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The Rafale F4 star

of the 2023 Paris
Air Show

 Philippe AMIEL  July 7, 2023  The articles ...

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Dassault Aviation maintains its combat aircraft at the

highest level.

Cover photo: flight test aircraft, the Rafale C101 here

carries a SCALP cruise missile , as well as 8 air-to-air
missiles © Dassault Aviation – Anthony Pecchi .

Record attendance for the 2023 Paris Air Show

For its 54th edition , the Paris Air Show has an

attendance of some 400,000 entries, including 210,000
professional visitors and 170,000 individuals and
enthusiasts.

Le Bourget also has 2,500 exhibitors from 46 countries,

including no less than 300 start-ups! An unmissable
event for aeronautics professionals, this year the show
recorded more than $150 billion in contracts signed.

On this occasion, Dassault Aviation, the Air Force, the

French Navy and the DGA presented to the public the
latest evolution of the Rafale: the F4 standard.

Delivery of the Rafale B359 will take place in

December 2022. It symbolizes the resumption of
deliveries to France after 4 years of interruption. The
device is among the first examples in Standard F4 ©
DGA

4 years of development to achieve the F4

standard

The signing of the F4 standard program dates back to

January 2019. The Air Force and the French Navy plan
to update the entire French Rafale fleet. However, if all
Rafale F3-Rs will be able to upgrade to the F4.1
standard, only new devices will benefit from the F4.2
standard. Indeed, to date, the forecast budget of the
French Ministry of the Armed Forces does not provide
for the “hardware” retrofit which is necessary for the
F4.2.

At the beginning of March 2023, the CEAM received its

first 2 Rafale F4.1s while the DGA announced its
qualification on March 13. The software
transformation of existing devices is carried out in
Istres on the basis of F3-R standard devices .

The F4 has the first building blocks aimed at optimizing

collaborative combat from which the SCAF will benefit.
Among the innovations, a 3D localization system allows
pilots of the same patrol to passively determine the
position of a target, and to share it with other actors in
the mission. The Rafales then essentially use 3 sensors:
link 16, SPECTRA and Front Sector Optronics. “Seeing
without being seen” was the ambition of the “Tragedac”
program, which began in 2013.

The CEAM receives its first Rafale F4.1 on March 2,

2023. This is the Rafale B354 © Air and Space Force

A Review of Fitness for Use (RAU) in April 2021

The first flight of a Standard F4 test aircraft takes place

in September 2020. The DGA (Directorate General of
Armaments) is conducting the first tests of the Rafale
in its F4.1 configuration from April 26 to 29, 2021. The
campaign consists of eight complex missions and fifty
combat aircraft sorties.

The video below relates the Usability Review (RAU)

aimed at testing the new communication capabilities of
the Rafale. During this evaluation, 2 Rafale F4.1s are
part of a large-scale system. Pilots implement helmet
sights, as well as new collaborative combat features,
including locating other aircraft through passive
means.

#Rafale - Campagne d'essais d…

Experiments with the F4 standard begin at the end of

2022. Versions 4.1 and 4.2 phase out various future
implementations.

The Rafale F4 enters the era of collaborative

combat

The 4.1 standard welcomes a number of new features

and opens the way to collaborative combat, for which
the American F-35 has until now claimed exclusivity.
Among the developments, we must remember:

Optimizations of the RBE2 AESA radar :

Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) for 3D
detection and tracking of moving targets on the
ground, ultra-high resolution mapping (SAR
mode) and enhanced mode interleaving.
A Third Party Aircraft Missile Link (LAM): LAM
is generally used for long-range air-air
engagements. It allows the missile to regularly
receive information concerning its target, until it
engages its own homing device. The novelty here
consists of allowing a team member behind to
designate the objectives, thus freeing the firing
plane from designation constraints. For missiles
like the Meteor or the Mica , this technique
increases their probability of destruction.

SPECTRA : extensions in detection and

jamming towards low and high bands to
overcome triangulation methods.
Front Sector Optronics benefits from the
integration of new generation TV and IR
channels. It allows, among other things, the
detection of stealthy targets.
Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS):
Pilots are now equipped with a helmet
viewfinder. This is the Scorpion developed by
Thales, allowing both ground and flight target
designation.

Already in service on Spanish F-18s, Thales' Scorpion

helmet sight will also equip the F-16s of the American
National Guard. 350 copies are on order for France ©
DGA

The Rafale is equipped with new frontal sector

optronics, also visible on the Indian Rafale ( R3-R ISE )

The Rafale F4.2

The cockpit has wider side screens (VTL). Their size

increases to 15.88 x 15.88 cm and replaces the original
touch models. These new screens have much better
resolution and better processing capabilities. In
particular, they allow them to be handled in the same
way as smartphones, with support for “double
pressing” as well as enlargement and shrinkage
functions with 2 fingers. A knee touchscreen tablet
completes the device.

Overall, the increase in resolution and size benefits the

exploitation of images coming from sensors such as the
OSF and the Talios or Sniper pods .

Also, the Rafale's connectivity adopts several levels of

use. The first is at NATO level and the other at France
level. The latter thus preserves the interests of the
nation and in particular its principle of nuclear
deterrence. It mainly passes through specific
communication servers and IMMARSAT satellite links.

This connectivity comes in different aspects:

“CONTACT” software digital radios: TACTICAL

and Theater Digital COMMUNICATIONS).
A new tactical data link (LoT): directional, inter-
patrol information sharing, 3-dimensional
waveform (F03D).
The integration of Link 16 block 2.
A network architecture reinforced against
cyber-attacks.
An improved connectivity program for Rafale
upgrades (Capoeira).
An encrypted and secure SATCOM (specific
antenna and modem).

Burst B302. The Rafale F4 star of the 2023 Paris Air

Show.

Up to 8 air-to-air missiles now equip the

Rafale

The Rafale F4 is also equipped with new equipment:

The Mica NG (entry into service in 2027) and

configuration of up to 8 air-to-air missiles . The
2019-2025 LPM provides for 567 missiles which
will be put into service between 2026 and 2031.
A new SPECTRA capability: autonomous digital
jammer. It completes the detection and jamming
chains and makes it possible to neutralize a
greater number of threats simultaneously.
Active electromagnetic decoys (LEA). These
are autonomous “mini jammers” that the Rafale
ejects, allowing it to retain all its maneuverability.
Landing assistance for the Rafale Marine :
guidance in head-up display of the trajectory in
the final turn when approaching the aircraft
carrier. From now on, the device can carry out its
final circuit automatically. The flight controls
include assistance to support the pilot in the last
seconds of flight.
An improved MCO : new prognosis and
diagnostic support system (predictive
maintenance).
A new engine computer .

In 2013, the Rafale inaugurated a third under-wing

carrying point which was subject to risk reduction ©
Dassault Aviation – Anthony Pecchi.

In 2023, the Rafale now has a configuration with 8

air/air missiles . The Rafale F4 star of the 2023 Paris Air
Show © Dassault Aviation – Anthony Pecchi

New AESA radars for the Air Force and

Embedded Fighters

At the end of 2022, 20% of French Rafales have an

AESA antenna . The objective is to increase the fleet to
50% in 2023. It is mainly the sale of devices for export
which ensures the financing of this new equipment.

AASM 1000 carriage at the central point of the Rafale

M1 © Source

The Rafale B301 in Mérignac in December 2021. The

Rafale F4 star of the 2023 Paris Air Show © Swiderek
Maciejka

AASM 1000 Hammer TM on Rafale F4

At the end of 2022, the DGA will declare the

qualification of the AASM 1000 (1,000 kg Modular Air-
Ground Armament) ammunition. It is a propulsion
machine with GPS and inertial guidance which is
intended to equip high-power bomb bodies, Mk84 and
BLU109, but also new ongoing developments from the
ARESIA company (BA84 and P1000 bomb bodies). ).

Safran is developing this new version of the AASM as

part of an 85 million euro contract awarded by the
DGA in 2017.

The AASM 1000 consists of a GPS and inertial

guidance kit and a range augmentation kit. The latter
uses a propellant and allows a significant extension of
the firing range. These two kits come from the latest
version of the AASM 250 in service with the French
army since 2008.

The Rafale with the F4.1 standard carries up to three

AASM 1000s. It is the equipment manufacturer Safran
Electronics & Defense which is developing this
ammunition, as part of an 85 million euro contract
dating from 2017. Safran Group documentation :
Safran Electronics & Defense – AASM HAMMER
Family

The AASM's firing range extends to more than 70 km

depending on the flight profile.

The Rafale F4 can now use the AASM 1000 with a

military load of 400 kg.

The carriage of 3 AASM 1000 is possible on the Rafale,

while allowing it to carry fuel and self-defense missiles
©?

In “deep strike” configuration, the Rafale carries 2

AASM bombs of 1000 kg and 3 fuel tanks of 2000 liters
each. The Rafale F4 star of the 2023 Paris Air Show ©
Vincent Vannier

The Rafale, an asset for French industry and

the economy

In France, the aeronautics sector concerns 4,480

companies and 263,000 jobs . Likewise, it represents
106 billion euros in turnover. Not counting around 400
subcontractors, the main players in the Rafale
represent thousands of jobs:

Dassault Aviation: 11,398 employees on 13

sites,
Thales: 65,118 employees on 70 sites,
Safran: 58,324 employees on 69 sites,
MBDA: 10,338 employees on 5 sites.

To assemble a dozen devices per year, an estimated

7,000 personnel are required.

With 11.7 billion euros in orders in 2021, France

appears to be the third largest arms exporter globally,
behind the United States and Russia.

The Paris Air Show is also an opportunity for the public

to admire the Rafale Solo Display demonstration. At
the controls, Captain Bertrand “Bubu” Butin © Landry
Dellis Castro

Rafale Solo Display 2023 taxiing © Thierry Billard

Tags:Air Force,Trials,Flight tests,Exports,Navy,Videos

Philippe AMIEL
I was born in 1973. My
father, a fighter pilot,
very quickly passed on to
me a passion for military aviation. After a
first “tinkered with” website in 2012, I
decided to create Omnirole-Rafale.com in
2018. Why the Rafale you might ask?
Probably out of pride in our aeronautical
industry, certainly out of conviction: "A
beautiful plane is a plane that flies well" as
Marcel Dassault said.

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