France seems to have had low-observability in mind right from the start of the Rafale programme.
The following quote seems relevant:
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At the 1983 Paris Air Show, Dassault showed a mock-up of a technology demonstrator for a next-generation fighter. Two features of this ACX (Advanced Combat eXperimental) design proved striking – the huge vertical fin, and the novel inlets. The size of the fin had been dictated by the need for directional stability, but the inlets, which incorporated the moveable conical centrebodies found all Mirages since the IIIC, were mounted under the leading-edge root extensions of a carefully sculpted forward fuselage.
I assumed that this configuration had been adopted to ensure a good airflow at high angles of attack, but Northrop’s Lee Begin had an alternative theory. “Take another look”, he urged me, “they’re shaped that way because of stealth.”
Doug Richardson – ‘Stealth Warplanes’
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So the French are not beginners in this field. I’ve had a (very limited) briefing on French stealth R&D, and was impressed by what I learned. Richardson published some interesting details on French stealth work at least five years ago in one of the Jane’s magazines, as did Bill Sweetman.
oh the good old days, when the rafale was designed as a low level bomber, the position of the air intake was to shield it from radar from above, as several plans of that era were
how things have changed in modern designs
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