Combat Proven
The RAFALE has completed deployments to several operational theatres where it has demonstrated its value against fleeting targets in net-centric operations. Rugged yet lethal, interoperable and effective, the RAFALE is easy to deploy, with a small logistics footprint. It has proved totally up to the job in projecting air power at long distance over vast expenses of land and sea, from austere forward bases in the heat and dust of the desert, or from the deck of a carrier stationed in warm and humid seas.
Since 2006, French Air Force and French Navy RAFALE fighters have logged thousands of flying hours in combat in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, the Central African Republic and Iraq where they have demonstrated a very high level of proficiency and a tangible military value. Their AASM / Hammer precision-guided modular air-to-surface armament, their Paveway laser guided-bombs, and their 30-mm cannon have been successfully employed on numerous occasions, scoring direct hits with remarkable accuracy. In Libya, the RAFALES flew Day One Entry operations in a high threat environment. They demonstrated their omnirole capabilities, performing nearly the whole spectrum of combat roles they were designed for:
- Defensive and offensive counter air missions,
- Reconnaissance missions,
- Strike Coordination and Reconnaissance (SCAR) missions,
- Long range strike,
- Destruction of Enemy Air Defence (DEAD) missions.
More recently, French Air Force and French Navy RAFALE fighters have been engaged in the coalition operations over Iraq where they have closely cooperated with allied assets, including US Air Force and US Navy fighters.
