The Rafale was completely CAD designed from a ultra high precision ( 1/100 mm) laser 3D scan of the real airplane on Catia!
The plugs were in-house CAM milled using state-of-the-art CNC 5 axis machines to 1/10th mm tolerance. All panel lines, hatches and all the rivets were engraved in the model with CAD guidance. As such we are proud to claim that this is the first commercial kit true to scale within 1/10th of a millimeter!
The model can be ordered in 2 different versions: Rafale C single seater, Rafale B twin seater.
The turbines and all the other components including the landing gear and servos were also integrated at the CAD design stage for a perfect match.
The plane was designed to be powered by two types of engines: either a single
The Rafale is fully molded and pre-assembled. The model comes in grey primer with all the formers glued in the airframe out of the mold and all the control surfaces pre- hinged. No critical gluing is required from the customer. All composite components of the kit are produced in house by aero certified technicians who also work on the most advanced European UAVs and aerospace vehicles. The fuselage is produced from glass & carbon fiber and reinforced with an internal plywood structure and a very strong gear support structure that was designed to withstand hard landings without trouble.
The wings, canards and tail fin are produced from World Masters winning vacuumed Airex sandwich and reinforced with carbon fiber tapes in critical areas. They feature an internal plywood structure. The main wing tube is made from aero grade AU4G and the secondary front tube from carbon fiber. They are designed to withstand the worse abuse. The rudder and canards are fitted with specific carbon tubes that are also used in Aviation Design's UAVs.
The landing gear was entirely CAD designed and is CNC machined/ forged from Aluminum alloys and Au4G in Eastern Europe. Each unit is operated by a large pneumatic actuator and a unique custom designed retract mechanism. All the retract parts are made from aero grade aluminium.
The front strut is CNC machined from aluminium, whereas mains are made from a steel tube that is covered with scale resin fairings. All functional gear compass are made from aluminium and are designed to withstand grass operations.
A special front landing gear was CAD designed for the Navy version to replicate exactly the actual cinematics of the real airplane. It is fully CNC machined from an aluminum billet and highly scale. The front fuselage structure is also specific of the Navy version. The tires are custom produced to be exactly scale with proper diameter and width.
The 2 fuel tanks are made from kevlar fiber and offer
The plane comes at 28 kgs ( 62 lbs ) dry and 35 kgs ( 77 lbs ) takeoff weight for the single engine version. The model has plug in wings and tail fin and a removable nose cone for easier transportation.
The Rafale has also a large top fuselage hatch to give an excellent access to the turbine, fuel system and taipipe. The kit comes with a full set of English building instructions and a complete pre-flight setup guidance.
The flying characteristics of this model are outstanding. Scale aerobatics are easily achieved with the recommended powerplant options as well as very low speed capability. The Rafale is really incredible in flight. It is very aerobatic with an incredible high angle of attack capacity. Flights are very realistic and impressive with the sounds of the large turbines....
- Scale cockpit in single or twin version
- Scale landing gear for the Air Force version
- Scale wheel set and brakes
- Gear doors with actuators
- Kevlar fuel cells
- Scale detail set
- Wing tip missiles
- Underwing fuel tanks (large or supersonic tanks) + launch rails
- Centerline supersonic fuel tank + launch rails
- Stainless steel pipe for single turbine (twin exhaust) or twin turbine version
- Afterburner ring lights
- Scale lights (nav, strobes and landing lights)
- LCD instrument panel and cockpit voice recorder
- Full set of scale water decals
- Wings, rudder and canards protection covers
Video of the first pre-production plane during a meeting in France:
Quick-links to kit options: