The Dassault Rafale (French squall) is a French twin-engine multi-role fighter plane with delta wings. Construction of the Rafale was initiated in 1980 by Dassault as an experimental combat aircraft - the ACX. It was to replace the tactical battlefield aircraft of the French air force Jaguar and the French navy Vouhgt F-8E and Dassault Super Etendard. Rafale A, powered by two General Electric F104 turbofan engines, left the assembly line on December 14, 1985, and exceeded the speed of sound in its first flight on July 4, 1986. In April 1987, the plane made several approaches to aircraft carrier Clemenceau to mark an operation from the deck. In April 1989, the new SNECMA M88-2 engine was introduced, which became the basic power unit. The flight of the aircraft in this configuration took place on February 27, 1990. The plane was purchased by India in 2012, so far (2013) other countries apart from India and France have not acquired the plane. Technical data: length: 15.27 m, wingspan: 10.8 m, height: 5.34 m, maximum speed: 2130 km / h, climb speed: 305 m / s, practical ceiling: 16 800 m, maximum range: over 3700 km, armament: fixed - 1 GIAT 30 cannon, cal.30 mm, suspended - up to 9500 kg of cargo.
