Video, Switzerland competition as seen by the Swiss themselves

A must see video from the Swiss TV show "Mise au point" about the Switzerland fighter contest. The Journalist had the chance to meet all 3 contenders :

• Laage Airbase, Germany,  for the Eurofighter
• Istres Flight test center, France, for the Rafale
• Ronneby, Sweeden for the Gripen

 

Interesting points :

Eurofighter praises its larger radar and powerfull engines, Rafale focuses on its Front Sector Optronics and AESA antenna while Gripen emphasizes on it's small size and cheaper fly away price and maintenance costs.

During his Interview, Fernand Carrel, former Swiss Air Force chief and Mirage IIIS pilot, ranks the Rafale first on technical merits, then the Eurofighter and last, the Gripen :

"At the operiational level, the Rafale is the leader" He says.

According to him, the Swiss pilots would prefer the Rafale but he concedes that the final decision will be political and economical.

To the question what car would you compare your aircraft to, the Rafale pilot answer is quite funny :

• Eurofighter pilot : A ferrari
• Gripen.pilot : A porsche
• Rafale pilot : James Bond Aston Martin or Batmobile (lot of hidden gadgets in the Rafale ? Bond did have a DB9 with a cloaking device, didn't he ? ;))