A French Dassault Rafale receives fuel from a USAF KC-10 Extender assigned to the 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron out of Al Dhafra Air Base, UAE, on August 28, 2019

Two Rafales taxi at H5 base in Jordan in June 2019 for an offensive mission. The first aircraft is equipped with AASM while the second has laser guided bombs

A Rafale along with two inertial guided AASMs and a Damocles pod await the next mission

The RECO-NG pod provides many options. Imagery from extremely low or high altitude, at short or long distances, at high speed or at very high speed. It allows unprecedented aerial reconnaissance for the FASF

Armee de I'Air armourers load a GBU-24 to a Rafale participating in Operation Chammal in February 2017. Both the Aeronavale and the Armee de I’Air fly the Rafale loaded with only one GBU-24 on the centreline station.

The base armourers load two GBU-49's at H5. The sustained need for weapons means sufficient stocks have to be kept, but getting them into theatre can be complicated due to the necessary overflight authorisation

The Atlantique 2 has turned out to be a crucial asset for ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) missions. It is also capable of conducting strikes of opportunity, thanks to its laser-guided bomb-drop capability

A Rafale Marine, serial 26, takes off from Jordan’s H5 base, being regularly deployed ashore in the Middle East