March 21, 2007:
France is trying to get its new jet
fighter, the Rafale, some combat experience. So six are being sent to
Afghanistan. Three French Air Force Rafale F2s were sent to a base in Dushanbe,
Tajikistan. From there, the Rafales can fly down to Kabul, and make themselves
useful. Three navy Rafale F2s arrived on the carrier Charles de Gaulle, which
is operating off the Pakistani coast. The F2 version has the hardware and
software required for precision bombing (laser or GPS guided smart bombs). The
de Gaulle also has nine older Rafale F1s, which are equipped only for
air-to-air combat.
The Rafale is France's latest fighter, and has a
reduced radar signature (but not truly stealthy), a top speed of 2,130
kilometers per hour, and the ability to carry 8.5 tons of bombs, missiles, and
other weapons. The French military has only been able to buy 120 (82 for the
air force, 38 for the navy) Rafales so far, but would like to eventually
purchase as many as 292.
The French Air Force activated its first squadron
of Rafale fighters on June 29, 2006. The navy had received ten navalized
Rafales two years earlier, for service on the nuclear aircraft carrier Charles
de Gaulle. The first prototype of Rafale was shown in 1986, and the aircraft
should have entered service in the late 1990s. While one of the more modern
combat aircraft in the world, development of the Rafale was delayed by
technical problems, and shortages of money. Entering development just as the
Cold War ended meant that there was little enthusiasm to spend billions on an
aircraft that would face no real opposition. But, facing the need to eventually
replace all those older Mirage fighters, development did get restarted,
creating an aircraft superior to the American F-15s and F-16s, and very similar
to the F-18F, but inferior to the F-22 and F-35.
France expected to pay for all this with export
sales. That has been difficult, with stiff competition from Eurofighter, F-35,
F-15E and Grippen. The 28 ton Rafale sells for up to $100 million each, and so
far, export orders have been hard to come by. Noting that the considerable
combat experience of the F-15E has made that older design a formidable
contender in the export market, the French have gone to great expense to put
some Rafales into harms way.
The F2s typically use GBU-12 (the 611 pound Paveway
II) and GBU-22 (the 720 pound Paveway III) laser-guided bombs, carrying three
bombs under each wing, in addition to about four tons of additional fuel, in
drop tanks. Rafale still can't use its 30mm cannon for strafing ground targets,
until a vibration problem is cleared up. The Rafale has not yet been fitted
with a laser designator, so that function will have to be provided by Mirage
2000Ds, which are also based in Tajikistan.