Saint-Cloud – Neuilly, France, 02 October 2012 The DGA (French defence procurement agency) has officially taken delivery of the Rafale C13...
Saint-Cloud – Neuilly, France, 02 October 2012 The DGA (French defence procurement agency) has officially taken delivery of the Rafale C137, the first production Rafale equipped with the Thales RBE2 AESA(Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar, at Dassault Aviation's Mérignac establishment near Bordeaux.
The Rafale is the first European combat aircraft in operational service to be equipped with a AESA radar.
The RBE2 AESA brings the Rafale a number of key operational benefits :
*. Extended range capabilities supporting low-observable target detection and full use of new weapon systems such as the Meteor air-to-air missile;
*. Higher reliability for reduced maintenance and lower through-life support costs;
*. Greater waveform agility for SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) imaging and improved resistance to jamming.
Eurofighter Typhoon is still not equipped with a AESA radar.
Export versions of the Rafale also incorporate AESA radar technology.
In Air-Air combat, the RBE2 is officially said to be able to track up to 40 aircraft and to engage 8 of them.
