The Dassault Rafale has advantages over the F-35 in speed, range, and climb rate.
The F-35 is a newer airframe, but the Rafale has adapted to modern warfare.
The F-35 is preferred for cost, interoperability, and stealth tech advantages.
Yes, dear readers, here we go again with another on-paper showdown between the Lockheed Martin Lightning II 5th Generation stealth fighter and a competing aircraft design.
In spite of Turkey’s ties with Russia, it remains a U.S. ally via NATO. Now, its KAAN fighter is attempting to rival America’s F-35.
We’ve gone from comparing the American-designed F-35 to a NATO partner’s offering (the Turkish KAAN), followed by back-to-back rival nations’ planes (the Red Chinese Chengdu J-20 and Russian Sukhoi Su-35). Now we’re coming full circle to another NATO warbird. This time, we see how the Lightning II compares to France’s Dassault Rafale.
Hardpoints: 4 × internal stations, 6 × external stations on wings with a capacity of 5,700 pounds (2,600 kg) internal, 15,000 pounds (6,800 kg) external, 18,000 pounds (8,200 kg) total weapons payload, with provisions to carry combinations of:
Missiles:
Air-to-air missiles:
AIM-9X Sidewinder
AIM-120 AMRAAM
AIM-132 ASRAAM
AIM-260 JATM (To be integrated)
MBDA Meteor (Block 4, for F-35B, not before 2027)
Air-to-surface missiles:
AGM-88G AARGM-ER (Block 4)
AGM-158 JASSM
AGM-179 JAGM
SPEAR 3 (Block 4, in development, integration contracted)
Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW)
Anti-ship missiles:
AGM-158C LRASM (being integrated)
Joint Strike Missile (integration in progress)
Bombs:
Joint Direct Attack Munition
Paveway
Precision-guided glide bomb:
AGM-154 JSOW
GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb
GBU-53/B StormBreaker
B61 mod 12 nuclear bomb
Guns: 1× 30 mm (1.2 in) GIAT 30/M791 autocannon with 125 rounds
Hardpoints: 14 External hardpoints for Air and Space Force versions (Rafale B/C), 13 for Navy version (Rafale M) with a capacity of 9,500 kg (20,900 lb) external fuel and ordnance, with provisions to carry combinations of:
Missiles:
Air-to-air:
MBDA MICA EM and IR (these are the most widely used air-to-air missiles on Rafale; MICA-EM and MICA-IR are both used for short-range and also for medium-range BVR combat)
MBDA Meteor
Magic II
Air-to-surface:
MBDA Apache
MBDA Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG
AASM-Hammer (SBU-38/54/64)
GBU-12 Paveway II, GBU-16 Paveway II, GBU-22 Paveway III, GBU-24 Paveway III, GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway II
AS-30L
Mark 82
MBDA AM 39-Exocet air-launched anti-ship missile (one AM 39-Exocet at the central under-fuselage hardpoint)
So, going by the above table alone, it would seem that the Rafale has almost all the advantages over its American counterpart. Speed, range, service ceiling, and rate of climb are all in favor of the French warbird. The Rafale has two engines, which means if one engine flames out, at least there’s a backup that the pilot can fall back on to attempt a safe return to base, while the single engine on the F-35 means that in case of engine failure, the Lightning driver is SOL (short on landing).
Last but not least, the Rafale has not generated the controversies over cost overruns and reliability issues that have plagued the F-35 so heavily.
So then, it would seem that the Rafale wins head-to-head despite all the hype surrounding the Lightning II. Or does it?
The Case for the Lightning II
In the immortal words of ESPN College GameDay’s legendary commentator Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend!”
For one thing, despite the Rafale’s impressive features, it’s still a 4.5 Generation fighter. Though it has a significantly reduced radar cross-section (RCS), it still has a higher-profile RCS than the 5th Generation F-35. Also to the F-35’s advantage is its bona fide stealth fighter status. The ability to avoid detection by enemy radar, whether ground-based radars or those of enemy aircraft, cannot be underestimated. With China and Russia both having developed stealth fighters, the air forces of America’s allies in the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific alike cannot afford to be left behind the power curve in that arena.
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