A French “Rafale” fighter drops an American F-35 in an atmosphere nearby during maneuvers: victory needs careful reading
A French Rafale fighter succeeded in outperforming an American F-35 during a nearby aircraft (Dogfight) in maneuvers in June in Finland, but this scenario remains greatly excluded in real wars, although the French Air Force sees the need to prepare for all possibilities.
In the framework of the Atlantic Trident 25 maneuvers hosted by Finland, France has deployed more than 270 soldiers, in addition to six Rafale fighters from the thirtieth squadron centered at the “Moon de Marsan” base. According to a statement of the French army, the goal was to “enhance the formulation of joint operating procedures, unify the operational language, and support collective defense and deterrence within NATO.”
During these exercises, a short-range air fighting (WVR) was organized between Rafale and F-35, and ended with the announcement of the victory of the French fighter who succeeded in placing the American plane inside its perspective and “destroying” it by default, according to photos published by the French Air Force and Space on August 20.
This success came in a sensitive context, as several European countries have chosen the acquisition of F-35 fighters to modernize their fleets, under American political and economic pressure, while France pushes its fighter Rafal as a European alternative option that enhances the independence of the continent. The event also comes just weeks after France lost the first Rafale fighter on an India combat mission.
Finland: During the Atlantic Trident 25 exercise, a Rafale “killed” an F-35 in aerial simulation.
Even if the F-35 is higher in long distance combat (BVR), it does not surpass the Rafale in Dogfight. pic.twitter.com/DXUvlszk6M
– Restored East
(@Reastors) August 20, 2025
(@Reastors) Is it really possible scenario?
In fact, the comparison between the two planes is not simple. The F-35 is classified as a fifth advanced generation fight, while Rafale belongs to the fourth generation. According to this classification, it seems as if “David was defeated Galot.” But experts confirm that this direct confrontation is almost practically impossible, because the F-35 was designed to fight long-term fighting (BVR) and to engage with its opponents before they can even see it.
Portfolio estimates on the “Portal Affect” website, quoting “Daso”, indicates that the Rafal radar clip (Ser) ranges between 0.05 and 0.1 square meters, compared to about 0.005 square meters for the F-35. This means that Rafale will be close to a distance, which gives the American plane enough to launch its AIM-120 Amraam missiles before Rafal can approach.
However, Rafale’s design gives it a superiority in the nearby clashes. One of the trained pilots likened the matter by saying: “In the fighting of Dogfight, Rafale like Paris Saint-Germain, while F-35 is like a Polish second-class club. But in long-range fighting, F-35 is Barcelona and Raval is Olympic Leon.”
Why training on air fighting soon?
The French Air Force sees that such exercises remain necessary because the nature of wars is not guaranteed. Farafal is equipped with a 30-mm gun that allows her to engage in the tasks of the air-to-air and air, and is considered an indispensable weapon as is the case with the soldier. The French Air Force Unit confirmed in 2022 that even the largest air battles may end in a close fighting, according to Indicate The Special Air Force Brigade in 2022.
“We focus on training in visual fighting first because it gives us an accurate understanding of the capabilities of our plane, which allows us to use it in various available aviation areas,” said leader Matilde, one of the Raval pilots who participated in the Treed Planning 25th exercises.
“But in high -density conflicts, many external factors, such as electronic jamming or discount tactics, may emerge, which may prevent our ability to use our long -term weapons. It is likely that such circumstances is likely to eventually have to take a direct visual fighting. For this reason we continue to day training in visual combat maneuvers,” she added.
The article appeared as a French “Rafale” fighter, “F-35”, an American F-35, was dropped in an aerial fighting close to maneuvers: a victory that needs careful reading first on the Arab defense site.
