The Directorate General of Armament indicated that it had ordered 4 refueling pods additional, in addition to the 12 initially ordered, intended to equip the Rafale M for resupply missions. This capacity, inherited from the Modernized Super-Etendards, allows a Rafale to transfer 2 tonnes of fuel to one device (another Rafale), 700 km from the aircraft carrier, thus extending the range of action and/or the time on objective of the refueled aircraft.
This capability is increasingly critical today, with the development of the range and precision of anti-ship missiles in coastal batteries, forcing the aircraft carrier to operate further and further from the conflict zone. It is this same observation that led the US Navy to develop the MQ-25 Stingray refueling drone.