VIDEO How did the French Rafale plane “eliminate” the famous F-35 in the Middle East? What did the US do wrong?

With the 5th generation F-35 Lightning II fighter jet out of their reach because the US does not want to alarm its ally Israel, Middle Eastern countries are showing interest in purchasing French fighter jets for their forces their aerial

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How did the French Rafale jet “eliminate” the famous F-35 in the Middle East? What did the USA do wrong?

The latest Gulf country to show interest in purchasing the Rafale is Oman, strategically located near the Arabian Sea.

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Bordering Yemen, Oman wants to acquire Rafale fighter jets to strengthen its air power. Reports suggest the Arab nation wants to acquire 18-24 French fighter jets. Oman’s existing fleet comprises predominantly 24 F-16s and 12 Eurofighter Typhoons.

The “Rafale Club” quickly expanded throughout the world, especially in the Gulf. After Qatar and the United Arab Emirates purchased the French fighter jet, Oman showed interest in the most advanced F-4 variant of the Rafale. Negotiations have begun in this regard. Another Arab country, Egypt, also has Rafales in its fleet.

The United States’ reluctance to sell fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets to the wealthy Gulf states has “created an opportunity” for Dassault Aviation to strengthen its position in the region with Rafale fighter jets. Israel has opposed the sale of F-35s to Middle Eastern nations because it would undermine its security doctrine of maintaining military superiority in the region.

Israeli security doctrine has long prioritized military superiority over its neighbors, either by obtaining the most advanced military technology from the US or by denying it to its neighboring countries.

This meant a win for Dassault Aviation. The Rafale has become a “hot cake” in the region as countries race to acquire the fighter jet. Saudi Arabia is also reportedly considering the purchase of Rafale jets. The French press claims that the world’s second largest oil producer wants to buy 100 planes made in France.

Qatar, which already has 36 Rafales in its fleet, wants to upgrade its existing fleet with the F-4 variant and also wants to place an additional order of 24 fighter jets by 2025.

According to French daily La Tribune, the Gulf nation wants to upgrade its Rafale jets to the F4 standard, which is the latest standard and has recently entered service with the French Air Force.

The French Rafale omni-role fighter jet has struggled for a long time to find a buyer. Apart from a modest order from Egypt and Qatar, the Rafale’s order book had nothing to boast about.

Rafale, which means “gust of wind” in French, failed to win contracts from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Kuwait, Singapore and Switzerland. Its high price was a major deciding factor against it.

However, this has changed in the last ten years, as Serbia will be the ninth user of Rafale fighter jets, after the French Navy and Air Force, Egypt, Qatar, India, Greece, Indonesia, Croatia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

France also hopes Egypt will increase its Rafale fleet after canceling the purchase of Su-35 jets from Russia. Currently, Egypt already has 54 Rafale fighter jets.

When the Indian Air Force (IAF), the world’s fourth-largest, chose the Rafale over the Eurofighter Typhoon in 2012, it prompted a flurry of orders for the French fighter jets. Since then, the UAE has signed a historic contract for 80 Rafales.

The development of the aircraft took a long time. The demonstrator flew on 4 July 1986. The program was officially launched in January 1988, the prototype flew on 19 May 1991, and the first Rafale F1 was delivered to the French Navy exactly a decade later on 18 May 2001.

Rafale fighter jet

The price of an airplane is 101,000,000 euros.

The French Air Force began upgrading its Rafale jets to the F4 standard in 2019 for €1.9 billion.

The F4 standard will include upgraded radar sensors, optronic systems in the frontal sector and improved on-headset display capabilities. The aircraft will be equipped with a new engine control unit.

The Rafale F-4 variant incorporates improvements to the Thales RBE2 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. This radar system enhances situational awareness, target detection and tracking capabilities. The F-4 variant has improved front sector optronics, contributing to better target identification and surveillance.

The F-4 standard allows the Rafale to carry new armaments, including the Mica Next-Generation (NG) air-to-air missile and the 1,000 kg Sagem Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM) precision air-to-ground weapon.

The Rafale F-4 variant also has a radar-absorbing coating.