Key Points – Dassault’s Rafale fighter jet is receiving significant upgrades, funded in part by a continuing wave of international orders, that enhance its performance and combat capabilities.
-At the Paris Air Show this week, engine-maker Safran unveiled the M88 T-REX, a new, more powerful version of the Rafale’s engine that increases thrust by 20% to nine metric tons.
-Additionally, new conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) were showcased, which will dramatically increase the Rafale’s range and allow it to carry a full complement of long-range missiles, like the MBDA Meteor, without sacrificing fuel capacity.
-These improvements address key performance critiques and are aimed at solidifying the Rafale’s position in the global fighter market.
The Dassault Rafale Keeps Getting Better
L’aéroporte Le Bourget, Paris – Dassault’s Rafale has been touted as the best European fighter with the most growth potential for years. Some even say it’s the best fighter not named F-35 or the best non-stealth fighter.
Growth here refers to its configuration and sales into markets that were not previously considered potential prospects for the aircraft.
For the present and immediate future, the rundown on sales is:
-24 aircraft to Serbia and Greece
-140 aircraft in Asia, including the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Navy
-130 aircraft in the Middle East
-30 in South America (Columbia and Peru)
-Sales of 250 or more aircraft by 2040
According to the figures provided by Dassault CEO Eric Trappier, each aircraft sold for export brings €150 million to the state treasury and adds €300 million to France’s trade balance.
Several aspects of the aircraft have made it attractive to a large and growing customer base, according to spokesmen for the firms that represent what was once called “Team Rafale.”
This “team” comprises not only Dassault itself but also the weapons manufacturer MBDA, the radar and electronics firm Thales, and the aero-engine division of Safran, formerly known as SNECMA.
New Engine Power for the Dassault Rafale
The single most-discussed aspect of the aircraft, consistently mentioned by its customers, was the SNECMA M88-2 engine. This powerplant is similar in size and thrust class to the General Electric F404 but has always left the aircraft slightly underpowered.
This week at Le Bourget, Safran has revealed a new, evolved version of the engine designated M88 T-REX. The company’s official release states that the engine will build upon the reliability of the original design “while taking it to new limits with a thrust increase to 9 metric tons with afterburner.”
Nine metric tons is slightly less than the more than ten tons touted as the performance of the Shenyang J-35’s new WS-19 Huangshan engine design from Guizhou in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) or the projected 9.5 tons of the AI-9500F engine designed by Ukraine’s Ivchenko/Progress Design Bureau. But the M88 T-REX will still, however, make a significant difference in the Rafale’s performance.
To achieve this thrust level, the M88 T-REX will reportedly incorporate some significant, targeted upgrades.
An improved low-pressure compressor will permit greater airflow intake. The high-pressure turbine will be constructed of new materials and next-generation cooling circuits, and the nozzle section will be re-designed for optimized aerodynamics.
The M88 T-REX will retain the primary characteristics of the current M88, including size, modularity, fuel efficiency, and cost of ownership while generating 20 percent more thrust. Maintaining and sustaining the engine once in service will create minimum disruptions due to the high commonality between modules of the M88 T-REX and those of Rafale’s current M88-2.
Increased Range
Another major enhancement is the addition of new conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) showcased at Le Bourget along with a two-seat Rafale B aircraft.
The tanks are installed on top of what is referred to as the center “barrel” section of the Rafale’s fuselage and are affixed to each side of the aircraft’s central spine.
Rafales configured for longer-range missions typically carry three 330-gallon drop tanks—two of these, which are underwing tanks plus one belly tank. While this increases the combat radius, they also occupy three of the aircraft’s store stations and reduce the combat load of the aircraft.
Ideally, the Rafale should be carrying six air-to-air missiles (AAMs) or even eight if sent up in what is a hardly-ever employed overloaded configuration. If the AAM is the far longer-range MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range AAM, the Rafale can currently carry only four if also fitted with drop tanks. The addition of CFTs would permit that total to be increased.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) had expressed interest in a higher-thrust engine, as well as the CFTs, as far back as 2009, as the two modifications would give the Gulf Arab state the airpower reach it needed against its regional adversary, Iran.
Sources in France’s aerospace sector indicate that the UAE has invested in the engine redesign, as it will benefit the most from this improvement.
About the Author:
Reuben F. Johnson is a survivor of the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and is an Expert on Foreign Military Affairs with the Fundacja im. Kazimierza Pułaskiego in Warsaw. He has been a consultant to the Pentagon, several NATO governments, and the Australian government in the fields of defense technology and weapon systems design. Over the past 30 years he has resided in and reported from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Brazil, the People’s Republic of China and Australia.
Aircraft Carrier Drama
The Navy’s Ford-Class Aircraft Carrier Is Obsolete
