The Rafale M is the first carrier-capable aircraft developed by Dassault Aviation since the Super Etendard entered service in 1978 and, as such heralds a new era of French maritime power.
The Charles de Gaulle will carry up to 30 Rafale Ms as its primary fleet air defence/interception force. The original requirement for the carrier - originally meant to be joined by a second - was based mainly on the strategic considerations that existed before the end of the Cold War, and to meet French out-of-area defence needs, particularly in Africa. Political necessity has kept the programme alive, however, with the result that France will soon become the only European nation to field a nuclear carrier able to deploy conventional catapult-launched aircraft. The likelihood of a second carrier being built is questionable, however.
In technical terms, the Rafale M is basically identical to the air force version, changes having been kept to a minimum to reduce costs. The main compromise resulting from this is the lack of a folding wing, which although reducing complexity - and associated weight - means stowage above and below decks will be less easy.
The most visible difference between the two aircraft is the longer, stronger nose landing gear of the navy aircraft, which gives the marine version its characteristic nose-up attitude on the ground. To this is attached another first for the French navy - a US-style nosegear-mounted catapult hook, replacing the rear-fuselage-mounted item used on previous French carrier aircraft. The hook will enable the aircraft to be aligned and correctly tensioned, ready for catapulting, increasing launch speed and eliminating the need for deck crew to work under the aircraft. The nosegear will also be equipped with a receiver for the carrier-based microwave landing system, which is coupled with the aircraft's inertial landing system to assist carrier landings.
Other structural changes include a strengthened main landing gear, reinforcement under the main fuselage and a tail hook. The result is a weight difference of just 500kg between the two versions - slightly below the original 600kg.
The entire structure of both versions is given full anti-corrosion treatment, as is the Snecma M88 powerplant, easing the production task and ensuring that air force aircraft have the best protection available from the beginning of their service life.
The Rafale M will be able to carry out the same missions as its air force opposite number, with essentially the same armaments. In the air-to-air role it will carry initially the Magic 2 and Mica radar-guided missiles, the latter being joined in 2001/2 by the infrared Mica version. For air-to-ground operations it will be equipped from 2005 with the Apache anti-runway weapon and its Scalp cruise missile variant plus the new AASM guided bomb, able to be fitted with various guidance devices depending on the operation.
In 2006 the Rafale M will receive the ANF anti-ship missile under development by Aerospatiale as an Exocet successor. This is a common development with the future ASMP-Amedium-range nuclear missile planned for both the navy and air force, which uses the same basic propulsion and guidance systems.
The Rafale M's greater weight and the limited capability of the Charles de Gaulle catapult will leave it with less range than its air force equivalent, at around 1,850km radius of action in the air-to-air role or 1,300km in "hi-lo-lo-hi" missions. Aboard the carrier, a fully loaded aircraft will be catapulted off the deck weighing 19.5t against 21.5t for the land-based aircraft.
Source: Flight International
