Bugatti Chiron Sport VS Dassault Rafale Marine Fighter Jet: Battle Of Two French Behemoths

Bugatti is no stranger to unconventional drag races, as the Veyron took on a Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet in a drag race back in 2007. Fast forward 14 years, and it’s the Chiron Sport ‘Les Légendes du Ciel’ taking on the Dassault Rafale Marine fighter jet at a naval base in Landivisiau, north-west France. So which of these two beasts come out on top? Before we get to that, let's look at what the two competitors have on paper:

The special edition Bugatti Chiron Sport ‘Les Légendes du Ciel,’ limited to just 20 units, packs a 8.0-litre W16 engine delivering a bonkers 1,500PS of power and 1,600Nm of torque. Paired to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, and all-wheel drive, the hypercar is capable of a top speed of 420kmph.  

On the other hand, the Dassault Rafale Marine gets a twin-engine setup pushing an astonishing 58,550Nm (5,727PS) of thrust. If that wasn’t bonkers enough, the fighter jet can reach speeds more than 1.6 Mach or around 1,975kmph! While on paper, it is more of a massacre than a contest between the two competitors, the drag race tells a different story.

The Chiron sprinted off the line from standstill to 100 kmph in 2.4 seconds and then hit 200kmph in 6.1 seconds. Going up to 300kmph took 13.1 seconds and then hit 400kmph in 32.6 seconds. The Rafale fighter jet on the other hand hit 165kmph after 150m and 210 kmph after 250m. It then took off after 450m at around 260kmph.

Some interesting revelations were revealed by Pierre-Henri Raphanel, Bugatti's test driver who was behind the wheel of the hypercar. “I pulled away from the Rafale over the first few hundred meters, but after a few hundred meters more it was around 20 meters above and alongside me in the air. An incredible and fantastic sight.”  

Under braking though, it was the Rafale fighter jet that clearly had the upper hand as it came to a standstill from a touchdown of 280kmph in just 150m. It makes sense since it was built for landings in short carrier runways. The Chiron Sport on the other hand took 491m to come to a standstill from 400 kmph and 247m from a speed of 300kmph. 

The Chiron may not have been a proper match for the Rafale fighter jet, but it was briefly on top for the initial few hundred meters before the jet’s afterburners kicked in and quickly made up for lost ground. As such, the organisers declared the contest a draw. Here’s a video of the two going head-head: