Flotille 11F of the Aeronautique Navale (French Navy Air Arm) recently received its first Dassault Rafale M from the fourth production batch. The aircraft (M40) was handed over to the unit at Landivisiau, marking the arrival of the variant into the operational fleet. The first naval Rafale produced to the new standard (M39) was delivered to Istres for use by the Centre d'Experimentations Pratiques et de reception de I'Aeronautique navale in late December 2013. Aircraft from the fourth batch introduce some significant improvements over earlier Rafales, including an active electronically scanned array (AESA) for the RBE2 (Radar a Balayage Electronique 2), greater detection range and situational awareness for the pilot. There are also better cockpit displays and a more transparent head-up display, a revised identification friend or foe system and a new infrared missile launch detector.
展开▼
