Aircraft

The French air force has taken delivery of its first single-seat Dassault Rafale C fighter in the enhanced F2 software configuration, marking a key step towards its frontline operation of the type from September 2006. Accepted on 3 June at Dassault’s Merignac manufacturing site, the aircraft – C102 – has been delivered to the air force’s flight- evaluation centre at Mont-de-Marsan. Development testing of the F2 software standard, which introduces air-to-surface weapons and a Link 16 datalink to the Rafale airframe, continues at Dassault’s Istres flight-test centre near Marseilles and at the air force’s Cazaux test facility.