Not the first, there is at least one more.
Doesn’t GBU-24 have GPS/INS ? Don’t remember atm
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Nope laser only.
Never knew GBU-24 was possible on Rafale. But it has INS/Laser. Just no GPS. GBU-49 is what France had for paveway INS/GPS/Laser, and it is only found on late SEM and Mirage 2000D-R2 according to Raytheon.
3 GBUs 24, 4 MICA (or 6 ? But I am not sure if the GBU leave enough room for the MICA on the pylons next to it) and 2 drop tanks, this is going to be crazy in the future if no better DAM systems are added…
For F.3.3+ you can indeed carry 3x GBU-24 + 4x MICA, while on F.4.1 (technically F.3R+) there is enough space for 3x GBU-24 and 6x MICA.
Generally, there is more than enough space to mount any GBU as well as SCALP while maintaining 4-6 missiles.
Rafale C01 testbed with SP3 pylon (which Indian F.3R and the new F.4 also have) enabled, belly can also be equipped with one large GBU, AM39 or SCALP:
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More Rafale C F.4.1 pictures (provided by Dassault) - I will add them to the suggestion later
My goodness, I love this thing XD
The new IRST (ball)
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The Rafale is a beautiful aircraft and it will be a great addition to the game when it comes.
But really a non colapsable refuel arm?
That completly destroys it.
Love that they showed off more of that 8 missile loadout.
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Do any Eurocanard type aircraft have the ability to mount 12x BVRAAM?
No, not until dual racks of Meteors become a thing, but I suspect Meteors are already heavy enough that they don’t want that.
You can see that all the exports of F-16s, M2Ks, and Mig-29s did extremely well even with the offerings of F-15s, M4K, and Su-27. Likely that export customers just didn’t see the need for more than 6 missiles. And now, most export customers still don’t see the need for more than 8 I’d think. F-16s are still selling well.
Maybe once export customers demand more than 8-10.
There is a reason the F-15EX is being shoved into production.
And still limited sales like F-15 when it initially went into production where F-16s sold like hot cakes. F-15s still had some export but nothing like F-16. Few countries have ordered EX now, and I may argue for political reasons.
France instead seems to be pushing forward with Meteor MLU with AESA seeker. No other details as of now.
It would account for additionnal weight due to mechanical system + onboard electronic to power it and it requires space. It’s a practical design choice to have static refuel arm
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while i do aggree i throw in air resistance and stealth + looks
Air resistance and stealth are neglectable elements LMAO when you know SU57 and Rafale have same RCS even tho Rafale has the arm standing out intern tech + weight is more problematic than static arm
i know i am mostly joking i just dont like the arm it destroys the looks for me XD
I believe from the Eurofighter thread that it could theoretically mount 10, 2 pylons are exclusive to SRAAM’s and 1 for fuel or targetting pods. I believe eurofighters have the wiring but haven’t been integrated across all 10 pylons but I think theyre integrated across 8?
Even at max though its still 10 and not 12, with dual racks on the 2 wet pylons I think it could carry 12.
Rafale I believe the current maximum is 8, I have no idea of the wiring for the pylons though other than the 2 fuselage ones are for pods only.
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This is correct. there are 4 semi recessed pylons and 6 wing pylons which can mount AMRAAM, Meteor or similar, in addition to the 2 tip rails which only do IR missiles such as AIM-9, ASRAAM or IRIS-T.
However due to cost and necessity, only the outer wing pylon carries missiles at the moment so the maximum loadout you’d see on a jet would be 2xIR + 6xARH or 4xIR + 4xARH. thats just air to air missiles though, they sometimes carry 2 bombs, 2 fuel tanks and a tpod with that or maybe even 4 bombs, 1 fuel tank or no fuel tank, 4 bombs and 1 tpod
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I personally might expect gaijin add Rafale M LF.1 at rank VIII or Rafale M F.1 Late in rank IX from French Navy and located after F-8 Crusader in Q4 2024 or Q3 2025