum speed and a service ceiling of roughly 50,000 ft.
In terms of its mission systems, the Rafale can integrate a variety of current and future armaments, including the MICA air-to-air “Beyond Visual Range” interception, combat, and self-defense missiles; METEOR long-range air-to-air missiles; the Highly Agile and Manoeuvrable Munition Extended Range (HAMMER) modular, rocket-boosted air-to-ground precision-guided weapon series; a 30mm internal cannon; and laser-guided bombs, to name a few.
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According to the latest Flight Global analysis, the US remained reigning in air superiority with over 13,000 (25%) active fleets, followed by Russia (8%), China (6%), India (4%), and South Korea (3%). Japan came sixth with a three percent share of the overall global fleet, while Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey came in next with a two percent share, dominating the Middle East. Meanwhile, France manages to secure the top ten spot with 1,055 (2%) active fleets, just two fleets short of Turkey.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt are all in the top ten in terms of combat-role aircraft, with active fleet shares of 447, 364, and 338, respectively.
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