According to Dassault CEO, Eric Trappier, the Rafale F5 standard fighter jet will feature more powerful engines, better survivability and data links, compared to its predecessor, the Rafale F4.
Dassault Aviation, the French defence manufacturer who makes the Rafale fighters which are a staple of the Indian Air Force (IAF) fleet, is gearing up to build a new, more advanced variant of the combat aircraft, and is mulling to set up an assembly line in India for the purpose. According to Dassault CEO, Eric Trappier, the Rafale F5 standard fighter jet will feature more powerful engines, better survivability and data links, compared to its predecessor, the Rafale F4.
Rafale F5 features, capabilities
Additionally, the new Rafale variant will also feature an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) weighing over 10 tons, the Dassault chief revealed. The Rafale F5 will be twice the size of the UCAV Neuron, a stealth unmanned strike aircraft developed by the Dassault Aviation and partners, Trappier told aerospace magazine FlightGlobal in Paris on Wednesday.
Trappier said that he expects to receive a contract from the French government for the development of the Rafale F5 in the coming months, adding that the fighter jet will be ready for operational use by 2030.
According to the report by FlightGlobal, the new Rafale fighter jet will be specially-designed to resist nuclear attacks, and carry the new ASN4G war material. The Rafale F5 standard will be equipped with scramjet-operated hypersonic missiles, boosting its offensive capabilities, it added.
While Dassault Aviation is seeking information from the French Air Force regarding the features they require in the Rafale F5, but Trappier clarified that connectivity for nuclear missions will be an important of the new fighter jet. Apart from this, other key systems, such as radar, sensors, and countermeasures suites will be further improved in the new Rafale variant, he said, adding that the “primary goal of the fighter jet will be to stay alive in all circumstances so that it can continuously fire its weapons.”
New Rafale to feature 10-ton UCAV
Notably, last year, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu had said that the new Rafale jet would be equipped with a stealth fighter drone”, a specification now confirmed by Eric Trappier, who said “we believe that adding a UCAV to the Rafale can improve mission performance with both air-to-ground and air-to-air capabilities.”
The Dassault CEO said that the UCAV in the Rafale F5 will be bigger that Neuron UCAV, which was “a small drone” with a maximum take-off weight of about 5-6 tons, while the UCAV aboard the new Rafale will have a weapon carrying capacity of around 15 to 16 tons.
Dassault Aviation to build assembly line in India
Expressing hope that the Indian Navy will place sign a contract for 26 aircraft carrier-Rafale M, Trappier disclosed that Dassault Aviation expects to land a big contract for the new Rafale F5 variants from India which will require localization of production in accordance with the Make in India program.
The French aerospace giant plans to open a new assembly line in India to build the Rafale F5 variants, “so that we can handle the load”, Trappier said.
Notably, the IAF has already purchased 36 Rafale fighter jets, and discussions are underway for a follow-up order.
Additionally, the France is readying another batch of 30 Rafale aircraft for delivery in the 2030s. Dassault’s backlog for Rafale includes 56 aircraft for the French Air Force and 164 for export customers including Indonesia, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates.
Therefore, the defence manufacturer is planning to build an assembly line in India to fulfill its backlog of Rafale orders.
