Rafale is a twin-jet combat aircraft capable of carrying out a wide
range of short and long-range missions, including ground and sea
attacks, reconnaissance, high-accuracy strikes and nuclear strike
deterrence. The aircraft were developed for the French Air Force and Navy.
France's Air Force and Navy ordered 180 (132 for the air force and 48
for the navy), 100 aircraft had been delivered by the end of 2010. The Rafale entered into service with the French Navy in 2004 and with
the French Air Force in 2006. Ten aircraft are operational on the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.
The Rafale (French: squall) program was initiated in the late 1970s by the Giscard d’Estaing administration as a replacement for the Super Etendard, Mirage F1, Mirage III, and Mirage V aircraft already in service and the Mirage 2000 multirole fighters which were in the advanced design and production phase (they entered service in 1984). The Rafale first flew in 1986 and entered service in 2001.
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