The Rafale follows the HOTAS concept – one where the buttons are placed on the throttle lever and the flight control stick, allowing pilots to access vital cockpit functions and fly the aircraft without having to remove their hands from the throttle and flight controls.

There are two sticks in the Rafale cockpit on either side of the pilot. The one on the right of the pilot is the flight control stick and the other one is the throttle.

The side stick controller on the right is connected to the aircraft computer and interprets the pilots input, which are then executed via various controls. The side-stick controller is force sensing with only a little travel.