URGENT OPERATIONAL REQUESTS

摘要

Since 2001, the French Armed Forces have been heavily engaged in combat operations in Afghanistan, Libya and Mali, and the Rafale took a central role in all three conflicts. The engagement in Afghanistan saw the use of an increasing number of modern systems that have set new operational standards, forcing the Armee de I'Air and the Aeronavale to continuously introduce new equipment for the Rafale. For instance, the improved data modem (IDM) was added in 2008 to boost aircrew situational awareness and increase connectivity with ground forces. The Rafale needed a datalink to operate in Afghanistan and plug easily into NATO networks. It already had the Link 16 datalink, but this system was air-to-air oriented and its usefulness in the air-to-ground role was then limited. The IDM is a NATO-interoperable point-to-point datalink that allows Rafale aircrews to automatically exchange data - text or images - with special forces on the ground and other fighters also equipped with the IDM. The IDM is less powerful than the Link 16, which works as a network with numerous participants, but it still proves useful in a large number of tactical scenarios.