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France Dassault Aviation
Rafale M
Carrier-capable variant of France's Rafale omnirole fighter, strengthened for catapult launch and arrested recovery aboard the carrier Charles de Gaulle. Shares most avionics and weapons integration with the land-based Rafale C/B and has been selected by India's navy.
In service since 2001 · 2 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
1,912
km/h
3,700
km range
15,235
m ceiling
9,500
kg payload
0.98
T/W
💲 ≈ $115,000,000 — Approximate export flyaway cost, Rafale M
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
French export-licensed
CIEEMG inter-ministerial approval; broadly export-oriented.
Channel: DGA / direct commercial
Fielded & proven
Limited · 2 operators
In service since 2001. Status: active · ~45 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$288M – $403M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 1,912 km/h Stronger than 22% of fighters
- Max speed (Mach)
Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.
- 1.8 Mach Stronger than 31% of fighters
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 3,700 km Stronger than 76% of fighters
- Combat radius
Distance an aircraft can fly, complete its mission and return without refueling. Roughly a third of ferry range.
- 1,055 km Stronger than 54% of fighters
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 15,235 m Stronger than 23% of fighters
- Thrust-to-weight
Engine thrust divided by loaded weight. Above 1.0 the aircraft can accelerate going straight up.
- 0.98 Stronger than 43% of fighters
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 1x 30 mm GIAT 30/M791 cannon
- Hardpoints
External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.
- 13 Top 6% of fighters
- Weapons payload
Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.
- 9,500 kg Stronger than 88% of fighters
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
- Countermeasures
Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers.
- Spectra integrated EW/self-protection suite, chaff, flares
- Signature reduction
Radar cross-section shaping, RAM coatings, IR suppression. Actual RCS values are classified.
- Reduced radar cross-section shaping and composite structure
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 15.27 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 10.9 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 5.34 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 10,600 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 21,500 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 1
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- 2x Safran M88-2 afterburning turbofans
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 2
- Thrust
Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).
- 75 kN Stronger than 14% of fighters
- Fuel capacity
Internal fuel volume.
- 4,700 L
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turbofan
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- Thales RBE2 AESA
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- OSF front-sector optronics, Spectra EW suite
- Datalink
Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement.
- Link 16
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $115,000,000 Stronger than 12% of fighters
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 45 Stronger than 16% of fighters
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 2 Stronger than 50% of fighters
Specifications compiled from public Dassault Aviation and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the Dassault Aviation Rafale M? +
The Dassault Aviation Rafale M has a maximum speed of 1,912 km/h.
What is the range of the Dassault Aviation Rafale M? +
The Dassault Aviation Rafale M has a maximum range of 3,700 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Dassault Aviation Rafale M? +
The Dassault Aviation Rafale M can carry up to 9,500 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Dassault Aviation Rafale M weigh? +
The Dassault Aviation Rafale M has a combat weight of 21,500 kg.
How many crew does the Dassault Aviation Rafale M require? +
The Dassault Aviation Rafale M requires a crew of 1.
What is the main armament of the Dassault Aviation Rafale M? +
The Dassault Aviation Rafale M's primary weapon is the 1x 30 mm GIAT 30/M791 cannon.
What engine does the Dassault Aviation Rafale M use? +
The Dassault Aviation Rafale M is powered by the 2x Safran M88-2 afterburning turbofans.
What is the Dassault Aviation Rafale M used for? +
The Dassault Aviation Rafale M is a fighter aircraft typically used for air superiority, multirole combat, deep strike, isr.
How many countries operate the Dassault Aviation Rafale M? +
The Dassault Aviation Rafale M is operated by 2 countries.
How much does the Dassault Aviation Rafale M cost? +
The Dassault Aviation Rafale M has an approximate unit cost of 115,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
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