Rafale M - France

The prototype Rafale first took to the air as long ago as 1986, but this is an aircraft at the cutting edge of modern fighter technology. The French Air Force flies both the single-seat Rafale C and two-seat Rafale B variants, while the French Navy operates the carrier-borne Rafale M. Both air arms have taken this very agile multi-role machine - capable of air-to-air, air-to-ground (including nuclear strike) and reconnaissance missions - on operations around the world. The French Navy will demonstrate two examples of the aircraft in a tactical demonstration at RIAT 2018.