Join a French Rafale jet during a reconnaissance mission over Iraq

An interesting video brings you aboard a French Rafale during a recce mission over Iraq.

Here’s a footage filmed from a French Air Force Rafale involved in a reconnaissance mission on ISIS targets over Iraq.

The video is particularly interesting as it shows the aircraft perform the ground test of the Thales AREOS Reco NG pod, the reconnaissance pod carried by Rafale F3.

The pod can take pictures both at low and high altitude at very high-speed from stand-off distance. Optical sensors rotate 180 degrees and operate in two spectral bands (visible and infrared) to capture images of day and night view.

Noteworthy, the footage shows the Rafale take fuel from the Italian Air Force Boeing KC-767 tanker deployed in Kuwait to support the US-led coalition.

H/T Giuliano Ranieri for the heads-up

Related articles

• Mali Air War: Aerial Refueling Operations
• [Photo] French Rafale jets conduct first reconnaissance mission over Iraq
• Boeing KC-767 next generation tanker as you have never seen it before: Buddy Refueling
• [Photo] Rafale multi-role combat planes conduct first French air strike in Iraq
• We took part to an Air-to-Air Refueling mission on board a Boeing KC-767 during Ex. Star Vega
• [Photo] Rafale jets refuel over Baghdad during first French night air strikes in Iraq
• [Photo] French Rafale damages Refueling Probe while taking fuel from U.S. KC-135 tanker over Mali

About David Cenciotti

WebsiteFacebookTwitterLinkedIn instagram

David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.