


In the late 1970s, the French Air Force and French Navy were seeking to replace and consolidate their existing fleets of aircraft. The Rafale is referred to as an "omnirole" aircraft by Dassault. Equipped with a wide range of weapons, the Rafale is intended to perform air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike and nuclear deterrence missions. The Dassault Rafale ( French pronunciation: , literally meaning "gust of wind", or "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation.
