The development and integration contract for the Rafale F4 has been notified
Posted in Air Force, Industry by Laurent Lagneau On 14-01-2019
In March 2017, at a meeting of the Ministerial Committee on Investments, Jean-Yves Le Drian, then Minister of Defence, gave the green light to the development of the F4 version of the Rafale. All that remained was to notify the contract to launch this project. This was done on January 14.
Indeed, on January 14, Dassault Aviation's CEO, Éric Trappier, officially received the contract to develop and integrate the Rafale F4 standard during a visit by Florence Parly, the French Minister of the Armed Forces, to Mérignac, where the manufacturer has a factory. The amount of this contract is €2 billion.
"The Rafale F4 will benefit from connectivity, reliability and the ability to counter increased threats. These improvements will bring this aircraft up to the level of the latest generation aircraft and allow our air forces to maintain their superiority in increasingly contested areas," Parly had previously pointed out in an interview given to the daily Sud Ouest.
The development of this F4 standard is part of the Rafale's continuous improvement process, based on technological progress and feedback from operational staff," explains Dassault Aviation. "As an industrial architect, we will be responsible for implementing innovative connectivity solutions to optimize the effectiveness of our aircraft in network combat[new satellite and intra-patrol links, communication server, software radio]," he explains.
In addition, new functions will be developed, with developments in radar sensors and front-end sector optronics (FSO). The capabilities of the helmet viewfinder will also be improved and new weapons will be integrated[Modular Air-Ground of 1000 kg]
Improvements in Operational Condition Maintenance[OCM] are also expected. Thus, the Rafale F4 standard will rely on a new Prognostic and Diagnostic Assistance System introducing predictive maintenance capabilities. And solutions based on artificial intelligence and Big Data will be used. Finally, there is also a new "engine control unit[M88]", says Dassault Aviation.
"The F4 standard represents the assurance that the Rafale will remain at the highest level in the world so that our combat air forces can carry out all their missions in the most efficient way, whether within coalitions or in a perfectly autonomous manner as required by French nuclear deterrence," Mr. Trappier said. "This new standard also guarantees that the Rafale will remain a credible reference for exports. Finally, it confirms the continuous improvement approach and contributes to the development of industrial skills," he added.
"This standard is based on four pillars: connectivity, engagement, availability and threat detection and control," said the Minister of the Armed Forces. This F4 standard is a technological leap, an industrial leap, a strategic leap," Parly summarized. "It will be a first step for collaborative combat connected across multiple platforms and thus to the air combat system of the future[SCAF]," she said.
As the Minister pointed out, 28 additional Rafales will be delivered by 2024 and 30 others will be ordered in 2023 under the Military Programming Act[MPA] 2019-25. "These orders are the defense of France. It is its ability to intervene quickly and precisely. These orders are also activity for you. Employment, for you, for our industry," she justified.
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Le contrat de développement et d’intégration du Rafale F4 a été notifié
