French Rafale F3R boasts new Meteor “game-changer” missile

[ziaulislam]

on 5th March 2021
Image : Armee de l’Air et de l’Espace


The F3R Standard of the Dassault Rafale fighter jet reached another milestone with the integration of the Meteor missile.

Developed by MBDA within the framework of cooperation involving France, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy, Spain, and Germany, the Meteor is a beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile. The weapon has a range of over 150 kilometers (90 miles) and can reach Mach 4 speed.

The French Air Force can now count on what it describes as a “game-changer.” On March 4, 2021, it announced that it carried out the first operational flight with a Rafale equipped with combat-ready Meteor missiles.

“This flight made it possible to validate the process of routing ammunition depots to the armament zone, then to validate the know-how during a first deployment of the missile by the armorers, and to confirm the operational readiness of the crews,” the Air Force explained on Twitter. The Meteor was first introduced by Sweden on the JAS 39 Gripen in April 2016. It should eventually equip the Eurofighter Typhoon fighters of the other partner countries.

The Rafale F3R did not wait for the Meteor missile to have its baptism by fire. In September 2020, a patrol of two fighter jets was called to carry out a strike of opportunity against a position of the so-called Islamic State, neutralizing several insurgents with laser-guided bombs.

In addition to the missile, the F3R Standard comprises several other upgrades, including the RBE2 AESA radar system and the SPECTRA electronic warfare suite. The French Air Force’s backbone aircraft can also carry the TALIOS designation pod, developed by Thales, which increases the detection and identification capabilities of land targets in any conditions. The pod was used for the first time in November 2020.

One step ahead

Dassault Aviation is already working on the following upgrade to the capacity of the Rafale. On January 14, 2019, the French Ministry of Armed Forces contracted the development of the F4 Standard which will focus on improving the connectivity of the Rafale with other systems through “new satellite and intra-patrol links, communication server, software radio.” Thus, the fighter will be able to integrate into the Future Combat Air System that France, Germany, and Spain are conjointly developing.


https://www.aerotime.aero/27407-french-rafale-f3r-boasts-new-meteor-game-changer-missile


@Gomig-21

Wait so older rafale dont have meteor?
If they do then what kinda stupid news is this?

 

[FuturePAF]

I’m going to repost this but now as an image not a link, just in case people missed it scrolling down and I think it is important to see. China’s PL-21; a direct answer to the Meteor and the AIM-260. (although PL-20 is probably more of an answer to the AIM-260)

look inside the weapons bay to see the PL-21 (looks similar to the R-77 Ramjet variant)

 

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

You are again quoting the wrong example... today's air battles are not 1 vs 1. It involve many supporting assets like AWACS, EW, SAMs, net centric and etc. So if there is any deficiency on one end it can be cover by other side in full spectrum of air warfare. So few advantages can be over ruled by other means of air warfare.

See F-16s, F-18s, F-15s, Eurofighter, Rafale, Saab Grippen NG are originally fourth generation aircrafts and reaches to 4.5 after continuing updates, so not a single aircraft have a clear edge over the other.. overall it will not be a clear win for any of 4 or 4.5 gen jets.

Also F-15 EX also uses composite materials and equiped with AESA, AMRAMM-120D and one of the best ECM and ECCM suites. Do you think French Elctronic warfare suits are better than US?

Even in Pak-India Theatre, their competition is not only limited to longer range missile and AESA radar or composite materials.. Its all about net-centric warfare capability, where all assets will work in synergy with each other. And then it comes to planning of operations and tactics that how one can employ all these net centric assets to have a upper hand.

A newer design is a newer design. You can deck up an F-4 with AESA, but it's not as good as Rafale in terms of RCS reduction. Rafale is a new design dating to the 1980s. F-15 is an older design dating to the 1960s. You can't compete between generations. AESA or not.

 

[colonel rajesh]

integrate in indian purchase .

 

[IblinI]

I’m going to repost this but now as an image not a link, just in case people missed it scrolling down and I think it is important to see. China’s PL-21; a direct answer to the Meteor and the AIM-260. (although PL-20 is probably more of an answer to the AIM-260)

look inside the weapons bay to see the PL-21 (looks similar to the R-77 Ramjet variant)

The way how they promoted/revealed the defence items make the non Chinese speaking world hard to followed the latest development, no ppt, no fancy advertisement,thus most of the disscusion are based on at least decade old tech,it has its pros and cons though.

 

[FuturePAF]

The way how they promoted/revealed the defence items make the non Chinese speaking world hard to followed the latest development, no ppt, no fancy advertisement,thus most of the disscusion are based on at least decade old tech,it has its pros and cons though.

IMHO, the lack of advertising and the recent crackdown on posting OSINT to weibou if a sign that China wants to keep its defense development technically public, its not gathered in one place; therefore opaque in effect. The language barrier also hinders many from properly searching the Chinese internet for the latest development unless someone finds and publishes it on OSINT sites on western platforms like Twitter or website that follow Chinese defense development.

In this way China hides its capabilities and its full intentions and therefore when intention plus capability equal power, China is in effect hiding its true power. A wise strategy that will require competitors to stay vigilant to decipher.

 

[IblinI]

IMHO, the lack of advertising and the recent crackdown on posting OSINT to weibou if a sign that China wants to keep its defense development technically public, its not gathered in one place; therefore opaque in effect. The language barrier also hinders many from properly searching the Chinese internet for the latest development unless someone finds and publishes it on OSINT sites on western platforms like Twitter or website that follow Chinese defense development.

In this way China hides its capabilities and its full intentions and therefore when intention plus capability equal power, China is in effect hiding its true power. A wise strategy that will require competitors to stay vigilant to decipher.

it would be too late by then, we wanted something like our neighbor india, ten ppt, models before it is even on the sketch board.

 

[The SC]

Wait so older rafale dont have meteor?
If they do then what kinda stupid news is this?

Only F3R Standard can carry the Meteor missiles.. So France and Egypt are upgrading their fleets to this standard now.. the new sales are all of this standard..

 

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

Only F3R Standard can carry the Meteor missiles.. So France and Egypt are upgrading their fleets to this standard now.. the new sales are all of this standard..

The one Greece bought is F3R is it?

 

[The SC]

The one Greece bought is F3R is it?

Yes the new ones are and 6 older ones will be upgraded to F3R before delivery..

 

[Zapper]

yes a 150 km range missile is always superior to 200 - 300 km range missile....pay attention to 200 to 300 km, never disclose the true range so abhi can keep guessing

There is something called NEZ (No escape zone) which you might not be aware of. Meteor has best in class NEZ second to none in all contemporary missiles

But you can continue gloating over that over-exaggerated range of PL-15

 

[xyxmt]

There is something called NEZ (No escape zone) which you might not be aware of. Meteor has best in class NEZ second to none in all contemporary missiles

But you can continue gloating over that over-exaggerated range of PL-15

so Modi got Rafeal and he got best in class no escape zone missiles which I might not understand. I also do not understand what is he now waiting for, its been six years Pakistan should have learned the lesson by now.
Agar merey paas bottal ka jinn hota??

 

[Zapper]

so Modi got Rafeal and he got best in class no escape zone missiles which I might not understand. I also do not understand what is he now waiting for, its been six years Pakistan should have learned the lesson by now.
Agar merey paas bottal ka jinn hota??

You can troll all day you want bringing up balakot, rape, toilet, modi but my comparison is purely related to the missiles...Meteor vs PL15

 

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

But you can continue gloating over that over-exaggerated range of PL-15

PL-15 is on par with AIM-260. PL-21 uses ramjet and is on par with Meteor.

 

[wasileo80]

A newer design is a newer design. You can deck up an F-4 with AESA, but it's not as good as Rafale in terms of RCS reduction. Rafale is a new design dating to the 1980s. F-15 is an older design dating to the 1960s. You can't compete between generations. AESA or not.

True, latest models of both jets are 4.5 gen fighters but their early models were 4th generations. So you cannot say that any 4th or 4.5 generation fighter jet have a clear edge over the other, this implies on every 4 or 4.5 gen aircraft. And also Rafale's design is not 5th gen design, its still a 4th generation design. RCS reduction comes into place due to SPECTRA suit of Rafale so that F-15 EX and silent eagle have very modern EW suites as well.