Variants

* Rafale A
This was a technology demonstrator that first flew in 1986, as described above. It has now been retired.

* Rafale D
Dassault used this designation (D for discret or stealthy) in the early 1990s for the production versions for the Armée de l'Air, to emphasize the new semi-stealthy features they had added to the design.

* Rafale B
This is the 2-seater version for the Armée de l'Air; delivered to EC 330 in 2004.

* Rafale C
This is the single-seat version for the Armée de l'Air; delivered to EC 330 in June 2004.

* Rafale M
This is the carrier-borne version for the Aéronavale, which entered service in 2002. The Rafale M weighs about 500 kg (1,100 lb) more than the Rafale C. Unusually for a carrier-based plane, it does not have folding wings. This was to save money by increasing commonality with the land-based Rafales. Very similar to the Rafale C in appearance, the M differs in the following respects:
o Strengthened to withstand the rigors of carrier-based aviation
o Stronger landing gear
o Longer nose gear leg to provide a more nose-up attitude for catapult launches
o Deleted front center pylon (to give space for the longer gear)
o Large stinger-type tailhook between the engines
o Built-in power operated boarding ladder
o Carrier microwave landing system
o "Telemir" inertial reference platform that can receive updates from the carrier systems.

* Rafale N
The Rafale N, originally called the Rafale BM, was planned to be a 2-seater version for the Aéronavale. Budget constraints and the cost of training extra crew members have been cited as the grounds for its cancellation.

Source: Wikipedia.org