Operational Firing of an Exocet Missile from a Rafale M

In the late afternoon of Sept. 20, a French navy Rafale M shipboard fighter launched an AM39 Exocet anti-ship missile AM39 in an operational context.

The aircraft, Rafale M n° 27, was catapulted from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle to validate the use of the missile. This flight test marks the end of operational testing and qualification of the Rafale/Exocet combination by the French navy.

This is the first time that a Rafale belonging to the naval aviation launches an Exocet. The missile was qualified on the Rafale in 2007 by the DGA, as part of the development of the aircraft’s F3 standard. This test milestone paves the way for the operational implementation of this capability in both Rafale squadrons (11F and 12F) of France’s Naval Aviation.

This tests is very important for the French Navy because it demonstrates the integration of the missile onto the fighter, and allows the Rafale to take on the full range of attack missions on naval targets, replacing the Super Etendard.

The operational effectiveness of the Rafale, combined with that of the famous anti-ship missile, confer unparalleled operational opportunities to the French Navy.


Source: French Ministry of Defence News - 27 September 2012

Photo: The French Navy Rafale MF3 test fires a live AM-39 Block2 Mod2 Exocet Anti-ship Missile (Photo by FNF)

(27.09.2012)