The Dassault Rafale F2 strike aircraft is poised to enter the French air force inventory, augmenting Europe's force-projection capability and opening a new chapter in the battle with rival U.S. and European man-ufacturers for lucrative foreign military sales contracts. The first F2 squadron stood up at the St. Dizier air base in eastern France last week, in the presence of a host of dignitaries led by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin. The high-profile event underscored not only the operational and industrial importance of the new strike version, but also its pioneering position as the first "fourth-generation" fighter to enter service in both air defense and strike configuration—and the only one designed from scratch for a full multirole capability.
展开▼
