| AH-1Z Viper |
versus |
Dassault Rafale |
|
|
|
| Attack helicopter |
Type |
Multirole fighter |
|
|
|
| 30 September 2010 - present |
Service Period and Status |
18 May 2001 - present
In service |
|
|
Designer |
Dassault Aviation |
|
Unit cost:
US$27 million
US$31 million (new built) |
Program & Unit Cost |
Program cost:
€45.9 billion (as of FY2013) (US$62.7 billion)
Unit cost:
Rafale B: €74M (flyaway cost, FY2013)
Rafale C: €68.8M (flyaway cost, FY2013)
Rafale M: €79M (flyaway cost, FY2011) |
|
| 2000–present |
Production Period |
1986–present |
|
| 61 |
Number Built |
196 (as of September 2019) |
|
| Bell AH-1 SuperCobra |
Related Projects |
|
|
| 8 December 2000 |
First Flight |
Rafale A demo: 4 July 1986
Rafale C: 19 May 1991 |
|
Empty weight:
12,300 lb / 5,580 kg
Useful load:
5,764 lb / 2,620 kg
Max. takeoff weight:
18,500 lb / 8,390 kg |
Mass / Weight / Displacement |
Empty weight:
Rafale B: 10,300 kg / 22,708 lb
Rafale C: 9,850 kilograms / 21,720 lb
Rafale M: 10,600 kilograms / 23,400 lb
Gross weight:
15,000 kg / 33,069 lb
Max takeoff weight:
24,500 kg / 54,013 lb |
|
| 58 ft 3 in / 17.8 m |
Length |
15.27 m / 50 ft 1 in |
|
| 14 ft 4 in / 4.37 m |
Height |
5.34 m / 17 ft 6 in |
|
| 2: pilot, co-pilot/gunner (CPG) |
Crew |
1 or 2 |
|
| 6,661 lb / 3,021 kg |
Payload |
|
|
|
Wingspan |
10.90 m / 35 ft 9 in |
|
|
Wing Area |
45.7 m2 / 492 sq ft |
|
|
Wing Loading |
328 kg/m2 / 67 lb/sq ft |
|
| 2 × General Electric T700-GE-401C turboshaft, 1,800 shp (1,340 kW) each |
Powerplant |
2 × Snecma M88-2 afterburning turbofan engines |
|
|
Thrust |
Dry thrust:
50.04 kN / 11,250 lbf each
Thrust with afterburner:
75 kN / 17,000 lbf |
|
|
Fuel Capacity |
Rafale C: 4,700 kg / 10,362 lb internal for single-seater C
Rafale B: 4,400 kg / 9,700 lb internal for two-seater B
Maximum fuel with external tanks:
Rafale C: 16,550 l / 4,370 US gal / 3,640 imp gal
including
5,750 l / 1,520 US gal / 1,260 imp gal internal
+ 2,300 l / 610 US gal / 510 imp gal in 2 conformal tanks
+ 8,500 l / 2,200 US gal / 1,900 imp gal / in 5 drop tanks |
|
| 4 blades on main rotor, 4 blades on tail rotor |
Rotor Systems |
|
|
| 48 ft / 14.6 m |
Rotor Diameter |
|
|
| 1,808 ft² / 168.0 m² |
Disc Area |
|
|
Never exceed speed:
222 knots / 255 mph / 411 km/h in a dive
Cruise speed:
160 kt / 184 mph / 296 km/h |
Speed |
Maximum speed at high altitude:
1,912 km/h / 1,188 mph / 1,032 kn / Mach 1.8
Maximum speed at low atitude:
1,390 km/h / 860 mph / 750 kn / Mach 1.1
Supercruise speed:
Mach 1.4 |
|
Range:
370 nmi / 426 mi / 685 km
Combat radius:
125 nmi / 144 mi / 231 km with 2,500 lb (1,130 kg) payload |
Operational Range |
Combat range:
1,000 km / 620 mi / 540 nmi on penetration mission with two CFTs (2,300 L), three tanks (5,700 L), two SCALP-EG and two MICA AAMs
Ferry range:
3,700 km / 2,300 mi / 2,000 nmi with 3 drop tanks |
|
| 20,000+ ft / 6,000+ m |
Service Ceiling |
15,235 m / 49,984 ft |
|
| 2,790 ft/min / 14.2 m/s |
Rate of Climb |
304.8 m/s / 60,000 ft/min |
|
|
Thrust-to-Weight Ratio |
0.988 (100% fuel, 2 EM A2A missile, 2 IR A2A missile) (Rafale B) |
|
|
G-load Factor |
+9 -3.6 (+11 in case of emergency) |
|
|
Armament |
Guns:
1 × 30 mm (1.2 in) GIAT 30/M791 autocannon with 125 rounds
Hardpoints:
• 14 for Air Force versions (Rafale B/C)
• 13 for Navy version (Rafale M)
• with a capacity of 9,500 kg / 20,900 lb external fuel and ordnance,with provisions to carry combinations of:
Air-to-air Missiles:
• Magic II
• MBDA MICA IR or EM
• MBDA Meteor (planned)
Air-to-ground missiles and bombs:
• MBDA Apache
• MBDA Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG
• AASM-Hammer (SBU-38/54/64)
• GBU-12 Paveway II, GBU-22 Paveway III, GBU-24 Paveway III, GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway II
• AS-30L
• Mark 82
Anti-ship missiles
MBDA AM 39-Exocet anti-ship missile
Nuclear Deterrence:
ASMP-A nuclear missile
Other systems:
• Thales Damocles targeting pod
• Thales AREOS (Airborne Recce Observation System) reconnaissance pod
• Thales TALIOS multi-function targeting pod in the future (F3R Standard)
• Up to 5 drop tanks
• Buddy-buddy refuelling pod |
|
|
Avionics |
• Thales RBE2-AA AESA radar
• Thales SPECTRA Electronic Warfare system
• Thales/SAGEM-OSF Optronique Secteur Frontal infra-red search and track (IRST) system |
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