http://www.flug-revue.rotor.com/FRheft/FRH0307/FR0307e.htm
It is a sunny day in Istres, in the south of France, but after I have strapped myself into the rear Martin-Baker ejection seat and Dassault test pilot Philippe Rebourg has taken up his position in front, the air-conditioning rapidly cools down the cockpit of the Rafale two-seater, serial number B302, to a pleasant temperature. Starting up the engines is straightforward, and in under two minutes the two Snecma M88-2 are running. Calibration of the inertial navigation system (INS), which takes four minutes, is initiated by my pressing a button.
We now taxi down to the end of the runway. It is not possible to generate the full dry thrust with the brakes on, as this would cause the plane to start moving. So Philippe Rebourg pushes the throttle lever right forward just as he releases the brakes. In three seconds the full afterburner thrust is available.
At 130kt (240km/h) Rebourg pulls the little sidestick back and after approx. 700m of runway we lift off. With an auxiliary tank below the fuselage and four guided missiles, our take-off weight is around 16,400kg – almost eight tonnes more could be carried. As we fly towards the north I familiarise myself with the cockpit. The impression I had gained from the simulator is confirmed: excellent view on all sides, switches well-positioned and, above all, excellent displays make the aircraft easy to fly.
In the rear cockpit, as in front, there is a head-level display focused to infinity, 20 x 20 viewing angle, plus two colour displays to the side. There is also a display which presents the image on the pilot’s head-up display.
After a short familiarisation phase we get down to business. From an altitude of around 300m and at an indicated airspeed of 400kt (740km/h) Rebourg demonstrates the simulated launch of a Scalp cruise missile. The parameters programmed in prior to take-off appear on the central display.
The INS systems of the two Scalps are calibrated at the touch of a button and data relating to the aircraft’s current position is passed to them. Then I start up their engines, while the pilot follows the programmed route. A curved surface displays the optimal release area, all we have to do is pull up to avoid colliding with the Scalps once they have been launched. During the entire approach to the target the Rafale was flown by the autopilot.
We break off and move into terrain-following flight. Here the Rafale relies on a terrain database and the pilot can see very precisely in the HUD the contours not only in the direction of flight but also to the side. Although there is some turbulence, the aircraft is extraordinarily stable in the air. It has not been fitted, as originally planned, with a gust alleviation system. At 450kt (830km/h) 150m above the ground the Rafale consumes less fuel than the single-engined Mirage 2000 with the same weapons configuration.
We now fly towards the west. The next item on the agenda is a simulated air-to-air engagement. The Thales RBE2 radar scans the sky for targets. The system, which has a fixed antenna with passive electronic beam scanning, continuously and automatically adapts its pulse repetition frequency to the conditions. Up to 40 targets can be automatically tracked, and possible combat profiles are continuously calculated for the eight most threatening. The closest hostile target is pre-selected and in principle the pilot needs only to release the Mica missile.
Meanwhile the weather has deteriorated over the Massif Centrale, but just as we are on the point of turning back, the radar detects a solitary target. Immediately the TV camera mounted in front of the windshield is trained onto it (the thermal imager had not yet been mounted on B302). Although the target could not be identified with the naked eye, the TV camera produced an amazingly clear image of the target: it was even possible to make out the rotating propeller of the Transall.
After checking on the head-level display that the Transall is safely within the range of the missile, Philippe Rebourg launches a (simulated) Mica. The remaining flight time of the missile is displayed on the HUD. While the first Mica is en route, Rebourg targets an airliner coming into the area. It is possible to change targets in only two seconds.
After these two simple „shootdowns“, we turn back on a southerly heading towards the Mediterranean. The simulated weapons load is now four laser-guided GBU-12 bombs. Because the Damocles targeting pod is not yet available, on this demonstration we assume that the target, a lighthouse on the Rhône estuary, is illuminated by another aircraft.
A harbour mole in Port Saint-Louis serves as a distinctive orientation point that can simply be tracked by the TV camera. The navigation system is updated with the built-in laser rangefinder, resulting in greater precision. From this data the mission computer works out the distance to the target and determines the bomb release point. From an altitude of 6,000m Philippe Rebourg releases three GBU-12’s in rapid succession at the touch of a button.
Then he initiates a nose-dive towards the lighthouse. The target marker is set and the TV camera zooms in, allowing fine corrections to be made, while the laser rangefinder feeds in its data. Even without the laser rangefinder the last available GBU-12 hits its target bang on.
Now I finally have the opportunity to fly some manoeuvres myself. First of all I try a loop. Starting from 610km/h at an altitude of 3,415m and with military power selected (maximum thrust without afterburner), I pull 4g. By the time we reach the vertex, at 4,480m, we are still doing 175km/h. Apart from slight buffeting, the Rafale proves very stable.
Although I do not have any experience with fly-by-wire controls and sidesticks, I quickly become accustomed to the aircraft. The controls make a very precise impression, and one is never tempted to make excessive control inputs.
At an altitude of 2,440m and a speed of 500km/h, the aircraft rolls at around 200 degrees per second. At 3,350m I throttle back, and the speed drops to 220km/h with a 26 deg. angle of attack. A roll from this attitude is no problem either. Even from the rear seat, it is fun flying the Rafale!
On the way back to Istres Philippe Rebourg shows me the capability of the RBE2 to generate high-resolution radar maps. Individual buildings can be made out easily on the test airfield. Rebourg sets the target marker on the tower, but then breaks off the simulated attack when he spots a Mirage 2000N crossing our path. Pressing a button, the test pilot changes from air-to-ground to air combat operating mode. In a second he has locked on to the Mirage and a tight curve brings us to the firing position.
At this point the word „Bingo“ lights up in large letters on all the displays and a female voice warns that we have only 1,500kg of fuel left. After doing a circuit we line up for the landing in Istres. The autothrottle is activated at 15 deg. angle of attack and 230km/h. Gently Rebourg sets the Rafale down, but immediately he takes off again. The next approach is carried out at a 16 deg. angle of attack. Thanks to the effective brakes, the aircraft only rolls for a short distance.
After one hour and 30 minutes we are back at the Dassault flight test centre. The Rafale has shown its potential most impressively – a potential, however, that for the time being only the pilots in flotilla 12F of the Aéronavale can enjoy. The first nine (out of ten) Rafale M’s delivered to date are in service with this squadron. They are configured to Standard F1, which means that they are only to be used for air combat missions.
Sign In
January 5, 2004 at 3:02 am