The Dassault Rafale: The Plane that Beat the F-16

Discover the incredible journey of the Dassault Rafale, France's iconic fighter aircraft. From its challenging beginnings to becoming a top-tier 4.5-generation multirole fighter, this video dives into its specs, capabilities, and global impact. See how the Rafale stacks up against competitors like the F-16, Su-35, and Eurofighter Typhoon. Join us as we explore the Rafale's impressive legacy and ongoing contributions to modern air warfare.
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[@michaelmckeever2734]

When I was a maintainer at Langley AFB, we got to do an exercise with the French and British. The Dassault Rafale was hands down one of the most gorgeous jets I'd ever seen in real life, even compared to my beloved Raptor.

[@bittoochatterjee2661]

YOU ARE / WERE FROM WHICH AIR FORCE .........US AIR FORCE 👌👌😁😁😁😁🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😁😁

[@alexdarcydestsimon3767]

The Raptor is the best ever american made jet fighter. It is gorgeus flying machine. Pity they broke the mold. A French man saying.

[@walterduncan1778]

The look of the Rafale is a thing of lethal beauty. The Mirage 4000 was the best looking fighter jet ever, IMO. Too bad it wasn't ordered into production.

[@alexdarcydestsimon3767]

@@walterduncan1778 a bit like the YF23... The grey Ghost and Black Widow ...

[@kettelbe]

​@@bittoochatterjee2661 cringe

[@jean-martinvonsiebenthal2836]

While a rafale is indeed a burst of fire in French, it also has the common meaning of a burst of wind (gust). This meaning is more in line with the Dassault tradition of naming they planes after atmospheric and meteorological phenomenons (Ouragan, Mirage, or at least associated with wind for the Etendard and Super-Etendard).

[@Azmodai34]

Yep

[@emmanuelc.8694]

Tout à fait.

[@sdmotpa]

Bien vu

[@knoahbody69]

So you're saying that the Rafale is a fart in the wind?😀😀😀

[@babouche-mk7mb]

@@knoahbody69 Exactly, silent and deadly

[@walrustrent2001]

Other advantages of the Rafale : - maintenance cost is also lower - freedom of use by the buyer (the US can jam every F-16 bought, and have said so) - it's the most beautiful combat aircraft

[@MrJimheeren]

How is beauty an advantage? How does that even matter. And it’s not like the French ever stopped export of their fighters. Just ask the Argentinans

[@ViktorOuahabzada-px2fh]

Yes, that is the Truth! If you cannot buy an American jet, because of the high price of maintenance, secret control on the aircraft and cannot buy a tenfold cheaper and something even better russian jet is Rafalle the best choice! The Saab Draken is also a very good choice, because in difference of the US, they give better conditions for poor countries and maintenance is cheaper and very good. The US took the money and nobody knows, when they can deliver the jets. It is like a lottery.!

[@Tusk-ruk]

Sometimes beauty stems from an unconscious acknowledgement of functional fitness. And it may inspire vocations and ease recruitment. Armies need a good poster-boy.

[@PsyckoSama]

@@ViktorOuahabzada-px2fh Russians jets are many things. Better isn't one of them.

[@nishantshrivastava9674]

​@@MrJimheeren Argentina crossed the line when it confronted European ally. Bt it's fact.. As far other conflicts other than Europe or America is concerned.. France provides significant amount of autonomy.

[@crystallised88]

Such a great piece of engineering. Facts worth mentioning: like said in the video its almost entirely domestically sourced, so you dont have to ask for approval from another country if you want to sell it or use it. And it also won most international competitions its been part of

[@Kamonohashiii]

However, the USA always has a say if there is at least one component of American technology especially on weaponry. France therefore accuses the USA of sabotaging their contracts. like when the USA blocked a contract with Egypt in 2018 just because of a single American chip. In response, France will now do completely without American technology in the future.

[@christophelegarrec3350]

@@Kamonohashiii it was a part inside scalp missile not in the rafale aircraft itself, Egypt connected the aircraft delivery to the delivery of the scalp missile, as far as I know the problem has been solved.

[@Paterrrr]

@@Kamonohashiii True, but the problem has been resolved on the scalp missile. Dassault kind of took its revenge upon USA as the F18 super hornet wasn't selected for India aircraft carrier losing to Rafale. Therefore, Boeing has to stop producing it because of the lack of planes to manufacture. Funny fact xD

[@Plutokta]

Dassault has announced recently that the new F4 standard of the Rafale will be 100% ITAR free. Which means it will be possible to export it without the need of an approval from the US. Which will ba a first in Europe since quite a while.

[@Pouncer9000]

@@Plutokta What about the ejection seats? IIRC correctly those are British and because of the sales embargo France has been blocked from selling Rafales to Argentina

[@MjolnirFeaw]

Just so it is clear: "Rafale" can mean burst of fire, but it can also mean sudden wind, like a gust. Given the focus of Dassault on aerodynamics, I would think this is the main meaning used for the plane. Besides that, thanks for the video it's good for hear a non-french perspective about it 🙂

[@luislaurencio]

It’s literally a gust or strafe in shooting mainly used as gust of wind, rafaga in spanish, o

[@pierrelandrieux8007]

Rafale with winds is usually several burst of winds in a row. Hence rafale when you fire an assault weapon

[@mynick937]

Rafale is just the type of jet that Croatia needs.Fighter,bomber,stealthish.Expensive but history tought us that it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

[@majstor76]

as croatian i hope to see it one day in sky. imagine piloting rusty mig21 and then transfer to one of these

[@mynick937]

@@majstor76 From fićo to Mercedes.

[@TheKrausenKid]

Noooo must spend 3billion on f35 :3

[@Mugdorna]

It's expensive however. The Gripen might be a better fit for Croatia.

[@Shadow__133]

@@TheKrausenKidYou sound ignorant. What on the F35 cost US$3 billion? Each unit is $80 million and coming down in costs as the thing sells like water. It will probably outsell the F16 and end up costing less than $60 mn. I'm not form the US nor the F35 my favorite, but it is now the top seller for a good reason. And the Rafale has been a cool overpriced museum bound aircraft since day 1.

[@BruneSixtine]

They say the Rafale isn't multirole but omnirole, because it does different missions at the same time without reconfiguration, unlike other multirole aircrafts. For exemple, escort and reconnaissance followed by air to ground strike and / or defensive counter air. The ability to accomplish different tasks doesn't come at the expense of effectiveness. An other thing worth mentionning is that among the coalition against Libya, the French were the first to attack, they've demonstrated they could travel freely the whole Libyan airspace without much concern about Libyan anti-air systems, the Rafale active and passive stealth worked fine.

[@DroneStrike1776]

Dude, almost every modern upgraded plane can do that. The F-15 can be a bomber and air superiority at the same time. It can carry 21 armaments at once also bombs and AIM missiles while control airspace.

[@guillaumefigarella1704]

@@DroneStrike1776 is the f15 used to carry strategic and tactical nuclear mission? Can it be operated from a carrier? Can it perform advanced electronic warfare mission like a growler? Can a f15 refuel another f15? Can the f15 super cruise? I adore the F15EX and I think it's amazing what they are doing with those old beasts, but it's ginormous and completely impractical for some operations, the deal with rafale is the French can only afford a single plane to fill in every role, and it's been going amazingly

[@1212goose]

You are delusional

[@rickwalker2]

The Rafale is great, but the way it switches role mid-mission without reconfiguration isn’t anything new. ‘Omni-role’ is just the marketing term from Dassault. Like every other aircraft with the sole exception of the F-35 (because it carries its weapons internally and as all its sensors integral to the airframe), the Rafale effectiveness is limited by the weapons and sensor payload per mission. A Rafale carrying weapons and pods for interdiction is less effective in the air superiority role than if it was solely equipped for air to air due to the weight and parasitic drag effect on performance.

[@joelchee9308]

Well, Rafale having a top speed of Mach 1,8 isn't really an issue, the number of dogfights of planes flying at Mach 2,0 or more is literally 0

[@paweswierczek6265]

​@@johnjackson8899still rafale can do supercruise (at 1.4 mach), while f16 cannot.

[@BlyGuy]

Who is dogfighting in 2023? It's all about stealth, drones and stand off capability now. For a jet like the Raffale, you've lost if you get to a merge, considering it's awesome standoff capability with a powerful radar and meteor missiles.

[@The_Lone_Aesir]

​@johnjackson8899 no. Interceptors pretty much never travel near top speed as it burns through too much fuel. This is why the U.S stopped focusing on top speed after the phantom.

[@megapet777]

@@BlyGuy I mean if you dodge all of the enemy's long range missiles then you can end up in dogfight

[@benrockefeller6334]

​@@megapet777If you are able to get into dogfighting range, it generally implies that you have also used all of your missiles, and at that point you are just as vulnerable as your enemy. Since planes generally don't fly alone, you're probably going to be shot down by the enemy's wingman's missiles at close range, and it might mean that your enemy will also be taken out by your wingman as well.

[@ticijevish]

Rafale means a burst of automatic fire in French, but it also means a sudden gust of fierce wind, such as those that blow intermittently in the Mediterranean part of La Hexagonne. It's a double entendre name.

[@anthonydjeguede694]

I personally think that it is just about the wind, not the gun fire.

[@bradenhagen7977]

I've only heard it in reference to the weather. Weather makes more since as it follows suite with their other names.

[@SALTINBANK]

Juste a correction L'hexagone (he not she) but well done

[@salahidin]

On the other hand you also hear the bursts of automatic fire in the Mediterranean part of the hexagone… from the kalashnikovs of drug traffickers

[@gePanzerTe]

Just like the spitfire 😊

[@fabriceboel57]

C'est tellement rare de ne pas entendre de french bashing que j'en suis sans voix en tout cas merci pour les compliments sur l'avion mais nous aussi on adore votre raptor ❤

[@ClaudiusCaelum]

Agreed... Je suis Canadien-Français, mais je déteste le "french bashing" 😕 One good thing about KZbin's many War and Weapons History related channels is that they helped ALOT to debunk many WWII "french myths" Those myths lead to alot of the french bashing done mostly by 'Historically Challenged' ( euphémisme pour "Ignorant" lol ) English speakers...

[@ajay262134]

Problem with US planes and tech is that even after paying the already expensive price tags, there are great chances that during war your equipments can be blocked, turning them unusable.

[@Nostripe361]

@@ajay262134the issue is these planes were first designed for the US military which is crazy about their logistics. Makes it harder to use us planes when it’s questionable if you can manage the upkeep or get replacement parts easily

[@basourdi]

ah oui ça fait du bien , mais si on était moins ... arrogants , on serai ptet mieux considérés à l'internationale

[@ArmageddonIsHere]

​@@basourdi You are very well regarded in India, whether you know it or not. And India will be a good partner to have on your side over the next four decades.

[@rickbourne1376]

The French have made some great jets. The Mirage serious was also impressive, look at the history of Israel using it.

[@kevinronske9894]

Or stealing the blueprint from Switzerland and renaming it Kefir.

[@someonejustsomeone1469]

@@kevinronske9894 but that's Israel

[@Felto123]

after France went back on the aircraft (Mirage V) that Israel helped design and pay for. French insiders helped along with the Swiss so there is that.

[@rickbourne1376]

@@kevinronske9894 Yes. Also, didn't Israel sell fighter jet plans to China?

[@kevinronske9894]

@@rickbourne1376 I read about the espionage of the Mirage blueprints from a book on the Mossad by a sympathetic German.I read somewhere they sold American secrets for the Chinese Silkworm missiles.

[@wesmcdowell9449]

Leave it to the French to create the sexiest fighter aircraft ever! Even with it's Cindy Crawford-esque beauty mark of an unretractable refulling arm, it's still the prettiest dang plane, imo, in service today. Plus it can be launched and recovered by American Carriers!? A++ in my book!!!

[@SpartanLeonidas1821]

Perfect Description! 💯👍🏻

[@NeurodivergentSuperiority]

I like the fueling arm though

[@shahdeen-en5qn]

Calm DOWN!!

[@Luzankia]

And it can be launched and recovered by the French Carrier, it's even smaller than American Carriers, like 77.1 yards (70.5 metres) smaller or somewhat 2/3 of an American football field.

Looks like someone is reaching really near to the rule 34 with the rafale.

[@iyotriantorro]

When the beauty and the beast are merged into one solid platform...

[@michaelmazowiecki9195]

France has always had a policy of making its own weapons to avoid dependence on others. Cooperative ventures are few and far between as the French are always determined to lead and control such developments.

[@alainbrochet5610]

👍! But now we have the President most traitor who works to global clique. Macron 🤮

[@Xerkhal]

And you can compare the result with the Typhoon, Rafale is better, cheaper, navalized and ITAR free. Why would France want to lead? One wonders...

[@alainbrochet5610]

@@XerkhalBetter !🤣😂 🤣

[@Xerkhal]

@@alainbrochet5610 Yes better. Several international exercices and assessments prove this, including the officially published Swiss one. But you can hide your face, behind ridiculous emoji, I don't care, little boy...

[@Maddog-xc2zv]

France was in the Eurofighter programme. Dropped from it because no other country was interested in a platform to be used in a carrier. That was the main reason France dropped of cooperative ventures like the one of the Eurofighter. And France did a very good choice as the plane is awesome in terms of performance and the naval version can be easily used in the Charles de Gaulle. There's no other European fighting aircraft able to be used in carriers - reason why I also can't understand why it's so narrowly compared, or such says the clickbait, with the F-16...

[@fl00fydragon]

The most interesting aspects of the rafale is that it carries a lot of technology that is clearly 5th gen, it's monstrously powerful meteor missiles and it's completely unique approach to stealth: active cancellation. In theory, if perfected, such a system could make any airframe completely stealthy without sacrificing flight characteristifcs, meaning that a future successor of this platform could be a total beast with no comparison.

[@patta8388]

Ah, the Meteor. The "I win" button of Air-to-Air combat :D

[@DecalageChope]

It makes no sense to classify the Rafale as a fourth-generation aircraft. It came out almost at the same time as the F-22, and is the successor to a fourth-generation fighter, the Mirage 2000. It's just that Americans like to rank themselves above the rest, just with words and concepts, without ever proving anything.

[@fl00fydragon]

@@DecalageChope basically this They're all about marketing and declaring that their approach to solving a problem is the right one (even by force). This is why they have buried the fact that the rafale has beaten the F22 in excersizes and they've never repeated joint excersizes with the two planes to avoid a repeat. Because the us is overly reliant on a single gimmick: passive stealth The problem of which being that they sacrificed flight characteristics, load out, speed, maneuverability, reliability and having a maintenance black hole solely to facilitate it's maximization despite the fact that a single breakthrough in radar technology (like the EU's recently developed quantum entanglement radar) or a single piece of their coating falling into the hands of their adversaries makes the stealth useless, leaving a mediocre jet with sub par load out behind. This is why Europe played it smarter and didn't fall into the trap of "5th gen" as they're basically more like technology demonstrators and is instead going directly to 6th gen to utilize the technology when it's mature and also utilize the technology that is needed to make the tech from "5th gen" viable (like a laser defense system instead of an autocannon, and ramjet missiles that they're deploying already with the rafale and eurofighter in the form of the meteor).

[@patta8388]

@@DecalageChope 5th gen means it has a very low rcs and low observability characteristics build in from the design. The Rafale does not have this

[@DecalageChope]

@@patta8388 A fighter plane with a low rcs I call a stealth fighter, there's no need to use misleading concepts. "Generation" is a temporal notion that has been proven wrong even in the USA. The F-22 and F-35, which are supposed to replace everything, never did. The F-22, a 5G aircraft, is no longer manufactured. The F-15, 4G, continues its long life. Can you see the problem? Then why use this concept for fighters when it's the same with bombers? As with fighter jets, the very old (B-52) coexists very well with the stealthy (B-2), and no one has had the bright idea of talking about generations of bombers. The Rafale doesn't have the same characteristics as an American stealth aircraft, but that doesn't mean it's from an older generation. Like the F-22, it was commissioned at the start of the 21st century and, unlike the F-22, has been regularly modernized. In many ways, it's more modern. I just don't see the point of talking in terms of "generations" if it's not to denigrate without thinking.

[@golf94srm]

great video, you get the essence of this plane, a mix of technical superiority and manoeuvrability. That's why Dassault needs to be at the lead for the FCAS.

[@jurgenmuller143]

Nope, it is about a fair share among the partners. It has always a bad taste to cooperate with France since they always want to dominate others. They are of course always allowed to bring in there knowledge.

[@Eskigloo]

@@jurgenmuller143 The geopolitical ways of France is litteraly multilateralism. You could not be more wrong about this country geopolitical policy. You would about the Germans, Americans or British tho.

[@alexdarcydestsimon3767]

​​@@jurgenmuller143Germany wants the technology it doesn't have, wants all the engine making and 2 thirds of the scaf assembly lines. It also has announced France is not his main military partner. And it is buying the F35. It also used it's secret services to spy on Airbus for the US. So fkuc German underdog traitors

[@augustiner3821]

​@@Eskigloothat depends strongly on the perspective. Let's keep it like that. Fact is, France tends to hijack joint projects, Airbus, Ariane, MGCS, MBDA, ....

[@Khrist75]

@@augustiner3821 Ariane is a french creation...some other countries have found their interests to get involved in, but it's always a french project (CNES : Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales).

[@bassamzarkout7010]

Video should also highlight two important capabilities: supercruise speed (as important if not more important than top speed) and ability for long range deployment and power projection (France to Polynesia in 17 hours)

[@bassamzarkout7010]

Also the title is meaningless. Of course it beats the F16 (and all other fighters of that same generation)

[@joshturner7917]

Agreed.💯 the ability to super-cruise, that is, flying supersonic solely upon military power. WITHOUT the usage of afterburner, tis' GREAT for fuel consumption& lessening IR signature, & EXTENDED power projection/LONG RANGE deployment) is such an advantage to a/any platform. One might Argue: More important than top speed, & even maneuverability... makes us truly wonder why, USA would shift away from F22 raptor's (The baddest platform in all the 🌎's skys) Capability of super- cruising & Totally do AWAY WITH such a magnificent ADVANTAGE & not incorporate it in our Joint strike fighter F35 lightning II. Really , really, Hope it wasn't a mistake.. ✌️

[@barneyklingenberg4078]

America luckily has the F22 and F15’s that can fulfill the role of interceptor. The F35 is an lousy interceptor. I hope the customers including my own country won’t pay the price.

[@alexdarcydestsimon3767]

​@@joshturner7917The F22 is the greatest plane the US ever made. It is comparable only to the P51 of the World War II era . Whereas the F35 is a far too complex, not working garbage.

[@joshturner7917]

@@alexdarcydestsimon3767 agreed. Kinda what I said brotha, all hail F-22 🙌🛫 🇺🇲 🛬🙌

[@newzarte]

As Andrei Nikolaevich said , " ugly airplane dont fly " and damn the rafale flyes high , Marcel Dassault also said something like that , i believe it was " for an airplane to fly well it bust be beautiful" they where both right

[@bikesfrench8524]

Exacte

[@ankitraj-mp5mn]

Really happy that our Indian Govt. chose Dassault Rafale instead of other jets

[@phalanx-it]

It was fantastic for it's time, but isn't it a bit late to be buying Gen 4 now?

[@ricosiou5121]

@@phalanx-it It s now his time... The rafale was made to be upgraded during his whole life. The F3 and F4 standards put it at the edge of aircraft fighters now and it is far more operational that newest aircrat. What define gen 5 is stealth this is why the raptor which is older than the Rafale is gen 5. The rafale is considered gen 4.5 because of his electronic warfare suit and his passive radar (SPECTRA) who give him an enormous edge on other.aircrafts. In every competition the rafale F3 is far ahead of all the others competitor in every category alongside the F35. But the rafale is way more operational and safer than the F-35 and he have the best anti aircraft missile (METEOR). So India have good reasons to be happy.

[@SlimJim3082]

Why doesnt india produce your own jets?

[@ankitraj-mp5mn]

@@SlimJim3082 the first prototype will be rolled out in 2026 (AMCA 5TH GEN)

[@SlimJim3082]

@@ankitraj-mp5mn nice

[@Pavlos_Charalambous]

It's multi role nature Combined with the " Projectiles centric" design similar to mirage 2000 makes it prefect for small countries like Greece or Croatia that have to use the same aircrafts on multiple missions and - at least for Greece already have in stock French ammunitions

[@havocgr1976]

Its even better for Greece because of its antiship missiles.

[@Pavlos_Charalambous]

@@havocgr1976 that are also proven to work and are also already in the Greek arsenal because of the mirage series Not to mention more modern ammunitions like the " skull"

[@DefaultProphet]

I’d rather have 1 F-35 than 10 Rafales. It’s not even a competition

[@k4mik4tz3]

Greece isnt a small nation in terms of military.

[@joseanl]

The Rafale strong point is something that on the surface should be ill advised: putting all the french eggs on it's basket, probably is the most complete multi-role jet by necessity rather than by design. That and the fact that the french government will make sweet deals with anyone that can buy it to keep the production and future iterations running. It has not been a sweet ride though, France had to endure a lot of it's service time alone being the only source of income of the Rafale and now that Russia is suffering and it's products are being questioned, the Rafale emerges as a good alternative. That's the reason why nobody asked to train ukranians with it, there are too few of them in service, their sales just started gathering speed really recently

[@BlyGuy]

As a Yankee, I'm partial to the Viper, but the Rafale is such an awesome looking jet. It just looks better than any other Delta wing Fighter,

[@jobogin5679]

I think the Gripen is much nicer

[@chrisoberg6888]

I think rafale and gripen look great, but i just live the typhoons whiskers haha 🐈

[@melissasmith5109]

Typhoon is better

[@AnchisesGamer]

Respectfully, as good as the Rafale looks, the Grippen is the king of delta wing fighters in terms of looks

[@AifDaimon]

​@@AnchisesGamersexiest delta wing aircraft

[@satcom6]

As an American I can honestly say that the Raffle is as much a beautiful aircraft, as it is lethal. No doubt an engineering accomplishment in it's own right, it's also a potential economic and diplomatic asset. And while it may not be quite "on par" with other nations "5th generation" platforms, it is absolutely a formidable "multi-role" staple in it's own right. As the country progresses in whatever direction the populace deem suitable, hopefully the Raffle will be looked upon as both a desig

[@satcom6]

(continued) n, and a lynchpin of it's arsenal. To be developed on and progressed, rather than replaced. Thankyou for the video.

[@Cetrakh]

Recently saw the F-35 and F-16 in action during an airshow here in Europe and all I can do is say that I respect the American birds for what they are. Absolute menaces in their own right

[@olivierpuyou3621]

You know you can have the best plane in the world, if a Rafale can turn off any radar with its electronic suite, well this magnificent plane is no longer of much use...

[@Jugement]

I've seen Rafael, Rafaele, and now Raffle... American spelling trully is something else 😆

[@kasugakyosuke6441]

​@@olivierpuyou3621There was an American journalist, who was interviewing a chief engineer of the former Dassault electronics. In this interview, the engineer accidentally revealed something he shouldn't, that's when he started talking about "stealthy jamming", and when the journalist asked him "are you talking of some active stealth or active cancelation", that the engineer realized he went too far, then suddenly ended the interview. Dassault electronics was working secretly on something many are calling active stealth or active cancelation, but since this interview, Dassault and Thales are really keeping it secretly about how it works, as a trump card against the enemie.

[@pyronuke4768]

My friends and I call this plane "the French Super Hornet" because when you analyze their mission profile, preformance stats, and overall cost the two planes are remarkably similar.

[@nicolaspeigne1429]

it's the most logical comparison yes. But you could even use the Growler, since all Rafale have an electronic warfare suit

[@tarkan370]

Agreed, doctrine are very similar

[@Fatallydisorganized]

@@nicolaspeigne1429 all F18s have an EW suite. The Growler however is made for electronic attack and area defense.

[@canicheenrage]

The swiss tested the Rafales vs Eurofighters vs Gripen with their Super Hornets' as minimal expected capabilities. The Eurofighter was sometimes under expected capabilities. The Gripen was often under expected capabilities. The Rafale was, for every type of mission, always the top performer, and always above expected capabilities. So, above the Super Hornets. There is only one function that the Rafale can't yet do: covering other planes. It jams really well for itself, but the Growler variant of the F18 can cover other aircrafts.

[@johndoe-cd9vt]

they are not similar, not on the same table. The competitor of the Rafale is called F22.

[@claudemontezin911]

Great show. If I were to go to war in a fighter jet, the Rafale would be my first pick. Rafale is not intended to mean a burst of (gun) fire. A rafale is a stong gust of wind. Cheers!

[@Charles-wu3hw]

Another thing that's not mentioned is that it is extremely easy to change and modify internal components it for missions, which is another reason why it is considered OMNI-role and not multi-role. This also helps maintenance cost, upgradability, and may be still unique today even with new 5th gen

[@NATObait]

OMNIROLE is a marketing term as Rafale can't land on water like a Catalina flying boat or hover like a Harrier. If you compare Rafale to F18 then you see that it can't fold it's wings or has a Growler equivalent so less Omnirole than F18 . I think the honest definition is MULTIROLE.

[@SashaVhd]

@@NATObait landing on water isn't a mission by itself, it was when helicopters were not invented, or performent enough, now that they are there is no use fore hydrofighterplanes, also, the rafale does not need to fold its wings because it is really small

[@NATObait]

@@SashaVhd The lifts on INS Vikrant are only 10m wide so a Rafale M does not fit. The Super Hornet is 9.3m wide ( wings folded ) so could be struck down to the hanger. One of the things that make it more MULTIROLE than Rafale.

[@gwenrouxel3396]

I think the rafale's advantage over its competitors is not just its omni-role design, but also its evolutionary design. At present, it's in the F4 standard, soon to be F4.1 and tomorrow F5, but it will certainly evolve to a hypothetical F8 or F9 standard, with each time an improvement in its electronic capabilities (e.g: RBE2-XG radar, OSF, etc.), weapons (e.g. ASN4G, VMaX, etc.) and why not its motorization (e.g. Scaf engine derivated from M88?). That's how it was conceived. It will undoubtedly still be competitive in the next 15 years, and still quite capable for another 10 years, which will not necessarily be the case for its direct competitors. Because apart from its stealth and physical limitations, everything else can be brought up to the level of 5th-generation aircraft, or even 6th-generation aircraft.

[@johanlassen6448]

Omnirole is just another word for multirole. ALL fighter jets receive upgrades over their lifetime. No, you can't bring up things to the level of a 5th gen or 6th gen because Rafale does not have the integrated systems and architecture for it. Not unless you literally rip everything out of the airframe and replace it with new stuff, but at that point you might as well make a new airframe.

[@charlychokoneko-chama2768]

​@@johanlassen6448omnirole means Rafale get accomplished a variety of different missions in one flight where a multirole fighter can do many missions but have to go back to base to change his tools

[@jeromeportier4914]

@@johanlassen6448 Explain to us what architecture the Rafale has, for a laugh! You don't know and neither do we. What we know is that is was designed to be upgraded easily, and that so far it's been through several upgrades without needing the hardware to be totally ripped apart, unlike the the F-35 with TR3. "Integrated systems" is a generic expression that can mean nothing and everything. Please tell us what are those so-called integrated systems the Rafale is missing? Because the cornerstones of 5G are supposed to be stealth, data fusion, super cruise and IRST/sensors. But the F-35 does not supercruise, and the F-22 does not have IRST. The Rafale has data fusion (somewhere between F-22 level and F-35), super cruise, IRST... just missing stealth. And I can't see any upgrades coming on the F-35 that could not make it to the Rafale. E.g. the Rafale can already shoot behind itself (Mica-NG) when the F-22 and F-35 can only shoot 'off-bore' (AIM-9X)...

[@johanlassen6448]

@@jeromeportier4914 By the same token the Spitfire is as good as the Rafale - I mean you don't know what kind of architecture it has. Stop being silly. DAS, Barracada, MADL. Rafales data fusion is nowhere near F-22 or F-35 and it can't supercruise. Again little Frenchie - cope as much as you want but Rafale won't ever be a true competitor to 5th gen fighters.

[@jeromeportier4914]

@@johanlassen6448 You’re not covering yourself in glory, kiddo! I know it’s just an example, but the architecture of the Spitfire is perfectly documented. Lots of info around on what technical choices have been made and why. The Rafale being still in active duty the same info is obviously not in the open. But even if we can’t find how a system is designed, we can still look at how it’s behaving, right? So for example: - The Rafale has been allegedly designed with a modular architecture. It has been upgraded 4 times in 20 years, with upgrades delivered usually within 2-3 years of the order, for 2 or 3 billion $; - The F-35 has been designed to be modular. It is expecting a main upgrade (TR3), but that upgrade has been ordered in 2019 and won’t be delivered before the 2nd quarter of 2024, for a cost nearing $16 billion; Not claiming the Rafale is more modular, but it clearly upgrades. And the Rafale can supercruise. It’s documented everywhere. Not sure why you bother with the BS. The EW of the Rafale is not only better than the F-22’s, it’s probably a decade ahead! Jesus, they’ve been meaning to give the F-22 IRSTs for a while now. I’m not even sure they’ve voted the budget yet! Actually considering Dassault have been focussing on EW for a very long time (the 2000 already had an EW suite) and they’ve pretty much designed the plane around it, I would not bet against it being more powerful than the F-35’s. If you don’t believe me read about how an Egyptian Rafale ´blinded’ an Egyptian Su-35 in training.

[@icolky5272]

Rafale’s beauty for me lends truth to maxim - “if it looks right, it’ll fly right” - sheer Beaty, power, aggression and performance. I’m a Brit and love the typhoon and can never understand the infighting on certain aviation forums. They’re both phenomenal aircraft, that should make their nations proud.

[@happyslappy5203]

Rafale is better than F-16, Su-35, and Eurofighter Typhoon because Rafale is a carrier-capable aircraft, and one of the best. That's why India choosed it for India's aircraft carriers.

[@Spectre4913]

I'd hope it's better than cold war era fighters.

[@apathyguy8338]

You neglected to tell us the airframe lifespan and hours of flight to hours of maintenance. Which don't sound intriguing but are in fact two of the biggest factors for any aircraft in Warfare.

[@Mugdorna]

Very few aviation videos address these costs or airframes hours.

[@lucaj8131]

@@Mugdorna Yeah its less flashy and less accessible as a concept for the general public and novices in the audiance, and the guys writing the script. Its a shame, because those are the things in which these aircraft really shine.

[@jean-yveslg719]

The amount of flight hours per month is impressive with the rafale, it's able to go up to 280 hours/month and even more in a surge mode for a short period. The engines can be replaced in less than two hours !! The plane is built from the start to be a maintenance marvel : everything must be simple and easy to access to the technicians

[@vk1pe]

I have watched these on the ground and in the circuit at a French Naval airport. They are "understated" yet also "impressive".

[@MrKanooe]

Instead of fighting in the comments, i know the title encourages it, we can only praise the joint ops of France and the U.S.A, the rafale often lands on U.S carriers and it's a great experience for both countries. France and u.S loves to throw banter at each other, but military wise, the amount of joint ops done makes them really close in reality.

[@alainbrochet5610]

Unfortunetly ! You are and French government under zionist decisions. The future is 🇷🇺 🇫🇷 ! Frexit !

[@drrizzla4557]

as a French man, I must admit that i've never made the connection with the word rafale that means "burst of fire" in french. I always thought it was called "rafale" because this word (also) means gust (or blast).

[@MN-vz8qm]

and you were correct with your assessment. Just look at the name of the other planes, all in relation with wind (not so surprising for planes I guess).

[@koljarzg]

Yep, we Croatians say "reful" for the same thing.

[@jeanvaljean9293]

It was supposed to be in reference to the ouragan a dassault production back in 1952. So the wind element is clearer.

[@JeanPelletier-td6zu]

Alors t pas francais

[@andreaseverin1346]

​@@JeanPelletier-td6zu français, militaire, et je pense pareil. Vu les noms de nos autres avions, Rafale est une référence au vent bien plus que le mode de tir

[@nearchd504]

Rafael is very under rated platform. I am from 🇮🇳 and we love those beautiful rafael

[@georgepapatheofilou6118]

There is a video of Rafale taking out F22 in practice dogfight but the sounds of the pilot make it clear what absolute torture it was . Kudos to content creators, well articulated and not achieving flights of fancy. Good job. Impressive, most impressive indeed.

[@hyperkaioken4982]

you also have to understand that fight started with the f22 in defensive that means the rafaele was behind it when the fight started. You know something that would never ever happen in reality to a f22

[@Connorc-137]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 typical american thinking your unbeatable

[@mynick937]

@@hyperkaioken4982 Rafale would probably be in range of F22 and it wouldn't even realize that. Stealth can do that. But Rafales spectre would also be a good defense so we can't know how the fight would end.

[@hyperkaioken4982]

@@mynick937 my point was that people who use the rafale beating a f22 as a gotcha moment aren't usually being truthful.

[@mynick937]

@@hyperkaioken4982 Misinformed

[@fridaycaliforniaa236]

Having served in the French Navy and having worked a lot with these planes, you're right, they are amazing (I was an helicopter pilot, btw). The low passes above the water just next to the carrier for Family Days were something 😂 I'm a huge fan of this plane, but I have to admit I love the shape of the F-22 🥰

[@alexdarcydestsimon3767]

As a French Aviation enthousiast i can say i like both the Rafale and the F22. The Rafale has more avanced technology but the F22 has armement inside so it can supercruise at Mach 1.8 and remain stealth whereas the Rafale spead with armament has to stay around Mach 1.3. The Rafale will remain stealth too but because of active cancelation.

[@bittoochatterjee2661]

SO YOU RARE FROM THAT ARMED FORCES WHOSE SOLDIERS FLED EUROPE THROUGH DUNKIRK ALONG WITH BRITISHERS IN 1940 IN YOUR UNDER PANTS 👌👌👌👌👌👌😂😂😂😂🤣🤣😁😁😁😁 DONC VOUS RARE DE CES FORCES ARMÉES DONT LES SOLDATS ONT FUITÉ L'EUROPE À TRAVERS DUNKERQUE AVEC LES BRITANNIQUES EN 1940 DANS VOS SOUS-PANTALONS 👌👌😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

[@idzan-private]

And that is why the Croatian Military bought a few Rafale fighter planes for our air force

[@vorda400]

No, they got the best bribe from the French and the other bidders were professionals

[@canadasleftcoast.5744]

Waiting for this one for a long time!!

[@scott2100]

Ok, this is a better thumbnail, but it would just be easier to use a real picture than an AI generated one

[@Errorcutive]

Ai picture is just same as selfie video in my book. It reeks lazyness and low quality. Tbh it just meant the editor has bad taste as well.

[@AussieSP]

​@@Errorcutive nerd alert 😂😂😂

[@lamsior]

Fun fact, it takes only 2 hours to change an engine, in a combat environment, this had to be very precious.

[@NATObait]

Fun fact the Rafale has 2 engines so if you needed to change both engines that would take 4 hours presuming it is the same team. Gripen can change it's 1 engine in an hour. Or Gripen can land on a suitable road and get refueled and have missiles loaded by one technician and 5 recruits in 10 minutes ( engine hot ) .

[@stephanepiquemal8297]

@@NATObait Mono-engine aircrafts like the Gripen also have lower survivability, because if your engine fails you loose the aircraft while the Rafale can still get back home with one working engine.

[@NATObait]

@@stephanepiquemal8297 Great point the Rafale has the edge because 2 engines give survivability if one fails. However Gripen is half the price and it's 2 on 1.

[@Xerkhal]

@@NATObait And pilots are also half the price?

[@NATObait]

@@Xerkhal Sweden has a similar cost of living to France so training Pilots etc is probably similar in pay scales though Swedish Pilots stay in service longer than French crew. The CPFH is less as one engine burns less fuel.

[@Yourejusatube]

Fantastic piece of engineering

[@philippe94416]

The Rafale was conceived as a carrier aircraft, then evolved as a ground based aircraft. Not the other way around. That was pointed out by Dassault as many attempts to adapt ground based aircraft to naval use failed. Naval to ground conversion is easy.

[@ezeudu1]

Thanks for recommending my Dassault Rafale clip

[@pierrehenry8208]

In French, rafale has two meanings : burst of fire and gust. And in fact the name of the Rafale probably refers to gust rather than burst of fire. Apparently Marcel Dassault name Rafale this plane in reference to the Ouragan (hurricane in english)

[@jpmtlhead39]

The right name is Huracán.not Ouragan.

[@pierrehenry8208]

@@jpmtlhead39 I knew what I was saying, but I don't understand what make you think about Huracán which seems to be a god. "ouragan" means hurricane in French, and it is also the name of the first fighter jet built by Dassault. It is to this plane that I was refering by saying Ouragan.

[@jean-paulschweitzer6211]

and the Rafale is carrying the Meteor!

[@fidemclam]

Croatia has just received the first of the twelve purchased Rafale

[@kyllianfr49]

If you are Croatian, sorry for this absolute delay from our manufacturers, it's just that we didn't know that we were going to have customers!

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:15 - Chapter 1 - Frustrations & adaptations 6:20 - Chapter 2 - Specs & capabilities 10:35 - Chapter 3 - Rafale in service 14:55 - Chapter 4 - How does it compare ?

[@MPflugga]

Small correction : the name Rafale is a reference to the Dassault Ouragan ("Hurricane") and would better translate to "Gust" (of wind) in this context.

[@strf90105]

Rafale really is a brother of the Typhoon if you dig into their history. Both are descended from the Mirage 2000/4000 development which proved superior and was chosen for the Eurofighter program as the basic formula(Other countries in the program were still designing shoulder-wing conventional layout before this), but France dipped, making the Typhoon a sort of separated-at-birth brother who grew up very differently.

[@JohnGaltAustria]

Didn't the Rafale at one point essentially blinded the radar of an Su-35? Edit: He mentions it in the video.

[@olivierpuyou3621]

If you are right it is an F-3R model and the F-4 model version will still have this capacity but greatly increased among other "small" things.

[@LeHoink]

Active Cancellation Stealth Technology.

[@PureMatteo]

most probably the SPECTRA system. Most people either do not understand or underestimate the capability of it in current modern days. It's a unique system that makes it essentially a semi stealthy plane regardless of how many bombs it carries because it simply doesn't matter as much what the cross section is. Long story short it sends back the opposite wave of any wave it deems a radar threat, essentially making said radar receive either null or confusing radar echos. And that's just the tip of the iceberg we know of. That's why if you check its hull, you can spot something like 30 different sensors in all directions, all meant to detect in 720 degrees incoming wavelengths of many different kinds to feed spectra, and also project its own.

[@thierrybidault5837]

Nice explanations and fine data!

[@baggieknight8411]

One of my favorite jets from "Ace Combat" series of dogfighter game

[@asicdathens]

The Hellenic Air Force has conducted several dogfight tests between F-16's and Rafales. I do not know what was the outcome. The Mirages in the Greek Air Force were used primarily to intercept Turkish F-16's and the training is done by mock interceptions of Greek F-16's

[@Orynick]

Dassault said : the best stealth is the hillside. 🙂

[@legionx4046]

Im pretty sure that was a mirage not a Rafale

[@kiwee4577]

i don't know why but the mirage 2k has always been my favorite mid-tier aircraft in any air combat games when it's available

[@salahidin]

The F5 version will convert the Rafale into a formidable competitor to the F-35. Safer, faster, more maneuverable, cheaper to use, easier to maintain, better at close air support, improved active stealth, improved countermeasures, improved sensor fusion, improved optronics, improved radar, upgraded engines, it will work in comabination with stealth loyal wingmen inspired from Dassault's Neuron.

[@tigerbesteverything]

it won't be a competitor to the f35 but it's successor (that i don't know the name of). Rafale is the most enjoyable to fly according to pilots, and it's ease of use allows to heavily lighten the burden of long duration missions. It's literally the exception that confirms the rule of the jack of all trade, it's a master of all. Where the typhoon is a master of none and have been found to be severly lacking in trials against the rafale and the gripen.

[@johanlassen6448]

There is literally nothing you can do to a Rafale that would turn it into a competitor to F-35. Period. Its radar is too small, it has no stealth, it lacks the integrated sensor fusion, data fusion and EW capability (F-35 can use its radar for EW).

[@tristinjudd2595]

The F-35 is also going to be continously upgraded as well. I dont think the Rafale will be able to match it, especially in terms of stealth

[@tigerbesteverything]

@@johanlassen6448 besides stealth (and internal carry), it's already a match for the f35 and even better because it's reliable and don't crash for no reason. Rafale f3r and onward is a 5th gen aircraft without full stealth, but it has everything else.

[@Paterrrr]

You forgot the upgrade of Electronic warfare and SEAD (Suppression of Ennemy Air Defences) capabilities.

[@davidblair9877]

A climb rate of about 1,000 feet per second (something like 300 meters per second) is absolutely wild to think about.

[@mcqueen511]

Although "Rafale" can indeed be translated to "Burst of fire (from a weapon)", it's also the translation of "gust" which here, is the intended name.

[@Native_love]

A beautiful modern attack jet aircraft and fighter! ❤

[@chronus4421]

Of course the Rafale was better, it was introduced 23 years after the F-16

[@josephparisi1458]

The f-16 was also designed to be light weight (cheaper) plane compared to the high cost/tech f-15. So it was supposed to be a lower cost fighter to supplement our premier (at the time) fighter. Idk if the French want to brag about their premier fighter being better than our low cost one produced 2 decades before but maybe they do; They may want to take the military wins where they can get them.

[@xenix7058]

@@josephparisi1458 carrier ops dual engines 30mm cannon many more hardpoints

[@carbonstar9091]

And was probably quite a bit more expensive when all was said and done.

[@reggiep75]

I can feel your bitterness from here.

[@xenix7058]

Yes you can 30 Mil for An all of that is worth it tho so don't make mistakes

[@gandigooglegandigoogle7202]

the Rafale beat all aircraft, F-35, F22 ...etc...it is a beast !

[@NATObait]

Rafale B went to Red Flag and a F16 picked it out and scored a victory. FACT not a story !

[@gandigooglegandigoogle7202]

@@NATObait ....just no.

[@NATObait]

@@gandigooglegandigoogle7202 F-16Cs of 309th Fighter Squadron (FS), 56th Fighter Wing (FW) exercised with the Rafale B and claimed a kill . Everyone has a bad day sometimes and Rafale pilots have been defeated regularly by Mirage 2000 in training. Don't believe rumours.

[@azurman3]

There is nothing amazing in being better than the F16, the Rafale is at least on par with the F35 and F22 on many capabilities

[@kedarisgreat]

Rafale is so beautiful 🤩

[@Zeithri]

One of the most aesthetically pleasing aircrafts in the modern world

[@MMSMLUNWINPP]

I was just wishing for something good to watch to be posted. Wish granted!!!

[@Aptarus]

Regarding the comment about Ukrainian support: there is far too few Rafales and the Rafale is far to new for it to be "given" to Ukrainian air force although they occasionally imply they'd like some. France can't spare any and I doubt the export countries that already have received their owns will lend/give some. Actually we would have difficulties selling second hand Rafales without impacting our own forces too much (we already had to do so for some countries that were in a hurry) and selling brand new F3R or F4 Rafales to Ukraine would be a possibility (if they find enough funding) but they would not be delivered before several months if not years. F3R standards and now F4 are the mature age of Rafale with further planned evolutions that should include/enhance collaborative combat and coordination with various drones. How efficient they will be (and for how long) remains to be seen.

[@RoulicisThe]

I'm afraid that is true, and I'm speaking from France : Unlike the US, we don't mass-produce our military equipement to stockpile it. We make the stuff that we need for our army (and a bit of reserve just in case) and that's it. Our equipement is top-quality, but also quite expensive as a result, and it's pointless to build tons of it if it's never going to be used. The number of rafales that are available both in the airforce and the navy is what said airforce and navy NEEDS, no more, no less. We don't have any rafales to spare, sending any to Ukraine would mean drawing them out from active service, something completely irresponsible to do in the current political climate. If we are to send Rafales to Ukraine, we'd have to build them first, and as he said in the video, we already have quite a bit of orders to fulfill before that becomes possible. It would take years for France to be able to send rafales to Ukraine. On a positive note however, we still have a couple hundred "Mirage 2000" that are still part of the airforce and haven't been decommissioned yet. If France is to send fighters to Ukraine, it will probably be some of them.

[@Aptarus]

@@RoulicisThe I'm French too. The current numbers of Rafale is actually BELOW what our Navy and Air Force need. As it took time for it to be a commercial success and or army budget was reduced (thus reduced orders to span across more years), the production line including contractors and subcontractors have been dimensioned in order to keep the skills required and do the job without wasting resources and now it's difficult to ramp up - more difficult than it is for Ceasar canons. It's even worse for Leclerc MBT - which would be great performance wise but there is no production line left at all (and some parts like the turbine engine are very specific). As far Mirage 2000 we don't have that many at a standard that is of value to Ukraine. Contrary to Rafale there are numerous versions each for a specific talk (air-air, nuclear delivery, air to ground). We have some recently retired air to air 2000-C left but we'd need to upgrade them to 2000-5 standards to be truly meaningful. Our 2000-5 are still in use until replaced by Rafales. 2000-N is for nuclear strikes so pointless here and we may have a few 2000-D for ground attack available but quite used. The best option would be if the United Arab Emirates could give some 2000-9 which is the most polyvalent and recent version (... But still, they'll want to replace them fast). I don't know if any other country susceptible to have some available (and at an interesting standard) soon.

[@RoulicisThe]

@@Aptarus I do remember reading somewhere that we have about two dozen M-2000 currently being upflited, but I can't remember the version. Any idea which one it is ?

[@MatthieuBrucher]

I was waiting on this video!

[@thealvatar6181]

Great vid, but the F-16 comparison did confuse me, they are nothing alike. The Rafale has always been compared to the F-18 SuperHornet as their roles and missions are the same.

[@antoniojl16]

@thealvatar6181 rolls -> roles

[@thealvatar6181]

@@antoniojl16 thanks friend. Caught me slippin back there…

[@jeromeportier4914]

It’s not because it’s carrier capable that the F-18 has to be the closest comparison! The F-16 has been designed to be agile and multi-role. Guess what? So has the Rafale. Dassault actually calls it omni-role, because it’s supposed to be able to switch role during missions (an argument 50% marketing 50% real, I guess).

[@polymorphesquirrel]

Not really. It has carrier capability in common with F/A-18, but the latter is primarily an interceptor, while Rafale is squarely a multirole fighter.

[@raptor1672]

@@jeromeportier4914 This is dumb on so many levels, the F-16 and F-18 were literally competitors for the USAF light fighter program..... Which quite frankly the USAF chose the wrong plane, the F-18 is more durable and a much better multirole plus the Super Hornet shits all over any F-16.

[@davidmarchand384]

Thanks for the very very fair report 👍🏻 That’s great to see that some people can see the reality of what this aircraft is 🙏🏻 A genius piece of engineering built on its own by a “medium” size country and that has unique features that no other jetfighters seems to have ! Attacking Libya wen ennemy air defence was active and without the support of any aircraft is the demonstration that this aircraft is truly capable. Other NATO countries including the US will never do that and that shows a lot ! All in all for sure an F-35 is a very capable aircraft when it will be truly operational but it will always be extremely expensive and requires tons of equipment behind to manage its mission. Rafale being ITAR free (or almost) is the only alternative to F-35 if you can’t afford or you are not allowed to buy one. For now everything else is just a piece of metal in the sky waiting to be destroyed 😂

[@daciamcv1026]

I live in France these planes fly over my house quite regularly I would not say they come over very low but I am constantly having to put the tv aerial back up

[@user-mh9dj6ck7g]

Thank you for the summary video. Few comments: 9'30: delta wing have high landing speed by default, it is the "canards" right in front of the wing that allows the rafale to be used on carriers. 13'15: in India, rafale is in use already and also won another test for the Indian Navy vs the F18. However, F15 and Eurofighters are only candidates for future deals. 13'44: as far as I know it has been the mirage 2000 but never the rafale under consideration for ukraine.

[@henrikerdland578]

Top speed doesn't matter. It is it's ability to supercruise that's matters.

[@HyBr1dRaNg3r]

Looks like the Mirage would be a better comparison to the F-16🤔Aesthetically, probably one of the most pleasing airplane’s out there😍

[@yan4594]

Exactly, the best looking plane for sure

[@jolness1]

I’ve never loved the canards but do like the delta wing.

[@havocgr1976]

I used to refuel both of em on the same airfield ;p I ll never forget a take off of one Mirage f2000 ,its agility was out of this world.

[@stargazer378]

Also practically, as the F-16 is both 20-30 years older, and designed to be a cheaper mass produced model. Why the video is comparing these 2 *very* different planes is confusing and can only really be chalked up to clickbait.

[@mr._nighthawk7215]

Some people always like to compare those 2 aircrafts, real aviation fans want to see them together

[@cpt_bill366]

The Eurofighter was worse off without France, and the Rafale proves it. France was better off not being hindered by a design-by-committee anyway.

[@vasilije94]

Unles these two jets fight it out in real world, we will never actually know which is better. On paper i can say my grandma can run 100 km/h. In reality its a different story. Same as with all those jets. None of these jets ever experienced actual combat. The last time there was actual air combat where you could pull out some credible statistics was Korea war, and maybe Vietnam war but vietnam forces had significally smaller airforce so the data might not be fair. After that there was no actual war where you could gather correct data on how jets perform against each other. Shooting down ill equiped and unmaintained jet from some poor desert country without avax and stuff while you use the most up to date version of your jet is not true representative of actual performance of the jet.

[@SeanyBoy589]

There have been numerous other conflicts involving air conflict as well as skirmishes too. Heck you have the gulf war which had a significant amount of air combat, not to mention numerous operations the Iran, Iraq and Israeli air forces have had. Also got the Falklands war as well, quite a number of air combat then. I get your point, a more advance jet going up against something antiquated could be seen as unfair but that's still important data. I mean you could have old aircraft but still shoot down something more advance if your pilots are skilled enough. Technical specs will only get a pilot so far before skill becomes a thing. That was found out the hard way for many phantom pilots in the vietnam war. Heck can see it in some cases on the recent Russia Ukraine conflict too.

[@kaneworsnop1007]

@@SeanyBoy589 Although skill is an important part, the technology of the aircraft is normally considered to make a massive difference in combat compared infantry and armoured vehicles technological capabilities. However I believe with aircraft that massive difference is not generally considered with aircraft designed and built around the same time, but ones using technology from 10 years ago against a brand new aircraft, or larger time periods. The US pilots problem in Vietnam although technically skill, it wasn't down to overall skill level due to lack of flight hours, but because the US unlike every other country thought that air to air missiles meant that dog fights would no longer happen as the enemy would never be that close, so they didn't train their pilots to dog fight, originally the Phantom didn't even have a cannon as it was deemed obsolete. So although it's technically a skill and in some ways can be used to draw comparisons, I personally wouldn't consider it in the same way as the Russian pilots in Ukraine lacking skill due to having only half the annual flight hours compared to the NATO standard; however we would likely still see the Russians having a massive advantage with the lower skill level if their aircraft was 10 or more years newer than than the Ukrainian one in a fight.

[@japsniper1980]

I find that very hard to believe. Many insiders working on the Euro Fighter program have accused France of helping themselves to vast amount of technical data before they left.

[@MrRonantho]

@@japsniper1980 what a liar..

[@peceed]

Specific shape and location of intakes is a result of observation, that in the common underbelly intake one not working engine can disturb air flow of the second one and shout it down. It is a case of Eurofighter - one engine failure lead to crash. French new that it was a failure of design (IIRC was somehow addressed) but were silent about it.

[@ericlemaire8524]

French aerospace engineers are really tough ... They designed a sexy Swiss knife plane, easy and cheap to operate. Of course it 's a must have for lots of countries.

[@andreaseverin1346]

The French military has been well-connected to science and engineering for two centuries now, with military branches like the DGA (General Direction of Armament) being the largest military engineer branch in any army, and the best engineering school in the country (Polytechnique) is militarized as well

[@rubensandstrom6824]

Now Simon we need you to do a video on the SAAB 39 Gripen

[@polymorphesquirrel]

Yes, if any 4 or 4.5 gen fighter has a place in the era of 5 gen jets, it's Grippen. Several times cheaper to operate, can be serviced by conscription crew and fly missions without having the luxury of a base safe from enemy artillery. Has a very low radar cross section for a non stealth aircraft, and allegedly its jamming capabilities are better than anything else.

[@saturne2248]

what we didn't talked about is how USA managed to sabotage Rafale sells even thought F-35 for example is a true catastrophic fail.

[@mansrow1712]

Yes competitions were rigged, but that's as much on the US than on the countries who organized those contests knowing they were going to buy the F35 anyway, despite the Rafale having the best results.

[@Cheiff117]

Great video, F15-EX is gona be crazy when it comes

[@realdreamerschangetheworld7470]

My favorite plane

[@polymorphesquirrel]

What's even more crazy is that it's going to be operated likely for 80 years (if not by the US, then by other airforces). That would be like using Spitfires today!

[@stevenniccoli5967]

Having 3 variants of the same aircraft seems to make a lot of sense to me. Having most of the parts the same for all the different types would be a Great thing, not to mention saving a lot of money! I've personally loved the Delta Wing designs ever since I first saw old US Century Series jets, the F106 i believe, the Delta Dart.

[@skulltaker6890]

The only plane that manage to beat the Rafale is the F22. He won all the competition it has been in.

[@CultOfBaguette]

BFM Rafale vs F-22 Raptor (ATLC 2009)

[@manannaik1341]

You reverted the names

[@germainlechapelain3254]

Ha! It's also a `gust (of wind)' At least that's the way I understand the word and I think most other. But yes (fire) burst too.

[@asylumental]

Ever since i was a kid this jet always stood out as one of the sexiest. The tomcat and mig-29 are cooler looking, while the rafale is more sleek and sexy. Definitely sexier than the f16.

[@polymorphesquirrel]

Yeah, in terms of looks F16 must be the most boring plane that ever existed, although F/A-18 is not far behind.

[@asylumental]

@@polymorphesquirrel yeaaaah honestly the f18 is pretty fricken ugly.

[@satyris410]

Again I feel like I'm hallucinating after I watched a vid yesterday on the Eurofighter Typhoon

[@wyattterrell]

GRIPEN NEXT!!!

[@alaintobin6690]

This needs to be top comment

[@ofwonorichard4065]

Very good presenter when you don't engage in propaganda. Nice video

[@basourdi]

which side plz ?

[@Jakabre]

What a beautiful machine!

[@Thespeakon]

Je suis très étonné en tant que Français de ne pas voir « notre » avion se faire démolir par des critiques. Marcel Dassault disait : « un bel avion est un avion qui vol bien » et moi je le trouve vraiment très élégant. Merci pour ce reportage 🤝🏼🇫🇷

[@dodoubleg2356]

CORRECTION…The Delta wing doesn’t help with a LOW landing speed. It’s optimized for high speed flight/maneuvering. That’s 1 reason why the Concorde had a Vr (rotation/takeoff) speed of almost 230mph, 70mph faster than a 747.

[@philv3941]

It doesn't help but it can be handled with a low speed with canards. The real problem is not the lift but the unstability. Russians tested it even in their concord, the tupolev.

[@claudemontezin911]

Sure. The canards have three roles. They ad instantenous turn rate to the airframe in evasive manoevers. They lower the stall speed in the air, and lower the landing and take off speed. And, as a weigh-saving measure adopted by Dassault, the canards in tandem with the elevators act against eachother as airbrakes. The Swedes first adopted canards with their Viggen to strategically land on just about any highways, in times of war. Cheers

[@balkar1681]

"Rafale" de vent = "Gust" of wind. The name is a tribute to Dassault's first jet which was called "Ouragan"

[@mathiask.5474]

I think people in this comment section look at the plane, but forget that the pilot is literally also half of the capability of the fighter jet

[@silentdogfart4892]

Absolutely beautiful plane

[@MikeZ8709]

Dassault Falcons are my favorite jets. The trijets are way cooler than a GulfStream.

[@Faelen_furry]

As a swiss, I'm really sad and annoyed that my government have chosen the F-35 instead of the rafale

[@roblockhart6104]

Don't be. The Rafale won't survive in any highly contested airspace. And, it has to carry all it ordinances externally. What that means is that when flying into battle, aerodynamically, it's not even the same aircraft anymore. Just empty fuel tanks alone create a tremendous amount of drag heavily compromising performance. The F-35 will never have this problem, which is why in any given scenario, it will always beat the Rafale. Now, if we're talking about airshows, sans all external dead weight, that's a different story. But then, that's never going to be helpful in modern warfare.

[@RA-ov5cw]

@@roblockhart6104 Switzerland is a neutral country enclaved between France, Italia, Germany and Austria. They would have a different use for their aircraft than coalition countries. If used their jets would be deployed for short defensive mission in Swiss airspace with their AA support.

[@williamwilkins8037]

You should do an episode on LLMs and the development of AI in general. That's definitely a megaproject

[@nozveratu5020]

I am surprised that Simon didn't mention that one mock dogfight between the Rafale and the F22.

[@ragingmonk6080]

"I am surprised that Simon didn't mention that one mock dogfight between the Rafale and the F22." That mocked dog fight that didn't let the F-22 stretch its legs? No disrespect to the Rafale but that F-22 would eliminate it before contact. Surprised that Simon didn't mention that America is turning F-16's into drones because they are almost irrelevant.

[@Mugdorna]

If an F-22 is in a dogfight then it's pilot fucked up.

[@DefaultProphet]

War Games put elements into situations they’re likely never to be in to test specific training/tactics. In a scenario where the Rafale has all the advantages can it shoot down an F22? Sure. Will it ever be in that scenario in real life? Lol

[@DefaultProphet]

@@captainspaceman9817 Yup

[@jeromeportier4914]

@@captainspaceman9817Preposterous. First it’s been proven the F-22 did not have drop tanks (that BS excuse is the reason the French air force released the video in the first place). Then: the fact that the F-22 was equipped (or not) with Luneburg lenses is completely irrelevant in a dogfight scenario: you don’t need a radar lock to shoot guns anyway. At the kind of distance shown in the video, you may even be too close for missiles. And on top of that, the Rafale does not need its radar to get a lock on the F-22: under 30 or 50 miles, the IRST will do fine.

[@fruhotchiliman]

Hi Simon, I'd be rlly excited for a Video on the Mauser 98 Rifle!

[@lukeamato2348]

My favourite plane, aesthetically

[@tltc191]

All except for the refueling structure.

[@PeachDragon_]

I love homegrown designs so much

[@p.s.6021]

The French Navy Rafale is the BEST in the World 💖👍👌✨✨✨