French Rafales over the Levant

摘要

In recent years, the Dassault Rafale has proved itself in operations, notably in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Iraq and Syria. Since June 2016, the Armee de I'Air et de I'Espace (French Air and Space Force, FASF) has deployed Rafales exclusively in the Middle East, while Mirage 2000s are now operating in Africa's Sahel region (under Operation Barkhane) with the newly armed Reapers. There are currently ten Dassault Rafales, working alongside an E-3F AWACS (Airborne Early Warning and Control System), a tanker and an Atlantique 2 that regularly strengthen the coalition. French authorities deployed the assets to two air bases (bases aeriennes) in Jordan and the UAE.