Dassault Rafale small-satellite launcher

CammNut

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Dassault is studying a concept to use the Rafale fighter as a small-satellite launcher. You can read Robert Wall's story from Aviation Week here:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/RAFALE110108.xml&headline=Dassault%20Pitches%20Rafale%20As%20Small%20Sat%20Launcher&channel=defense

The unusual aspect of this concept is splitting the launcher into three connected parts: the main element under the fuselage and the two solid rocket boosters under the wing.
 

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Hi all. Even less is known about Mirage-IV satellite launcher concept studies on which the highly dual MLA is based.

To the very best of my knowledge, four "old" study code names surfaced some of them very, very temporarily:

ECLAT, MILAN, ELSA, STRIZH*

* = swift

In their recent press release :

http://www.dassault-aviation.com/fr/aviation/presse/in-the-air/in-the-air-2008/un-rafale-lanceur-de-satellites.html?cHash=7d5391cba9

Dassault Aviation PIO only discusses "ECLAT" and "MILAN".

BTW, in 1994 another Antonov-based air launched series of concepts was studied by Dassault Aviation together with the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau. Code named TALISMAN, it was much bigger and similar to today's Air-Launch concept (worked out in the US as part of DARPA/USAF FALCON program).
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfmzVZOToBM
 

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Presentation on Aldebaran:
http://www.responsivespace.com/Papers/RS7/SESSIONS/SESSION%20I/1005_TALBOT/1005C.pdf
 
Full version of the Aldebaran presentation, not only about Rafale launcher. Interesting things inside about proposed european launchers.

http://personal.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Personal/T.Vladimirova/LectureSeries/slides2007_2008/CNES_Guest_Lecture_Surrey_9thSeptember2008.pdf
 
Hmmm, so the plan is to have both the launch and tanker Rafales double as telemetry relay platforms.

What can be seen of the Aldebaran MLA (Trimaran configuration) stack in the video is also interesting.
 
Hi;

Just found this engineering CAD-rendered image on Dassault's website. This seems to be the latest publicized configuration but that might be old stuff.

source: https://www.dassault-aviation.com/en/space/our-space-activities/aerospace-vehicles/mla-airborne-micro-launcher/

A.
 

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Even less is known about Mirage-IV satellite launcher concept studies on which the highly dual MLA is based.

Wait, whaaaaaat ? A very old post, for sure. I recently played with such ideas, whacking my brain at AN-22 nuke length and width, compared to Scout rocket stages - Algol, Castor, Altair...

Dassault Aviation PIO only discusses "ECLAT" and "MILAN".

Most. stupidest.names. to.pick

ECLATE means "bust / explodes" which sounds pretty unfortunate for an air-launch system or anything involving a rocket.

As for Milan... it was the Mirage with a moustache, also known as Astérix for obvious reasons.
 
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d'oh, silly me !

Hi, a bit offtrack but not so much after all.

If you or anyone else looks up for synonyms in French, I'd search CRISCO's database of synonyms, designed by university linguists. It is an unparalleled open source work of love.

Below is a direct link to "eclat":


French synonyms of éclat would translate as: splendor, light, brilliance, magnificence, beauty, glory, brightness, glow, majesty, clarity, pomp, noise
sumptuousness, sound

Not so bad for polysemic choice of word. And very French too.

A.
 
d'oh, silly me !

Hi, a bit offtrack but not so much after all.

If you or anyone else looks up for synonyms in French, I'd search CRISCO's database of synonyms, designed by university linguists. It is an unparalleled open source work of love.

Below is a direct link to "eclat":


French synonyms of éclat would translate as: splendor, light, brilliance, magnificence, beauty, glory, brightness, glow, majesty, clarity, pomp, noise
sumptuousness, sound


Not so bad for polysemic choice of word. And very French too.

A.

Dassault: "modesty" ? what's that ?
 
If anyone is interested, here are some PDFs detailing MLA:
  • CNES_Guest_Lecture_Surrey_9thSeptember2008.pdf
    • Surrey University, september 9th 2008 Guest Lecture : Air Launch Solutions for Microsatellites
    • by C. Talbot and C. Bonnal
    • to date it's by far the most detailed presentation of the MLA
    • fix for a dead link from Matej
  • Intheair_3_MLA_english.pdf
    • Rafale, satellite launcher study.
    • by Dassault Aviation / Yves Robins
    • In the Air newsletter, issue No. 3 dated October 23, 2008 - a difficult one to find online (yes, these two pages are the entire issue)
    • fix for a dead link from antigravite
  • 1005C.pdf
    • ALDEBARAN, A launch vehicle System Demonstrator
    • by Christophe Talbot, Eric Louaas (CNES), Pilar Gonzalez Gotor, Alejandro Ruiz Merino (CDTI) and Ludger Froebel (DLR)
    • fix for a dead link from XP67_Moonbat
I also got the "Dassault Pitches Rafale As Small Sat Launcher" article from the Aviation Week, but there's zero new information there comparing to what's in the "In the Air".
 

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