Weapons and payloads
If the Rafale is to carry out all the missions of the AdlA and of the MN, then it is obvious she needs to be able to use all current and future weapons of used by those services. And she should be capable of carrying them as far as possible. Ideally, it should be able to use all of them during the same flight.
The Rafale has 14 hardpoints, (13 for the Rafale M due to the back centerline hardpoint being removed to make room for the arresting hook), including 5 wet hardpoints (to carry fuel tanks) and 3 for heavy loads (Scalp, 2000L fuel tanks). The Rafale is capable of carrying over 8 tons of external payload (9,5t), or 6,8 tons of external fuel (in addition to the internal 4,7 tons of fuel).
All the waypoints are compatible with the STANAG standard, and the ANS (attack and navigation system) is upgradeable in order to add all the current or future french weapons, but also foreign (NATO) weapons. Thus any weapon is easily integrable.
1/ Giat 30M781 B
The most common weapon is the GIAT 30 M791 B cannon, with a caliber of 30 mm and a rate of fire of 2500 RPM attained immediately (as opposed to gattling guns which dont reach their max fire rate until a little while). This rate of fire is only 1/6th inferior to the rate of fire of the TWO DEFA 553 guns of the Mirage F1 firing together (3000 rpm). Besides the shell has higher velocity (1025m/s for the 791 vs 800 m/s for the 553). This weapon offers a very good rate of fire for a single barrel weapon, offering very high efficiency for close aerial combat (less than 500m), combine with a very high kinetic energy of the shells (and flatter trajectory of the shells due to the much higher muzzle velocity). For the attack of ground targets, or unprotected naval targets, the rate of fire can be set to a lower value of 300/600 or 1500 rpm. The length of the bursts is usually of a half second (21 rounds at the max rate of fire, or 1kg of explosive), but 1second or free bursts can be selected. The gun is operated electronically, and can automatically unjam by getting rid of bad shells and providing for a safety time delay before the next shot. For each shot the recoil remains below 2700 daN. It weights about 120 kg and loaded with 125 OPIT (obus perforant incendiaire traçant tracing piercing incendiary shell).for most missions. Used for AtoA and AtoG it is calibrated in the 0° axis of the plane.
2/ The Mica
The air-superiority weapn of choice for the Rafale is the MICA (Missile dintercetion, de combat et dauto-défense interception, combat and self-defense missile). It is a medium range missile, weighting 112 kg, developped to replace both the Super 530D bvr missle and the Magic II short range. It can be rail-launched up to 9G (wings) or launched by pneumatic ejectors at up to 4g (fuselage). It is a multi-target fire and forget missile. Its high-impulse rocket can accelerate mach 3,5 in addition to the speed of the plane. Its thrust vector nozzles allow it to manoeuver at up to 50g. Its range is rated at over 80km. It doesnt make tu much smoke and the run of its rocket is short enough to make it harder to detect. Guidance is provided by two interchangeable seekers that can both be used either for close quarter or bvr fights.
- EM seeker (electromagnetic), named AD4A: capable of detecting a target at several tenths of km, with high ECCM capabilities, can reach its target even without information provided by the firing aircraft, and in look down shoot down in spite of the ground clutter.
- IR seeker (infra red): of a very elaborate technology, it has a cooling system with an autonomy of 10 hours. Its imaging infra red seeker and its processor allow it to distinguish between a plan and flares and bright landscape (detection of engine sides, leading edge...) and is hence very difficult to decoy.
The missile has an inertial navigation system that allows it to go to the intercept point that was designated before launch. It has four firing modes:
- long range shot with airccraft-missile link ( LAM. (liaison avion missile) See RBE2), in order to update the intercept point with up to date information in case the target changes direction or speed. The trajectory is optimised all the way during inertial flight, in order to reach the longest range while retaining energy for the terminal phase of the flight. This LAM isnt necessary for short and medium range shots.
- Long range shot without LAM: the missile gets to the intercept point only thanks to its INS, because the shooter breaks away from the fight immediately after the shot. It is completely autonomous, and the seeker will have to wait for the last kilometers to find its target itself.
- Short distance launch after lock; the missile has locked its target and will be completely autonomous
- Short distance launch before lock: the missile is launched and does a hard manoeuver towards its target and then locks it. This is usually a high off boresight shot and is done either thanks to a helmet mounted display or through link 16 track. It allows to shoot at a target located in the six o clock of the missile.
The Mica IR is a totally passive missile. Only its launch could be detected, provided it is launched from close enough. Besides, its duality (two choices of seekers) make it very difficult to decoy or to jam, because it is very difficult to manage both IR and EM threats at the same time. It was suggested by its manufacturer that the Mica was about equivalent to the AMRAAM, but with better endgame manoeuvrability.
3/ Meteor
beyond 2012, the Rafale is going to be able to fire the Meteor. This very long range missile, weighting 185kg and propelled by a ramjet and will allow shots over 100km (max 150km), while retaining its speed of Mach 4 during the whole flight.including terminal phase, making it very dangerous even at the longest ranges. It is going to use an improved version of the AD4A that equips the Mica.
Mica and Meteor will complete eachother nicely, with the Meteor reaching much further than the 80km of the Mica.
4/ AASM
The AASM (Armement air-sol modulaire modular air to ground weapon) is a revolutionary concept of weapon. Its basis is a Mk82 (250kg) bomb equipped with a guidance unit and a propulsion kit.
The guidance kit will originally be INS/GPS (inertial and GPS). The whole system, weighting 340 kg is capable of autonomously targeting the coordinates of a fixed target.independently of the weather, and at ranges of up to 50 km at high altitude and 15 km from low altitude with less than 10m accuracy. In case of GPS jamming, its inertial navigation system will take over, which makes it a hard to decoy. The impact angle is adjustable. For low altitude firing the bomb will adopt a bell trajectory. The munition allows for a 90° off boresight firing. It is supposed to be affordable, and to allow the destruction of 6 targets in a single pass.
It is a very polyvalent weapon because it can be used for the attack of objectives known in advance, for close air support with targets detected by radar, OSF or link 16, and for sead missions thanks to SPECTRA and Link 16. For the same accuracy than that of a dumb bomb fired in ideal condition, the AASM allows the striker to avoid getting into a dangerous situation with the SAM/AAA. It is a bit less accurate than laser guided bombs, and cant be used on mobile targets, but it is completely fire and forget and is multi target and all-weather.
Accuracy will be much improved with the adoption of an imaging infra red version. Capable of 1meter accuracy and to recognise its target even if the original coordinates were off.
Other versions have been considered, including a TV and an anti-radiation version. Also planned is the adaptation of similar kits for Mk83 480kg and Mk84 1000kg bombs.
5/ SCALP
The SCALP is a 1300 kg cruise missile with a range of over 250 km (400km from high altitude). Developped from the Apache (anti-runway/aera denial weapon), it retains most of its characteristics (stealth, Inertial navication system, GPS, radio altimeter, automatic target recognition, terrain following trajectory
), except that instead of the submuntions it carries a military payload of 400kg with penetrator. It can navigate with or without GPS, and can go around the target to deceive air defense.before the final phase of the flight.
Even though it is a tactical weapon, in France it is considered a strategical weapon and is used only with the approval of high authorities.
In the future it is conceiveable to see SCALP missiles with a payload that is adapted according to the target. An anti-ship version is also under development (with cylindrical shape instead of the original shape).
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