Tag Archives: Dassault

Air Force

Europe’s nEUROn

Europe’s nEUROn unmanned combat air vehicle demonstrator was presented in flight on June 4, 2016, at an air meet at Istres organized by the French Air Force. It is the first time in world aeronautical history that a stealth aircraft controlled from the ground has flown in public.

The Istres-Le Tubé air force base 125 Air Show, June 04-05th, 2016 – nEUROn, Falcon 8X and Rafale in flight
The Istres-Le Tubé air force base 125 Air Show, June 04-05th, 2016 – nEUROn, Falcon 8X and Rafale in flight

The event – which was prepared by teams from Dassault Aviation, along with the French defense procurement agency DGA and the French Air Force – was able to take place thanks to the reliability and safety demonstrated by the nEUROn since the start of testing in 2012.

The presentation, which was carried out by the Dassault Aviation flight test center, lasted about 15 minutes. After takeoff, the nEUROn was joined by a Rafale and a Falcon 8X.

«This formation of three aircraft illustrates the technological expertise necessary for tomorrow’s aeronautical projects. It also contributes to the centennial celebrations of our Group, which has been designing, building and supporting civil and military aircraft since 1916», declared Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier.

The three aircraft flew past in formation at an altitude of 150 meters/492 feet above the Istres runway at 217.5 mph/350 km/h, less than 400 meters/1,312 feet from thousands of spectators. This flying display, in a limited airspace, represents a real achievement, both technically and in terms of flying skills.

In March 2014, the nEUROn became the world’s first unmanned combat air vehicle to fly in formation with other aircraft (a Rafale and a Falcon 7X).

Furthermore, outside the United States, the nEUROn team is the first in the world to have designed, built and flown a stealthy unmanned combat air vehicle demonstrator and the first to have submitted it to a comprehensive test program, including:

  • tests involving operational detection systems (radar and infrared);
  • launch of a weapon from an internal bay at high speed.
Service ceiling: 14,000 m/45,900 feet
Service ceiling: 14,000 m/45,900 feet

 

About nEUROn

nEUROn is a European program for an Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) technology demonstrator, conducted by Dassault Aviation as prime contractor under the authority of French defense procurement agency DGA. It heralds tomorrow’s defense programs, since it federates expertise from across Europe (France, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Greece and Switzerland). The nEUROn program is designed to validate the development of complex technologies representing all mission systems: high-level flight control and stealth, launching real air-to-ground weapons from an internal bay, integration in the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) environment, innovative industrial collaboration processes, etc.

The demonstrator made its first flight at Istres on December 1, 2012. The test schedule was completed in September 2015 with the 123rd flight. All program objectives were achieved. An additional series of tests was launched by the DGA in May 2016 to study the use of an unmanned combat air vehicle in a naval context.

Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce/Turboméca Adour/Snecma M88, 40 kN/8,992 lbf thrust each
Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce/Turboméca Adour/Snecma M88, 40 kN/8,992 lbf thrust each

 

Key characteristics

Length 10 m/32.8 feet
Wingspan 12.5 m/41 feet
Empty weight 5,000 kg/11,023 lbs
Maximum weight 7,000 kg/15,432 lbs
Maximum speed Mach 0.8
Autonomy 3 hours

 

Air Force

First three Rafales

The official ceremony marking the acceptance by the Arab Republic of Egypt of its first three Rafales was held on July 20 at the Dassault Aviation flight test center in Istres, under the patronage of His Excellency Mr. Ehab Badawy, Egyptian Ambassador to France, and in the presence of Dassault Aviation Chairman & CEO Eric Trappier.

Dassault Aviation Delivers First Rafales to the Arab Republic of Egypt
Dassault Aviation Delivers First Rafales to the Arab Republic of Egypt

This first delivery comes just five months after the Egyptian decision to acquire 24 Rafales (16 two-seaters and 8 single-seaters) in order to equip its Air Force with a latest-generation multirole fighter capable of meeting the country’s operational requirements and enabling Egypt, with full sovereignty, to secure its geostrategic position in the region. At the same time, an initial group of Egyptian users has been trained in France. Egyptian pilots, trained by the French Air Force, flew the first three Rafales to Cairo on the day after the ceremony.

Eric Trappier declared: «This contract constitutes a new milestone in the cooperation between Dassault Aviation and Egypt since the 1970s – more than 40 years of an exemplary partnership marked by commitment and mutual trust. After the Mirage 5, the Alpha Jet and the Mirage 2000, the Rafale is the fourth Dassault aircraft to fly in Egyptian colors, and Egypt is the first export customer for the Rafale, as it was for the Mirage 2000. We are very pleased with this partnership, which over time has shown its solidity and ensured the durability of the historical links between our two countries. On behalf of Dassault Aviation and its 8,000 employees, its partners Thales and Snecma and the 500 subcontractors, I thank the Egyptian authorities, for the trust they have placed in us once again, and also the authorities and the French armed forces, without whose support this success would not have been possible».

Composite materials are extensively used in the Rafale and they account for 70% of the wetted area. They also account for the 40% increase in the max take-off weight to empty weight ratio compared with traditional airframes built of aluminium and titanium
Composite materials are extensively used in the Rafale and they account for 70% of the wetted area. They also account for the 40% increase in the max take-off weight to empty weight ratio compared with traditional airframes built of aluminium and titanium

Specifications and performance data

DIMENSIONS
Wingspan 35.76 feet/10.90 m
Length 50.19 feet/15.30 m
Height 17.38 feet/5.30 m
WEIGHT
Overall empty weight 22,000 lbs/10,000 kg class
Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) 54,000 lbs/24,500 kg
Fuel (internal) 10,300 lbs/4,700 kg
Fuel (external) up to 14,700 lbs/6,700 kg
External load 21,000 lbs/9,500 kg
STORE STATIONS
Total 14
Heavy – wet 5
PERFORMANCE
Maximum thrust 2 × 7.5 tons
Limit load factors -3.2 g / +9 g
Maximum speed (Low altitude) M = 1.1/750 knots/863 mph/1,389 km/h
Maximum speed (High altitude) M = 1.8/1,032 knots/1,187 mph/1,911 km/h
Approach speed less than 120 knots/138 mph/222 km/h
Landing ground run 1,500 feet/450 m without drag-chute
Service ceiling 50,000 feet/15,240 m
The radar cross section of the airframe has been kept to the lowest possible value by selecting the most adequate outer mould line and materials. Most of the stealth design features are classified, but some of them are clearly visible, such as the serrated patterns on the trailing edge of the wings and canards
The radar cross section of the airframe has been kept to the lowest possible value by selecting the most adequate outer mould line and materials. Most of the stealth design features are classified, but some of them are clearly visible, such as the serrated patterns on the trailing edge of the wings and canards