Dassault Rafale vs F/A-18 Hornet
Overall rating table
| CATEGORY | DASSAULT RAFALE | F/A-18 HORNET |
| BVR Rating |
90% |
80% |
| Armament | 7.8/10 | 7.7/10 |
| Technology | 7.7/10 | 7.9/10 |
| Avionics | 8.0/10 | 7.7/10 |
| Maneuverability | 9.5/10 | 6.8/10 |
| Rate of Climb | max. 300 m/s – 6ok ft/min | max. 254 m/s – 50k ft/min |
| Thrust/Weight | 1.13 | 0.96 |
| Service Ceiling | 17 km – 55k ft | 15 km – 50k ft |
| Speed | 2.00 Mach | 1.80 Mach |
| Fuel Economy | 0.27 km/l – 0.63 NM/gallon | 0.29 km/l – 0.68 NM/gallon |
| Unit Cost | 90.000.000 USD | 40.000.000 USD |
| Overall Rating | very good | very good |
BVR Armament Comparison
| CATEGORY | DASSAULT RAFALE | F/A-18 HORNET |
| BVR AAM missile | MBDA Meteor | AIM-120D AMRAAM |
| Nation | NATO | USA |
| Year | in 2013 | 1990 |
| Range (mile) | 62 | 43 |
| Range (km) | 100 | 70 |
| Range (NM) | 54 | 38 |
| Speed (mph) | 2640 | 2640 |
| Speed (km/h) | 4248 | 4248 |
| Speed (Mach) | 4 | 4 |
| Weight (lb) | 407 | 330 |
| Weight (kg) | 185 | 150 |
| Unit Cost | $1.600.000 | $700.000 |
| BVR Rating | 90% | 80% |
Dogfight (armament: only cannon)
| CATEGORY | DASSAULT RAFALE | F/A-18 HORNET |
| Cannon | GIAT 30M/719B | M61A1 Vulcan |
| Caliber (mm) | 30 mm | 20 mm |
| Rate of Fire (rpm) | 2500 rpm | 6000 rpm |
| Muzzle Velocity (m/s) | 1025 m/s | 1050 m/s |
| Size Point (10% to 30%) | NO | NO |
| Maneuverability (x/10) | 9,5 | 6,8 |
| Thrust/Weight Ratio | 1,13 | 0,96 |
| Total Points | 50 | 42 |
| Probability of winning | 54% | 46% |
General data table
| CATEGORY | DASSAULT RAFALE | F/A-18 HORNET |
| Length | 15.27 m – 50 ft 1 in | 17.10 m – 56 ft 0 in |
| Wingspan | 10.80 m – 35 ft 4 in | 12.3 m – 40 ft 8 in |
| Height | 5.30 m – 17 ft 3 in | 4.70 m – 15 ft 4 in |
| Weight | 10,100 kg – 22,6k lb | 10,400 kg – 23,5k lb |
| Power | 2 x 75 kN – 17k lbf | 2 x 80 kN – 18k lbf |
Armament
| DASSAULT RAFALE | F/A-18 HORNET |
| 14 HARDPOINTS | 9 HARDPOINTS |
| 1 × 30 mm GIAT 30/719B cannon (125 rounds) | 1 × 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon (578 rounds) |
| MBDA MICA IR/EM (AAM missile) | AIM-9 Sidewinder (AAM missile) |
| Magic II (AAM missile) | AIM-120 AMRAAM (AAM missile) |
| MBDA Meteor (AAM missile) | AIM-7 Sparrow (AAM missile) |
| MBDA Apache (AGM missile) | IRIS-T (AAM missile) |
| SCALP EG (AGM missile) | AIM-132 ASRAAM (AAM missile) |
| AASM (AGM missile) | Taurus missile (cruise missile) |
| AM 39 Exocet (AGM missile) | AGM-84 Harpoon (AGM missile) |
| ASMP-A (nuclear AGM missile) | AGM-45 Shrike (AGM missile) |
| Paveway II (bomb) | AGM-88 HARM (AGM missile) |
| AGM-65 Maverick (AGM missile) | |
| Penguin (AGM missile) | |
| Standoff Land Attack Missile (AGM missile) | |
| JDAM (bomb) | |
| CBU-87, CBU-89, CBU-97 (bomb) | |
| Paveway II/III/Enhanced Paveway (bomb) | |
| Mark 82, Mark 83, Mark 84 (bomb) | |
| B-61 (nuclear bomb) |
Facts -Dassault Rafale vs F-18 Hornet
| F-18 Hornet is cheaper. | |
| F-18 Hornet is more economical. | |
| Dassault Rafale is faster. | |
| Dassault Rafale is better armed. | |
| Dassault Rafale is better dogfighter. | |
| Dassault Rafale is smaller than F-18. |
5 comments
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Everton
May 15, 2012 at 11:16 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Só posso dizer que vi o F18 hornet em atividade em Pirassununga e o caça é fora de sério. Praticamente para no ar. Muita força. Além dissso o avião é muito grande, muito bonito. Se eu pudesse decidir, ao invés de comprar trocentos caças de um único fabricante, compraria meio a meio pelo menos. Esses dias a Embraer quase vendeu um monte de Super tucano pros EUA, mas no fim froxou, por que será? Comprando um pouco de caças F18, um pouco do Rafale e também alguns gripen, teríamos a oportunidade de ter acesso a tecnologias diferentes, e faríamos um H com os 3 países.8
Patrick Pannunzio
December 21, 2012 at 1:53 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Even though the Dassault Rafale is a better aircraft overall according to the above noted comparison , the cost of the Rafale is more than double the of the cost of the F/A 18 . With that in mind an air force can technically equip itself with 2 F/A18′s to every Rafale . We also cannot discount the fact that pilot training can go a long way in overcoming advantages shown in plane comparisons such as these . So due to the economic advantage of the F/A 18′s and pilot training, my choice would be the F/A18. Look forward to reply.
Marc Havard
January 13, 2013 at 8:35 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Thats assuming that the FA-18′s pilots are better trained than the the other guys… very presomptuous so very dangerous to think that way.
Rosko
February 19, 2013 at 5:26 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
If the Rafale is such a great plane, why is no one buying it? The French had to bribe the Indians to buy the thing, I bet they will be sorry they did. French aircraft are generally junk, as is their aircraft carrier. If the French want to learn how to build an airplane or a carrier, ask the Americans because do those things better than anyone.
Navy man
February 21, 2013 at 5:56 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
The statement by Patrick has merit. You must remember that in WWII the Allies did not have the best weapons when compared to the Germans for example tanks, fighters, Rockets. The Allies were able to overcome that obstacle because as Stalin said, “Quantity has a quality all it’s own”. Mass production and affordability in being able to replace destroyed armaments quickly and afford ably is critical to sustain any nation’s ability to arm itself and sustain itself in a protracted conflict.