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Brazil buys French jets
Brazil agreed to buy 36 Rafales in a deal worth several billion dollars. -- PHOTO: AFP
PARIS - FRANCE'S Rafale fighter jet, which sought foreign buyers for a decade until Brazil agreed on a deal on Monday, is a versatile plane flying bombing missions in Afghanistan.
Built by French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation, the 50 million euro (S$102 million) Rafale was created to replace seven types of jets including the Mirage when it rolled out of factories in 1998.
But it failed to find an overseas customer until Brazil agreed to buy 36 Rafales in a deal worth several billion dollars during a visit by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
France plans to have a fleet of 294 Rafale fighter jets, including 60 for its navy. Nearly 80 jets have been delivered to the air force and the navy so far.
The Rafale can fly as fast as Mach 1.8 - 2,000km per hour, or nearly twice the speed of sound. The delta-shaped plane, featuring canard forward stabilisers, weighs 10,000km, has a wingspan of 10.8m and is 15.3m long.
It can take off after 400m, fly distances of up to 3,800 km and has a radius of action of more than 1,000 nautical miles (1,850km).
The multi-role jet was designed to have the ability to take on air-to-air combat, reconnaissance flights and nuclear bombing missions. It has special technology giving it a very small radar profile, and a combat awareness system allowing it to engage multiple targets at up to 200km away.
Because targets can be detected 'beyond visual range' the cockpit offers interaction like in advanced computer games - including imaging inside the pilot's helmet and voice commands.
Many 'hard points' on its fuselage can anchor 10,000km of missiles, bombs and/or external fuel tanks. The latest version of the Rafale flies regularly in Afghan skies, dropping 250-kilogram laser-guided US bombs to support Nato troops on the ground.
While the United Arab Emirates has expressed interest in acquiring the Rafale, several countries have turned down the opportunity to buy the plane, including South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the Netherlands. -- AFP
Brazil buys French jets
Brazil agreed to buy 36 Rafales in a deal worth several billion dollars. -- PHOTO: AFP
PARIS - FRANCE'S Rafale fighter jet, which sought foreign buyers for a decade until Brazil agreed on a deal on Monday, is a versatile plane flying bombing missions in Afghanistan.
Built by French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation, the 50 million euro (S$102 million) Rafale was created to replace seven types of jets including the Mirage when it rolled out of factories in 1998.
But it failed to find an overseas customer until Brazil agreed to buy 36 Rafales in a deal worth several billion dollars during a visit by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
France plans to have a fleet of 294 Rafale fighter jets, including 60 for its navy. Nearly 80 jets have been delivered to the air force and the navy so far.
The Rafale can fly as fast as Mach 1.8 - 2,000km per hour, or nearly twice the speed of sound. The delta-shaped plane, featuring canard forward stabilisers, weighs 10,000km, has a wingspan of 10.8m and is 15.3m long.
It can take off after 400m, fly distances of up to 3,800 km and has a radius of action of more than 1,000 nautical miles (1,850km).
The multi-role jet was designed to have the ability to take on air-to-air combat, reconnaissance flights and nuclear bombing missions. It has special technology giving it a very small radar profile, and a combat awareness system allowing it to engage multiple targets at up to 200km away.
Because targets can be detected 'beyond visual range' the cockpit offers interaction like in advanced computer games - including imaging inside the pilot's helmet and voice commands.
Many 'hard points' on its fuselage can anchor 10,000km of missiles, bombs and/or external fuel tanks. The latest version of the Rafale flies regularly in Afghan skies, dropping 250-kilogram laser-guided US bombs to support Nato troops on the ground.
While the United Arab Emirates has expressed interest in acquiring the Rafale, several countries have turned down the opportunity to buy the plane, including South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the Netherlands. -- AFP
Brazil buys French jets