Tuesday, October 2, 2012

First European production AESA fighter delivered

Today, October the 2nd of 2012, Dassault has delivered the Rafale C137 to the DGA. The aircraft should arrive in Mont-de-Marsan (CEAM) soon.

The C137 is the first production Rafale equipped with a production RBE-2 AA (AESA). It is also the first of a kind in Europe. It is also equipped with the brand new FSO and the new DDM-NG.

This is the result of a more than 10 years sustained R&D efforts. The aircraft should undergo an 18 months period of tests and experimentations (discovery of new possibilities) before entering operational service.


Source : DSI Presse

edit, video of the C137 rool out :

2 comments:

  1. While this is a milestone for Thales & Dassault, once again there are strong headwinds to overcome for the Rafale platform. There are clear indications that the negotiations with India are not going well and there is still a 50-50 chance that the Indians will throw Dassault's bid out because there are hidden costs that are now coming out as details are being thrashed out. Could end up being a big pay day for the Eurofighter.

    http://www.indianexpress.com/news/will-india-end-up-paying-more-for-rafale-fighters-/1002328/0

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  2. That's not what the chief of the Indian Air Force was reporting 2 weeks ago

    “The negotiations are absolutely on with Dassault Aviation,” Browne says. “We hope that at least this financial year [which runs through March 2013], we should be able to finish the negotiations and finalize the deal” for 126 Rafale fighters.

    http://www.aviationweek.com/Article/PrintArticle.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_09_20_2012_p0-498194.xml&p=1&printView=true

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