How much does the rafale weight?

Dassault quotes the Rafale's empty weight as being in the 10 t class, with a maximum take-off weight of 24.5 t (54,000 lb). The single-seat Rafale C is the lightest at about 10.3 t; the two-seat Rafale B adds a second cockpit and its systems, and the naval Rafale M is the heaviest of the three, around 10.6 t, because of its reinforced undercarriage, catapult attachment and tailhook. Internal fuel capacity is 4.7 t, and the 14 hardpoints (13 on the M) can carry up to 9.5 t of weapons, sensors and tanks.

The airframe is compact for a twin-engine fighter, 15.3 m long with a 10.9 m wingspan, and about 70 percent of its surface uses composites, titanium and aluminium-lithium alloys to save mass. The two Safran M88 engines weigh under 900 kg each. Even so, a fully armed aircraft is heavy: a typical deep-strike load of three 2,000-litre external tanks, two SCALP cruise missiles and air-to-air missiles pushes the take-off weight close to the 24.5 t limit, which is why the Rafale M relies on the catapults of the carrier Charles de Gaulle rather than a ski-jump.

Weight explains several performance traits. At its lighter combat weights the Rafale reaches a thrust-to-weight ratio close to 1 and a maximum speed of Mach 1.8, and can supercruise with a light air-to-air load. Fully loaded it flies subsonic for most of a strike mission, using the external fuel to reach a combat radius of more than 1,800 km (about 1,000 nautical miles). The margin between empty and maximum weight, over 14 t, is one of the widest of any fighter in its class.