Great head-on taxi shot James. Shows Waddo isn't an exact flat space! Interesting spray effects on take-off. From the right angle, videoing in bad weather can be interesting. Rafale is a good aircraft but the refuelling probe does look like a stuck-on afterthought.
"a stuck-on afterthought"? Nope. Mirage 2000 fighter jets already had fixed refuelling probes. Maybe not a visually good solution, but a proven solution. Rafale fighter jets are carrier-borne, and if you're flying over the ocean with a retractable probe failure, it means your jet is lost.. One example: on January 13, 2013, Malian government activates the France-Mali Defence Agreement. Al Qaeda Maghreb Islamic troops are rushing towards Bamako and Malian troops are defeated. 6 Rafale fighter jets take off from Northern France and fly to Mali, 6,000 km away. Jets flew over France, Mediterranean sea, Morocco and Mauritania in order to avoid Algeria, refueling *three times* during the flight (French Air Force operates 14 KC-135F). About six hours later, AQ columns are stopped by Rafale jets dropping GBUs. Landing in Chad after 9h 35mn in flight.. Almost a 10 hour mission.
