Dassault Rafale B
The two-seat Rafale — a full combat aircraft with a weapon-systems officer behind the pilot · First flight 1993 · In service 2006
The two-seat Rafale was originally seen mainly as a trainer, but experience from the 1991 Gulf War convinced the French Air Force that a second crew member was valuable for complex strike and reconnaissance missions, and it raised the share of two-seaters in its order. The pre-production B01 first flew on 30 April 1993 and was used for weapons and fire-control testing; the first production Rafale B flew on 24 November 1998.
The Rafale B keeps the full combat capability of the single-seater and differs mainly in its longer canopy and reduced internal fuel. It entered frontline service with Escadron de Chasse 1/7 Provence in 2006 alongside the Rafale C, and in French service it is the aircraft that carries the ASMP-A nuclear stand-off missile for the Strategic Air Forces.
Most export customers have bought two-seaters as well: Egypt's first order of 24 aircraft in 2015 comprised 16 two-seaters (Rafale DM), and India, Qatar, Greece and Croatia also fly two-seat versions.
