Rafale News

British MoD considering Rafale, F/A-18E waiting for the F-35

2012-01-27T02:25:00.000+01:00

F-35C trials at Lakehurst Base ©Richards

Due to the recent tail hook issues encontered by Lockheed Martin during the first carrier landing trials of the F-35C, the British Ministry of Defense starts to think about a possible plan B if the american aircraft were to be delayed. The problem seems quite serious as it could lead to a major redesign of the rear fuselage of the plane and thus to significant additional costs and delay.

[...]

"According to The Times, Admiral Sir Trevor Soar, the current commander-in-chief fleet, said concerns were growing about rising costs and delays in the JSF programme, something now worsened by order cuts from the US.

Soar, who was addressing defence companies at the ADS Maritime Interest Group, reportedly said the UK might not receive the $100m per piece F-35 jets until a decade after the delivery of the carrier, currently set for 2019.

He was said to be considering the French Dassault Rafale and the US F-18 Super Hornet to give Britain an "interim aircraft capability".

Soar indicated that the JSF would be a major talking point at the next strategic defence review in 2015."

sources :

www.defencemanagement.com
www.bloomberg.com

www.navytimes.com

Rafale M carrier landing training at Lann Bihoué Naval Base

2012-01-27T01:59:00.003+01:00

5 Rafale M are currently detached to the Lann Bihoué Naval Base for carrier landing training. The base is indeed equiped with an Optical Landind System (OLS) similar to the one onboard the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.
Those trainings will also take place at the Istres Air Base in order to reduce noise disturbances for the civilians living near the Landivisiau Naval base from which the Rafale M usualy operate.

During those simulated carrier landings, the aircrafts are guided by both the OLS and the Landing Signal Officers (who are experienced pilots themselves) and must touch the runway in a very small box to validate the landing, then they apply full engine power and go for another approach and so forth. As during real carrier operations, each plane lands about 45s after the previous one.

Junior Rafale M pilots as well as veterans have to perform those intense trainings in order to be ready for the next Charles de Gaulle deployement that will take place next March.

Sources :
www.meretmarine.com
www.letelegramme.com

When MMRCA winner will be revealed ?

2012-01-24T22:47:00.000+01:00

Only 7 days left in January and still no sign from the Indian Ministry of Defense.
When do I think the winner will be announced ? My bet is Friday 27 2012, the day after the Republic day.
What do you think ? Vote on the rigth ! >>>>>

By the way, don't forget to check the "Twtter updates" field on the right for breaking news (Sometimes, I only tweet)

Rafale pictures of the day

2012-01-21T23:32:00.002+01:00

Casual training at Saint Dizier Air Base
Pictures credit : Reno62

nEUROn demonstrator revealed

2012-01-21T15:48:00.002+01:00

The nEUROn demonstrator has been officaly presented yesterday, January 20, at the Istres Air Base, to the representatives of the 6 partners of the project.

The project was initiated in 2003 by the French authorities in order to develop European aerospace expertise on key UCAV technology such as advanced stealth, internal weapon bay, tailless airframe flight control, and autonomous flight.
First flight is expected within 6 months

Official Dassault Aviation press release

A new life for the Rafale M F1

2012-01-19T20:53:00.001+01:00

The Rafale M10, ready to be upgraded

A very good news from LeMamouth : The retrofit process of the 10 first Rafale M has begun at the SIAe (Industrial Aeronautic Service) facilities near Clermont- Ferrand.

The Rafale M1 to M10 were delivered between 2000 and 2002 at the early F1 standard with limited capabilities (Mica EM and, Magic 2 missiles for Air defense and buddy-buddy refueling pod)

They were put in storage in 2008 waiting for their retrofit to be funded (€300 millions agreed in 2009). The first aircraft to be upgraded will be the M10. Each retrofit is expected to last 18 months. The final integration work will take place in Bordeaux-Merignac where the airframes will directly be inserted in the Rafale assembly line.

The delivery schedule is the following :

2014 : 2 aircrafts
2015 : 3 aircrafts
2016 : 4 aircrafts
2017 : Rafale M1 (which is currently used as a test bench for carrier trials).

MMRCA, 10 more days and more rumors

2012-01-16T21:42:00.001+01:00

Last air refueling before the announcement ?

On January 4, the MMRCA annoucement was to be made in 3 more weeks. Now, on January 16, it is intended to occur in 10 days or at least before the end of January. as per the last reports in the India press quoting sources from the IAF and the Ministry of Defense. So, it seems that the schedule is still more or less on track.

The Indian Express reports :

" The proposals of the two contenders — French Dassault Rafale and EADS Eurofighter — have been scrutinised and final calculations related to life cycle costs and transfer of technology details are being finalised. While IAF sources have said the winner would be announced in the next 10 days, Defence Ministry officials said the decision would be announced by the end of this month."
[...]
"The final signing of the contract, however could take up to six months, the sources said. The original plan was to sign the contract this financial year, but it could be shifted beyond March."

Now the rumors of the week :

Rumor N°1 : The Rafale package would be L1. What to think about this rumor ? Well, last week, it was supposed to be the Eurofighter, so it's a draw.
Rumor N°2 : Eurofighter partners, BAE and EADS would "dispute" each other in order to be the prime bidder of the consortium in India. Formally, it is EADS which is in charge of the Indian market. The question is why would BAE try to interfer with EADS leadership so late in the process ?
Rumor N°3 : Dassault would have just hired a famous Indian Public Relation firm. If true, this move rises the same question ... why so late in the process ?

All the answers in 10 days !

RAF General visits Rafale Base

2012-01-16T01:24:00.000+01:00

Royal Air Force General Simon Bryant visited the Saint Dizier Air Base on January 9. The Rafale system, as used in Libya, was presented to him by the technicians and officers of the Rafale squadrons. He Also flew a mission in a Rafale simulator. The Saint Dizier Air Base hosts some 40 Rafale.
Source: defense.gouv.fr

Rafale pictures of the day : Training at Hyeres Naval Base

2012-01-16T00:24:00.000+01:00

Lot of pictures of the 12F Rafale M squadron training at Hyeres air base during November-December 2011
from pics-aeronef

pictures credits: Boubou, Yocool83, Tiger83, Majb, Aurelien83

Serge Dassault confident about a first Rafale export soon ?

2012-01-15T17:50:00.001+01:00

Serge Dassault on I-Tele

Sunday January 15, during a debate about French economic issues on I-Tele, Senator Serge Dassault, president of Groupe Dassault, estimates that good news about Rafale export could be announced soon. However, he didn't tell which country could be concerned by this export.
The current 3 main export prospects for the Rafale are India, the UAE and Brazil.

Source : www.itele.fr

MMRCA, Thursday rumored meeting denied

2012-01-12T22:11:00.002+01:00

According to Indian Defense Journalist Shiv Aroor, the Indian MoD would have denied any meeting with EADS and Dassault Aviation on Thursday 12, contradicting the rumors leaked by Indian newspaper LiveMint last Monday.
If the Indian Ministry of defense sticks to its previous announcement, the 3 weeks delay to decide the L1 bidder should expire next week.
So as usual, wait and see...

French defence ministry awards innovative availability contract for Thales equipment on board Rafale fleet

2012-01-12T00:01:00.001+01:00

Thales FSO TV camera

Official Thales press relase
----------------------------
10 January 2012 – The French defence ministry’s integrated structure for through-life support of aeronautical equipment (SIMMAD) has awarded Thales the contract to support its equipment on board the Rafale aircraft in service with the French Air Force and French Navy. The ten-year contract, known as MAESTRO, is a renewal of the current through-life support contract and broadens the scope of responsibility to ensure that Thales works more closely with operational personnel to guarantee fleet availability.

Under the terms of the contract, Thales is responsible for supporting the Rafale’s phased array radar, electronic warfare system, avionics (displays, onboard computers, etc.), optronics (OSF front-sector optronics, cameras, etc.) and communication systems.

To guarantee fleet availability, Thales will optimise replacement parts management, logistics management and information flows between government agencies and Thales services, streamline equipment repair processes and deploy technical and logistics advisers to work directly with users on French military bases.

The fixed-price availability contract represents a major innovation in through-life support delivery and coincides with an increase in Rafale flight hours and the need to comply with tougher military airworthiness standards.

Merry Michaux, Vice-President, Military Aerospace Customer Support and Services Managing Director at Thales said: “Thales is particularly proud to have been awarded this new contract, which we see as a sign of renewed confidence in a trusted partner and an endorsement of our continuing commitment to drive efficiency gains in aeronautical equipment support. The innovative concepts and collaborative working methods that we are putting in place on military bases and shared platforms will make a significant contribution to optimising availability of the Rafale fleet and bringing down the aircraft’s cost per flying hour.”

The Smart Care concept implemented in the MAESTRO programme is the basis of a modular approach to availability contracting that Thales also proposes for other equipment types and other aircraft.

* MAESTRO : MAintien en condition opérationnelle des Equipements B et des moyens de Soutien Thales du Rafale Optimisé (Optimised through-life support for Thales Class B equipment and support systems for Rafale)
----------------------------

MMRCA, an announcement could be made on next Thursday

2012-01-10T02:33:00.001+01:00

Indian financial newspaper, LiveMint is reporting that the 2 bidders, EADS and Dassault, could be called next Thursday by the Indian Ministry of defense, possibly to reveal the winner of the contest.
According to the newspaper, some rumors (yet, not confirmed by the Indian Mod) would rank the Eurofighter as the lowest bidder. If true, the Eurofighter would technically be the winner unless the Indian government eventually decides that strategic concerns impose to select the L2 bidder.

Qatar and Kuwait waiting for UAE to decide, says Mr. Longuet

2012-01-09T20:54:00.003+01:00

Today, our Minister of Defence, Gérard Longuet, while invited by some aerospace journalists, talked about several topics...

Besides the tankers matter, he talked about the situation of Qatar (24 fighters) and Kuwait (18 to 22 fighters), two countries interested in Rafale, under a particular condition : they may pick the Rafale, but UAE have to lead the way. Longuet said the discussion with UAE are still under way, with no disruption, though admitting they are rightfully hard to please, given the complexity of such a deal.

Brazil, on the other hand, would have other priorities, and no short term decision is expected. Meanwhile, Mr Longuet kept on a positive stance about India. That's interesting since at the same time, Typhoon is rumoured to be the L1...

Lastly, Longuet made it clear that up to now, France is far from thinking about cutting Rafale orders.

Sources :
Defense News
Usine Nouvelle
LiveFist

MMRCA, India order 490 Mica

2012-01-05T02:53:00.001+01:00

As part of the Mirage 2000 upgrade program signed in July 2011 with Dassault Aviation, India has just ordered 490 Mica missiles for €950 millions.
As the Rafale also uses the Mica as its primary BVR missile, this event could be interpreted as a good news for the French fighter in the ongoing MMRCA competition.

source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

Video, Rafale leaves Afghanistan

2012-01-04T20:43:00.000+01:00

Afghanistan : désengagement d’une partie du... par ministeredeladefense

The 3 Rafale C that were stationed in Kandahar for 4 months returned to France last November 27. The video reports that 200 shows of force were performed during missions lasting between 5 and 6 hours with 3 to 4 inflight refuelings. During these 4 months the 3 Rafale logged a total of 1000 flight hours and 500 inflight refuelings. As far as the French fighters are concerned, only 3 Mirage 2000D remains in Afghanistan.

Source : http://www.defense.gouv.fr

Rafale pictures of the day

2012-01-04T03:11:00.001+01:00

3 very interesting pictures of the Rafale usual maintenance. The first 2 pictures show the setup used to remove the canopy. on the third one we can see the device necessary to extract the radar and the OSF.
Note : I don't remember where those pictures come from, so if you know who took them, let me know.

Happy New Year 2012 !

2012-01-04T02:00:00.000+01:00

Well, everything is in the title :)
If you need a calendar or a screensaver, you may find the official ones released by Dassault Aviation usefull :

Dassault calendar/screensaver

The beautifull drawings are from Romain Hugault, a famous French comic drawer specialized in aviation (and pin up:) art (check his website here)

Video, Carrier night landing

2012-01-04T01:40:00.000+01:00

A must see video of a near zero viz landing of a Rafale M on the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier. No fear !

French Navy pilots qualified for night operations are called "Hiboux", " Owl" and wear a distintive triangular patch (see below)

MMRCA, 3 more weeks

2012-01-04T01:22:00.002+01:00

Ok, we're back online :) Sorry for the delay !

MMRCA, no Gripen to steal the deal this time...

First things first, let's have a look at the MMRCA contest. So, what's new ?
Well... nothing ! The winner was to be decided before December 31, but apparently the Indian authorities will not reveal their choice before at least 3 more weeks which should be around January 20.
The reason for the delay is not clear. Tthey may need more time to fine tune their calculations in order to find out which of the 2 offers is the best one.Political preassure from both sides may also slow down the selection process. On December 30, the governements of the 4 countries producing the Eurofigther (Germany, UK, Italy, Spain) have issued a confidential letter to India Prime Minister to support the Typhoon offer. Whether it is good or bad news for the Rafale is difficult to assess. It could be interpreted as a desperate Eurofighter move in order to reverse a pro-Rafale atmosphere. But it could also mean that the Typhoon is leading and that letter would be the final formality before signing the deal.

I personaly think that such a letter is quite odd as it is very late in the process. The fact that it would be intended to assure the support of the 4 countries is also strange : The political strength of Germany and UK which are marketing the Typhoon in india would not be enough ? Why did they feel the necessity to rassure the indian authorities about their support of the Eurofighter program ? Could it be that India is doubting that the Eurofighter partners will actually put on the table all the fundings required to get a true multirole aircraft ?

Anyway, we will soon know. A third possibility for the MMRCA delay could be related to budgetary issues. Indeed, India economy is not at its best right now : India currency is quite weak and the 2 MMRCA offers are said to be higher than expected. Therefore some sources think that India would be looking for a suitable financial framework before signing. This could mean a reduction of the number of aircraft ordered, a delivery schedule spread on more time or, in the worst scenario, the cancellation of the MMRCA.

sources
http://www.dnaindia.com/
http://livefist.blogspot.com/
http://www.expressindia.com/

Rafale news will be back on line tomorrow

2011-12-21T00:39:00.002+01:00

We are off since December 10, but we are back tomorrow.

until then enjoy this Rafale solo display video from the Dubai Air show.

Excellence de la présentation du Rafale au Dubaï Airshow

Centaures, a new comic book staring the Rafale

2011-12-10T17:24:00.001+01:00

Centaures is a new comic book from Eric Loutte (Biggles) and Emmanuel Herzet staring the Rafale fighter jet. The 2 Belgian authors had the opportunity to spend 1 week onboard the Charles De Gaulle Aircraft carrier to gather priceless technical informations, feelings and pictures for their work. They also went to the Landivisiau Rafale simulation center for 3 days.

All the technical details have been checked and approved by 2 French Navy Officers, Commander Fabre and Rafale pilot Captain Guillaume Jacob which is a garanty for high realism.

A dozen of pages of the comic book can be seen on their web site as well as several videos from the French Navy.

More high resolution pages here and production drawing here

EAU, Flight global video report about the contest

2011-12-09T00:31:00.001+01:00

Brazil, 2 new Aircraft carriers in sight ?

2011-12-08T23:31:00.001+01:00

In early 2011 we published 2 news related to the Brazilian intention to build a new aircraft carrier. Then we hinted that the aircraft carrier design presented by DCNS at Euronaval 2010 was most probably an answer to a Brazilian request rather than to a French one.

2 days ago, French defense journalist Jean Guisnel published an article confirming that Brazil is indeed seeking an industrial partnership in order to build 2 CATOBAR aircraft carriers. Brazilian Defense Minister Celso Amorim would have tackled the subjet when he came to France on October 18 (19 ?). According to Jean Guisnel article, the Brazilian decision would be expected in 12 or 18 months.

This is of course a very important news as the aircraft selected for those carriers will most probably be the same as the FX-2 winner. If so, this is an advantage for the Rafale and the F/A-18E as they both are carrier capable.

MMRCA, rumors of an announcement tomorrow

2011-12-08T22:45:00.001+01:00

According to Stephen Trimble's blog on Flight Global, there would be rumors that the MMRCA winner could be announced tomorrow December 9.
The MMRCA winner should be revealed this month as the Dassault and EADS bids are expiring at the end of the year but most experts are expecting the annoucement to be made during the second half of December since Air Force Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne statement on Novemeber 18.

On the other hand, It's been one full month since the opening of the bids on November 4 and the Indian Ministry of Defense had stated then that 3 to 4 for weeks would be necessary to assess both offers and select the best one.

So, as usual, wait and see...

Rafale production, secured beyond 2020 at least

2011-12-07T22:27:00.001+01:00

Gérard Longuet revient sur les difficultés du... par LCP

Wednesday December 7, During an interview on LCP TV , French defense Minister Gerard Longuet stated that the Rafale production will be stopped if the Plane is not exported after the French forces have received all their airframes. The claim was immediatly spread out of context in many French and international media giving the impression that the production was about to be stopped which is obviously not the case as it is expected to run at least until 2018 (as reminded by Longuet) and most probably until 2022-25 at the current pace.

Edit december 8 :
To clarify Gerard Longuet statement, the Ministry of Defense has issued an official note stating :
"If Dassault does not export the Rafale, The production for the French army will not end before 2030. The deliveries will spread long after 2020. In the meantime, the aircraft will get upgrades between 2020 and 2030"

Malaysia, official Rafale international website

2011-12-07T21:11:00.001+01:00

Rafale International new website for the Malaysian contest.is on line since the begining of the Lima exhibition which is taking place from December 6 to 10

While browsing the site you will find the famous F-22 pictures taken with the FSO of the Rafale during ATLC 2009

Also read Flight Global article

Rafale pictures of the day, Rafale M at Hyeres Naval base

2011-12-02T02:38:00.001+01:00

More pictures by Jean-Louis Venne here
Also have a look at Mer et marine

Switzerland, the Federal council chooses the Gripen NG

2011-11-30T22:04:00.001+01:00

Official press release from Dassault Aviation / Rafale International

-----------

The Rafale team took note of the choice of Swiss authorities for the acquisition of their future fighter aircraft. It regrets that the Federal Council, as officially expressed, has "knowingly decided not to position Switzerland at the highest European level as regards the performance of new combat aircrafts."

The capabilities of the Rafale would allow the Helvetic Confederation to acquire a lesser number of aircraft to meet operational requirements, at a cost equivalent or less, as shown by the evaluations of the Swiss Air Force.

The "helvetic" Gripen exists only on paper. Its technical development and production should increase significantly the financial efforts of the Swiss authorities for the implementation of this program.

Rafale International thanks the 250 Swiss companies that have joined its project of Industrial Partnership in the 26 cantons of the Helvetic Confederation.

Bern, 30 November 2011

RAFALE INTERNATIONAL
Nathalie BAKHOS
Communication Export
DASSAULT AVIATION

-----------

So Switzerland has decided not to follow the recomendation of the Armasuisse experts and to go with the less expensive aircraft. So be it.
It's worth noting that this is the first export of the Gripen-NG which is not in service anywhere yet. So Switzerland is also taking some risks regarding the development of the aircraft.
Eventually, many people in the Swiss Air Force might wonder what was the point of the technical evaluation...

Also read Bill Sweetman report

Switzerland, Armasuisse officialy ranks the Rafale first

2011-11-30T20:24:00.001+01:00

A few days before switzerland makes its final choice, the main operational results of the Armasuisse evaluation have been released.

Armasuisse made a first evaluation of the Gripen, Rafale and Eurofighter in 2008. Several Air to Air and Air to Ground trials were performed by the 3 contenders, in Switzerland, in order to assess their relative efficiency in different roles.
A second Evaluation was done between March and August 2009 to take into account the upgrades and improvements of the 3 fighters in their "2015 form". This evaluation was based on data provided by the manufacturers or simulated flights. This final Armasuisse report, with updated rankings was released in November 2009 and is recommending the Rafale for the Swiss Air Force (confirming the rumors heard during the last 2 years).

In this report, each capability is ranked on 9 points, 6 points being the minimum score to meet the Swiss Air Force requirement (We understand that the 6 points benchmark would be the F/A-18C score)

©Basler Zeitung November 30, 2011

Basler Zeitung has published the scores for 2 main mission types (see above) : defensive and offencive Air-Air missions. The green scores refer to the 2008 evalaluation while the red scores refer to the final 2009 evaluation including 2015 improvements.

The Rafale is ranked first with 7.28 and 7.41 points,
The Eurofighter second with 6.49 and 6.54 points,
The Gripen is third with 5.68 and 5.62 points. Therefore it does not manage to pass the threshold of 6 points.

Various quotes from the report :

"Rafale and Eurofighter showed generally better performance than the F/A-18, Gripen worse"

"The performance of the Gripen in air-air engagements as well as attack missions was insufficient"

"The mostlimiting factors of the Gripen design were theoperating time, the flight performance and the maximum weapon load"

"The Rafale is the onlyaircraft that has met the requirements of the Air Force in all types ofapplications"

So the report is quite clear regarding the capabilities of the 3 aircrafts:
1- The Rafale is the best technical performer and thus recommended as the Tiger replacement.
2- The Rafale was ranked above the Eurofighter in both Air defense and ground attack missions.
3- The Gripen has serious weaknesses and is considered as a step back compared to the F/A-18 operated by the Swiss Air Force.

Sources:
Basler Zeitung
Bazonline.ch

Video, Switzerland competition as seen by the Swiss themselves

2011-11-29T00:59:00.001+01:00

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 ? ;))

12F Rafale M Squadron training at Hyeres Naval Base

2011-11-28T23:35:00.001+01:00

7 Rafale M of The 12F squadron have left their home base of Landivisiau, (Brittany) and moved to the Hyeres Naval Base in order to perform training with the French Navy ships based in Toulon. they will also work with the "Ile du Levant" facilities (missile tests). The training will take place from November 29 to December 16.

Source : defense.gouv.fr

Exclusive Rafale jacket

2011-11-28T23:16:00.001+01:00

After the 2 famous jackets designed especially for the Rafale solo display team, Dominique Gabille has made a third one for the author of the "30,000 hours" Rafale paintwork. Very nice ! :)
Domique Gabille is specialized in custom leather flight jackets paintings

Afghanistan, Rafale and Mirage support Italian troops

2011-11-25T01:16:00.001+01:00

Defense journalist JM Tanguy reports that a patrol of 1 Rafale and 1 Mirage 2000D has engaged Taliban fighters in order to support Italian ground troops. Apparently the timing was tight :

12h20 : take off
12h40 : retasking by the Italian JTAC
01h00 : The Rafale and the Mirage arrive on the zone
01h10 : GBU-12 are fired to Support Italian troops
01h30 : Show of force
03h55 : landing

The 3 Rafale deployed in Afghanistan will return to France in a few days

M88-4E engine program on track

2011-11-20T19:53:00.001+01:00

According to Snecma Dubai Air Show brochure, the development of the new version of the Rafale engine, the M88-4E is on track.

Feb 2010 : high altitude ground tests
March 22, 2010 : First flight on a Rafale at Istres Airbase
End of 2010 : Flight readiness certificate (after 70 test flights)
2011 : Endurance tests
End of 2011 : delivery of the first production-standard M88-4E

"The aim of this program is to extend the engine’s service lifeand time between inspections for several key parts. Upgradesare planned to the high-pressure compressor and high-pressureturbine"

So, nothing new but the fact that everything seems to run as planed

Pool, The most likely Rafale export(s)

2011-11-20T04:34:00.001+01:00

Brazil, Qatar, United Arabe Emirates, Switzerland, Malaisya, Kuwait, Greece, India ... all those countries have shown or are showing interest in the Rafale. According to you which are the most likely to order the French Fighter jet ?
You can answer this question in the pool on the right (multiple choices allowed)

Rafale Normandie Niemen squadron ramping up

2011-11-20T03:30:00.001+01:00

The 4th French Air Force Rafale squadron, EC02.030 Normandie Niemen is ramping up slowy at the Mont de Marsan air base and should be reactivated in September 2012..

It currently operates 4 Rafale C (source delta reflex):

C 113 / 118 IR
C 119 / 118 IX
C 123 / 118 GB
C 129 / 118 GH

The squadron should open its website soon with high quality pictures (sneak preview below). Meanwhile, you can check their facebook page. All pictures thanks to El Doctor. Also don't miss the superb Mirage F1 pictures on Checksix

Rafale program updates

2011-11-20T01:16:00.001+01:00

©Dassault aviation - A. Hernoult

Here is a quick list of the main points discussed in the last Fox3 issues

RBE-2 ASA

Performance evaluation passed
A2A detection/range exeed expectations
A2G and terrain following modes also tested
First production Rafale C delivered with an AESA in 2012
First production Rafale M delivered with an AESA in 2013
Qualification expected early 2013
First French Airforce squadron operational with the AESA in early 2014

Meteor

First flight envelope expension done in early 2011 (including carrier trials)
First batch of 200 Missiles ordered
Operational service expected in 2016

AM-39 Exocet block 2 mod 2

Integration on Rafale completed
Final operational evaluation in early 2012
Operational on French Navy Rafale in mid-2012
French Navy Pilot training with the missile has already started
Link 16 targeting from AEW aircrafts (E-2, ATL-2) is developed

DDM-NG (New Generation Missile Detector)

increase range and field of view / decrease false alerts
In flight testing in progress (2nd data gathering campaign completed in early 2011)

AASM

Extensively used in Libya by French Air Force and Navy Rafale (225 units fired)
success rate very close to 100%
GPS/INS/IIR variant operational since mid-2011
800 units of the 250kg type delivered (3400 ordered)
Range >50km for the 250kg type (57km demonstrated in Libya)
GPS/INS/Laser version

Qualification phase in 2012
Operational service entry in 2013
15km range with 90° of boresight release demonstrated against a 80km/h target with an acuracy of 1 meter

First firing trials of the 125 kg variant completed (80km range demonstrated)
1000kg version development expected rapidly
New guidance kit for antiship attack considered with datalink capability

Rover

Rover system fully operational on Rafale
Rover terminal fitted to the Rafale airframe (not the LDP) and thus also allows radar or FSO images to be transmitted to the FAC

Libya campaign

All missions were operated without any dedicated SEAD and EW support thanks to Spectra
Spectra Allowed accurate detection, location and attack of Libyan Air defenses
Spectra jammer allowed soft kills of the Libyan radar systems
GBU-12 used for dynamic targeting
AASM used against high value well-defended targets and SAM system (SA-3/SA-6)
Damocles pod used for laser targetting (GBU-12), identification and target GPS coordinates extraction (AASM)
Half of the Rafale M missions performed at night
Rafale considered as a key tool for ISTAR missions (Intelligence, Surveillance, Taget acquisition, Reconnaissance)

MMRCA, final choice in 4 weeks

2011-11-19T18:57:00.001+01:00

November 18, Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne said:

"We're calculating very hard. A lot of work is going on. In another four weeks, we should be able to wrap it up. No matter how long it takes, we have to get it right. There are a lot of complicated figures. But mid-December we should have a good sense of who gets selected."

source : Livefist

Rafale pictures of the day

2011-11-19T03:37:00.001+01:00

Pictures credit: Normandie Niemen squadron
thanks to El Doctor ;)

Rafale International, Fox3 issues n°15 and n°16 available

2011-11-18T21:32:00.001+01:00

Fox3 N°15 : Libyan operations

Fox3 N°16 : Rafale program updates

Previous issues:
Fox3 N°01
Fox3 N°02
Fox3 N°03
Fox3 N°04
Fox3 N°05
Fox3 N°06
Fox3 N°07
Fox3 N°08
Fox3 N°09
Fox3 N°10
Fox3 N°11
Fox3 N°12
Fox3 N°14

UAE, can Juppe overcome the price issue ?

2011-11-18T01:50:00.001+01:00

French Foreign Minister, Alain Juppe will be in the UAE during the end of this week. He will most probably try to overcome the price issue raised by the UAE authorities during the Dubai Airshow. Back in October, Juppe was personnaly tasked by President Sarkozy to manage the negociations with the UAE about the Rafale. According to the French Paper "Le Point" he would also be in charge of negociating the sale of the 60 Emirate Mirage 2000-9 to ... Libya.

UAE, tough negociations on the Rafale deal

2011-11-16T22:05:00.001+01:00

UAE, wednesday 16, Dubai Airshow.

"Thanks to French President Sarkozy, France could not have done more diplomatically or politically to secure the Rafale deal. Bi-lateral relations have never been stronger and his constant personal intervention in this process has sustained Dassault at the forefront of our considerations. Regrettably Dassault seems unaware that all the diplomatic and political will in the World cannot overcome uncompetitive and unworkable commercial terms."

This is how wednesday 16 began for Dassault: a straight and unequivocal declaration by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed reported by WAM the Emirates News Agency
The news, rapidly spread all over the web and media like a shockwave raising one question: does that mean the negociations are over and the deal is as good as dead ?

Well, even if the words are quite direct, they are also very precise : First the role of the French President in the negociations is saluted, meaning that there is no polical issue between France and the UAE. Then Dassault is pointed out for the price they ask for the 60 jets. I interpret that as a direct request from the Crown Prince to the French presidency to put pressure on Dassault in order to lower the price of the whole Rafale package.

So, is the deal dead ? Apparently no, or at least not yet. According to a French source quoted by Reuters, negociations are still ongoing and the Crown Prince declaration would be part of the trading "game". Indeed, the UAE are well aware that Switzerland and India are also about to sign for either the Rafale or the Typhoon in the following weeks. Therefore the Typhoon RFP and the public statement of wednesday morning are puting considerable pressure on Dassault. As a consequense, a Rafale failure in the UAE could put the French manufacturer in a very bad position in India. Clearly, Eurofighter Gmbh RFP announcement was a smart move, executed with a perfect timing. But as a matter of fact, the chess game is not over yet.

UAE, France still confident regarding the Rafale sale

2011-11-16T02:24:00.001+01:00

French Defense Minister and Air Force chief at the Dubai Airshow

Despite all the noise surrounding the RFP sent to Eurofighter Gmbh, French authorities present at the Dubai Airshow seem quite confident about a favorable outcome for the Rafale. Though they probably have been surprised by this announcement whereas they were hopping for a signature during the fair. Nevertheless, several positive statements have been made since the RFP development.

The French Air Force chief, General Palomeros has insisted on the fact that the technical part of the negociations (system upgrades and new weapon loads) have been settled and agreed. The UAE also abandoned their request for a more powerfull M88-2 after several successfull tests in hot temperture condition.

According to General Palomeros on ainonline:

"We would like to achieve a common standard, and invest in new capabilities" (additional radar modes, electronic warfare and communications).They [the UAE] are not buying an aircraft, they are buying a system, and France is a real partner”
[...]
"The negotiations are now about the cost of maintenance and manpower. The French defense ministry has also been negotiating a costed, long-term support contract with Snecma for the M88"

This is also confirmed by UAE's former Air Force chief, Major General Khaled al-Buainnain who said last Saturday to Xe.com:

"There's no required enhancements.The UAE has always special requirements. I think the enhancement issue is over, the issue is now financial and contractual. This is a massive project that needs deliberate study."

Tactical Report is also pointing out the fact that from the UAE point of view, the Typhoon RFP should not be interpreted as a lower interest for the Rafale.

With 3 highly important contests (UAE, India and Switzerland) involving the Rafale and the Typhoon, expected to be decided before the end of the year, both delta canard jet teams are pushing hard to occupy the mediatic ground and appear in a favourable stance.

UAE, another Rafale vs Eurofighter battle ?

2011-11-13T21:39:00.001+01:00

After India and Switzerland, it seems that another battle between the twin European fighters is on the way in the UAE. The Eurofighter consorsotium has confirmed today at the opening of the Dubai AirShow that it was asked by the UAE to make an offer for an unknown Typhoon number in order to replace the Mirage 2000-9 of the country. This comes as a surprise as France was supposed to be in final negociations to sell the Rafale. It's worth noting that it is Britain and BAE which are in charge of exporting the Typhoon in the Middle East. They had a first informative meeting with the UAE authorities about the jet capabilities on October 17.

What does this last minute development mean for the Rafale ? First it is almost certain, now, that no deal can be expected during the Dubai Air Show or even before the end of the year. As a mater of fact, the UAE ar not in a hurry (their Mirage 2000-9 are almost new) and they will take all the time necessary to squeeze the French offer until the last drop. By the way, this situation looks very much like when Saudi Arabia was negociating its Typhoon and put the Rafale in the Balance to get more from BAE and the UK.

Last year, The UAE had already asked Boeing to make a F-18E offer and earlier in 2011, they were also negociating with Lockheed Martin for additional F-16E.

Sources : reuters.com

UAE, Dubai Air show starts November 13

2011-11-11T21:05:00.001+01:00

The Dubai Air Show will take place from November 13 to November 17. The French Air Force will send 3 Rafale to the fair: 2 for the static display and 1 for the in flight solo display.
The French Air Force chief, General Palomeros, will be present at the opening ceremony on November 13.

The French authorities are in final negotiations with the UAE for the purchase of 60 Rafale, but it is not known if an announcement will be made during the Air show.

Libya, French Defense Minister congratulate the men and women engaged in Harmattan

2011-11-11T20:34:00.001+01:00

November 5, Mont de marsan Air Base, the French Defense Minister, Gerard Longuet, has met the men and women of the 3 armed forces who participated in the operations over Libya.
He notably underlined the first elint missions as early as February 23, as well as the first strikes conducted by Rafale and Mirage 2000 crews on March 19, while the Gaddafi Air defense network was still fully operational. Despite the risk, the French airmen managed to stop and neutralize the dictator's tanks a few hours from the Benghazi city.
source : defense.gouv.fr

Video, Rafale catapult trials at Lakehurst

2011-11-11T15:56:00.001+01:00

Back to the nineties ! Here is a very interesting video from the French TV show "Pegase". We are in October 1995 and the Rafale team has moved to Lakehurst, USA, to perform the 4th catapult and arresting cable trial campaign with heavy loads. In the Video, we can see the Rafale M01 captapulted with 2 full 2000L external fuel tanks (total weight: 19.2 metric tons). For safety reasons, those external tanks were filled with water to be droped before landing (as seen at the end of the video)

Lakehurst NAES, New jersey, is the only western facility equiped for land based catapult trials. The Rafale M01 did 4 trial campaigns at Lakehurst (one in 1992, 2 in 1993 and one in 1995). Then the M02 (2nd Rafale M prototype) started the sea trials on the Foch French aircraft carrier (now, Sao Paulo, in service in the Brazilian Navy)

At 1min40, we can see the most famous Eric Gerard, Dassault test pilot and former French Navy pilot who performed, with his collegue Yves Kerhervé, these early Rafale M trials (sweat 90s style pullover BTW :) )

View Larger Map

MMRCA, is a 5% price difference irrelevant ?

2011-11-10T01:47:00.000+01:00

Following the rumors about the 2 bids that were opened last Friday November 4th, lets speculate a little bit.
It is said that both bids are very close to each other with the Rafale about 5% cheaper. Although this difference may seem insignificant at first glance, it's still a quite large amount of money considering the unit price of a jet and the quantity bought by the IAF.

With a total order of 126 fighters, those 5% represent the price of 6 Rafale. That means that for the same price, you can either get 126 typhoon or 132 Rafale. It's as if Dassault was giving an additional plane for free for each squadron of 20 planes... nice :)

Now, if we estimate that the unit cost of the Typhoon is $100 million and the Rafale $95 millions (5% less), The total cost difference for 126 airframes reaches $630 million which represents no less than 700 mica missiles (given a mica price at $0.85 millions)

In this perspective those 5% start to make sense : Either you get 6 more airframes, or you can get enough BVR missiles to equip your entire MMRCA fleet (6 missiles per aircraft)...for free.

Yet, it also works the other way if the typhoon is the cheapest (as reported by Deccan Herald) ;)

Libya, The Last 4 Rafale have returned

2011-11-07T01:05:00.001+01:00

General Palomeros with a Rafale pilot

November 4th, 02;00 pm, The last 4 Rafale that were stationed at the Sigonella Air base, Sicily, have returned to their home base of Saint Dizier yesterday, as reported by the French Ministry of defense.The pilots were welcome by their family and the "Provence" and Gascogne" squadrons staff.

Source defense.gouv.fr
Rafale Libyan operation photo album
Previous messages concerning Libya on RafaleNews

Video, Rafale Solo Display, Sion air show

2011-11-06T20:03:00.001+01:00

MMRCA, first rumors on the bids

2011-11-05T03:14:00.000+01:00

India Ministry of Defense

So, the bids have been unsealed and their content revealed to Dassault, EADS and the Indian Defense Ministry officials.Then, each company has forwarded the figures to their respective government. The Indian MOD has already stated that the final decision will be anounced in 6 to 8 weeks. Until then, both competitors must respect a non divulgation agreement.However, some rumors are already leaking...

Rumor N°1 : Dassault bid would be only marginally lower, meaning that it will take some time to find out the best offer including all parameters.
Rumor N°2 : both bids would be above the initial 42,000 Crore ($10 billions) estimate of the Indian MOD stated in 2007. That's not really a surprise but, now, some sources are talking about $20 billions which is a huge increase.
Rumor N°3 : A scheduled meeting, on the sidelines of the G20, between French president Sarkozy and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan have been cancelled and the cause could be related to the MMRCA and the opening of the bids (well, this one sounds very unlikely).

sources :
livemint.com
www.tribuneindia.com
dailypioneer.com
livefist.blogspot.com
indiatoday.intoday.in (video report)

2 videos about the current Rafale deployement in Afghanistan

2011-11-04T04:22:00.001+01:00

En vol avec les chasseurs de Kandahar

Armurier sur Rafale

MMRCA, D-Day

2011-11-04T03:09:00.001+01:00

This is it. the Indian Authorities and the Executives from Dassault and EADS will know in a few hours who is the lowest bidder of the MMRCA contest.
Indeed, the procedure imposes to both contender to be present during the opening of the sealed offers.
Theoricaly the lowest bid should win but in fact the process is a bit more complicated as the offset proposals which were submited and approved last month and the maintenance/operating costs have to be taken into account to identify the best overall offer. According to the IAF Air Marshal at least 3 weeks will be necessary to compute the best package.

Check Livefist for possible hot news during the day !
Also read IANS article

MMRCA, the last US attempt to hijack the deal

2011-11-03T02:46:00.000+01:00

48h before the openning of the 2 finalists' bids, the US departement has initiated a last attempt to win the contest by proposing (again) the F-35 to indian authorities.

[...] India has demonstrated its interest in upgrading its inventory of fighter aircraft. It intends to
purchase 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft and is working with Russia on the development
of the Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA). The U.S. F-16 and F-18
competed, but were not down-selected, in the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA)
competition in April 2011. Despite this setback, we believe U.S. aircraft, such as the Joint Strike
Fighter (JSF), to be the best in the world. Should India indicate interest in the JSF, the United
States would be prepared to provide information on the JSF and its requirements (infrastructure,
security, etc.) to support India’s future planning. [...]

Honnestly I don't really understand the meaning or the purpose of such a move. Do they really expect india to cancel the MMRCA process if Dassault and Eurofighter bids are too high ? If so, a F-35 proposal would probably be out of the MMRCA price range too. Besides, India is already involved in a partnership with Russia to develop its own stealth medium and heavy fighters. It this context, it is difficult to imagine the US accepting to provide sensitive F-35 technology to India unless they intend to provide a F-35 "lite" with downgraded stealth capabilities.

Also read flightglobal Analysis

Return to the CdG

2011-10-30T13:05:00.004+01:00

For those who have not seen it yet, I repost this superb video from 2009-2010 showing the work of the Charles de Gaulle deck officers.

During le Libyan conflict from April to august 2011 the Rafale, Super Etendard and Hawkeye of the French Aircraft carrier conducted 1573 combat missions.

MMRCA, Bids to be opened November 4

2011-10-25T00:08:00.001+02:00

Original picture © Dassault Aviation - K. Tokunaga

Livefist Blog is reporting that Dasault Aviation and EADS have been Invited to the India Ministry of Defense for the opening of the bids on November 4.

"According to procedure, the contents of both bids will be read out to all present and then signed by all members of the Contract Negotiation Committee"

So, apparently there is a 2 weeks time shift in the initial schedule stated on October 8. Therefore we can expect the winning bid to be revealed at the end of November, early December.

Source: livefist

No export Future for the Rafale ?

2011-10-23T04:37:00.000+02:00

Source : flightglobal.com

Cassidian, EADS military branch, part of the Eurofighter consortium displayed a strange chart during the last Seoul Air Show. According to Cassidian predictions, the Rafale production will end up in 2019 with zero export orders while the Eurofighter will sell until 2035.
Well, we all know that marketing powerpoints always tend to twist a bit the reallity but this one is certainly over optimistic about the export potential of the Typhoon compare to the Rafale.

First, the Tranche 3B of the Eurofighter (124 aircrafts) is in very bad shape and will most probably be cut.
Then, the export prospects of the plane are certainly not as bright as the chart says : the probability to get orders from Japan and Korea is very thin (if not nil), and the risk that India and Switzerland go for the Rafale is quite high. Not to mention the UAE and Brazil where the Typhoon is not even considered at all.

In 2012 we should have a clearer view of the fighter market for the next 15 years and it could be very different from the Cassidian crystal ball forecasts as far as Rafale and Eurofighter are concerned..

Switzerland, a decision before 2012

2011-10-21T22:45:00.001+02:00

©Thierry Gay

The Switzerland Federal council should decide which aircraft to buy (Rafale, Eurofighter or Gripen) before the end of the year on the basis of a proposition submited by the Federal Defense Department (DDPS).

Meanwhile, the 3 contenders (Dassault, EADS and Saab) have been asked to update their proposal, made in 2009 before the end of October.
Since 2009, the exchange rate of the euro vis a vis the Swiss Franc and the Swedish Krona has droped by more than 17 %. The mechanical result is that the Rafale and the Eurofighter are now 17% cheaper than in 2009 whereas the Gripen price has remained more or less the same.

Therefore the principal advantage of the Gripen compare to the Rafale (the price gap) will probably suffer in the new quotations. One could also argue that if the selection process has been accelerated to take advantage of the favourable CHF/Euro exchange rate, the Gripen has already lost.
Furthermore, if the rumors about the Eurofighter being too expensive to match the Swiss budget despite the weak Euro prove to be true, this could mean that the Rafale will be in a very good position when the bids will be assessed.

Switzerland is expected to buy 22 new fighters in 2012 to replace her F-5 Tiger II

Libya, the end of Gaddafi

2011-10-20T22:28:00.002+02:00

(edited October 21st) Following the liberation of Sirte today, October 20th, an US Predator drone and 2 French Mirage (apparently a 2000D and a F1CR) would have stop a fleeing convoy with Hellfire missiles and GBU-12 bombs.

Colonel Gaddafi, would have took part in this convoy and would have been captured alive by Libyan NTC fighters but would have been killed (executed ?) later during a gun fight. .

"When the car was moving it was caught in crossfire between the revolutionaries and Gaddafi forces in which he was hit by a bullet in the head," said Mr Jibril, quoting from the official NTC report.

The death of the Libyan dictator will probably mark the end of the war for NATO forces. According to the French Ministry of defense, no weapon were fired by the French Rafale and Mirage jets during the last 32 Air to Ground missions because of a lack of targets.... until this afternoon.

Sources :
bbc.co.uk
Associated Press
SecretDefense
defense.gouv.fr

Rafale picture of the day

2011-10-18T02:16:00.005+02:00

Rafale M26 with 6 GBU-12 and 2 RPL741 tanks on the Landivisiau Naval Base tarmac on September 11th 2011
Picture credit : Bruno Dellière

UAE, Rafale deal probability is very high says French Defense Minister

2011-10-18T02:07:00.002+02:00

Rafale : "négociation finale" avec Abou Dhabi, selon Longuet

Paris, October 17th, when asked by the LCI TV journalist about the probability for a Rafale deal with the UAE, The French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet said "It is very high, It is very, very high" yet, adding that the deal is not done and that negociations are still going on between the manufacturer (Dassault), the UAE and the French state.

AASM IR is officialy operational

2011-10-17T02:01:00.001+02:00

©Sagem - P. Vodka Gallien

Official press release by Sagem

Paris, October 13, 2011
In July, the French air force and Naval aviation began operational deployment of the infrared terminal guidance version (SBU-64) of the Hammer IR AASM modular air-to-ground weapon.
Developed and produced by Sagem (Safran group), with French defense procurement agency DGA acting as program manager, the Hammer AASM is a family of air-to-ground weapons, comprising a guidance kit and range augmentation kit fitted to standard bombs. This makes the AASM a high-precision guided weapon with a range exceeding 60 kilometers.
The AASM IR version features a guidance kit with an infrared imager in the nose cone, along with the standard hybrid GPS / inertial guidance systems.
Following the initial deployment of the Hammer AASM, the French air force and navy carried out the first firing tests of this version of the AASM under combat conditions, all successful.
Adding infrared terminal guidance to the standard hybrid GPS/inertial version of the AASM, the Hammer IR proved to be particularly well suited to precision strikes against targets with uncertain coordinates, offering impact accuracy to within a few meters, even when GPS signals were unavailable. Missions are planned using Sagem’s own SLPRM mission planning and restitution system, already in service with the French air force and Navy.
The AASM has already been deployed in foreign theaters of operation, demonstrating its reliability and accuracy, including for long-range missions. Actual operations have shown that it limits collateral damage, and is able to handle high-value targets, previously reserved to cruise missiles, while also neutralizing enemy air defenses from safe standoff distance.
The GPS / inertial version of the AASM guided weapon, with 250 kg bombs, has been in service with the French air force since 2008, and with the French naval aviation since 2010.
A new version with laser terminal guidance, capable of engaging moving targets, is now completing development. Following qualification by the DGA, it will be delivered to French armed forces in 2012.

-------

Some 225 AASM were fired by the Rafale during the libyan campaign which is about 20% of the bombs used by the french Air Force and Navy

In the press, Nation Shield 476

2011-10-13T03:07:00.001+02:00

A nice article by JM Guhl about the last Rafale systems (Damocles, Reco-NG, AASM...) can be read in the September issue of Nation Shield (UAE armed forces Magazine).
The pdf can be downloaded directly on their website

Rafale pictures of the day, MBDA dadabase

2011-10-13T02:58:00.000+02:00

If you don't have done it yet, I recommend a visit to the MBDA image data base where several high res pictures of the Rafale B302 can be found. They are of course related to the various weapons developed by the company for the Rafale : Scalp-EG, Meteor, Mica etc. The B302 has been used by the CEAM (French Air Force trial center) to validate several weapon/systems configuations.
.

This one should ring a bell ;)

Close up of the DDM-NG (new generation missile launch detector)

Northern Mistral 2010, Rafale performs long range strike exercise with the RAF

2011-10-12T03:04:00.000+02:00

2 Rafale from the 01.091 Gascogne squadron participated in the Northern Mistral exercise on October 10th. (as part of the British Joint Warrior exercise). The purpose of the training was to coordinate the French Air Force and RAF assets in order to contuct a long range strike using scalp cruise missiles.
The Rafale took off from the Saint Dizier Air Base, performed inflight refueling above the North sea, strike the target located in the north of Scotland and returned to their base.

Source : defense.gouv.fr

UAE, Juppe in charge of sealing the deal

2011-10-12T02:21:00.004+02:00

According to "Les echos", the French foreign Minister and former Defense Minister, Alain Juppe, would be conducting the very last negociations to sell 60 Rafale fighter jets to the UAE.
More and more rumors are now converging to a possible announcement of the deal during the next Dubai Airshow in mid November.

MMRCA, the bids will be opened in 10 days

2011-10-08T16:35:00.000+02:00

"The process for acquisition of the MMRCA is on its last lap and we should be able to open the bids in 10 days time from now" Indian Air Force chief, Norman Anil Kumar Browne said today during the 79th IAF anniversary celebration.

Yesterday, October 7th, the Defense Acquisition Council approved the offset proposals of both Dassault Aviation and Eurofighter Gmbh. This decision, eventually secures the selection of the Rafale and Typhoon made by the IAF on April 27th.

According to Browne, determining the lowest bidder (L1) should take another 2 or 3 weeks after the bids opening because it requires complex calculations (life-cycle cost, aquisition cost and technology transfer)

"In the middle of November, we shall be able to announce to the whole world which plane we have selected, the L1 vendor" he said

So the final stage of the MMRCA seems very clear now :

Opening of the bids around October 18th (10 days from now)
Anouncement of the MMRCA winner between November 7th and November14th. (2-3 weeks to calculate the lowest bid)
Contract signed before the end of 2011 (As announced by India Defense Minister)
First deliveries by late 2014, early 2015 (36 months after the contract is signed)

Also read : Previous RafaleNews MMRCA related posts

sources :
economictimes.indiatimes.com
ibnlive.in.com
thehindu.com
livefist.blogspot.com

French Air Force TV spot

2011-10-04T01:59:00.002+02:00

Some nice Rafale footage in this French Air Force TV spot.

Fil'gouv

Note the Rafaut AT730 triple ejector rack loader at 0min 9s

Rafale picture of the day, Epinal-Mirecourt air show

2011-10-04T01:47:00.002+02:00

©JM Alvarez

UAE, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi met Sarkozy

2011-09-28T22:31:00.001+02:00

Paris, September 27th, Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi met French president, Nicolas Sarkozy. The Rafale sales would have been discussed.

source : www.khaleejtimes.com/

Switzerland, Budget for 22 new fighter jets approved

2011-09-28T21:40:00.002+02:00

Rafale B301 during the Armasuisse trials, october-November 2008

September 28th, the Council of the states approved the budget to order 22 new fighter jets, rejecting the referendum option.
If this order is stated in the 2012 defense program, the winner of the contest should be revealed before February 2012.

The next 4 months might be very hot for the Rafale with 3 major export prospects which could select (or not) the French fighter.

Source : www.lematin.ch/

As a reminder :

India :
126 aircrafts.
Contenders : Rafale, Eurofighter
Decision expected : before the end of the year

UAE :
60 aircrafts.
Contenders : Rafale, F-18E/F, F-16E/F (not an open contest)
Decision expected : possibly before the 2011 Dubai Air show (November 13-17th)

Switzerland :
22 aircrafts.
Contenders : Rafale, Eurofighter, Gripen
Decision expected : before February 2012

Rafale pictures of the day

2011-09-28T02:34:00.001+02:00

Today we have a very nice set of pictures of the Rafale Solo display team taken at Le Bourget 2011, Sion 2011 and Valenciennes 2009 by photographer Paul Marais-Hayer.
For more aviation pictures (Related to Rafale or not) check his Picassa web albums

Rafale pictures of the day

2011-09-25T22:32:00.001+02:00

Nice shots taken by Steve Vonlanthen during the Sion Air show, Switzerland

MMRCA, bids should be opened next month

2011-09-25T21:36:00.000+02:00

Sept. 22, Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne brought some details on the final selection process between the Rafale and the Eurofighter bids :

“We have a meeting of the Defense Acquisition Council on October 7, where some of the issues are going to be discussed. Once those issued are cleared, hopefully by the middle of month, we should be in a position to open the bids. We are in final stages of this process and hopefully [will] be done by the end of the year.”

sources :
aviationweek.com

FX-2, No fighter order in 2012

2011-09-25T20:57:00.000+02:00

New York September 23 rd, Brazil president Dilma Rousseff told French President Sarkozy that the purchase of 36 new fighter jets for the Brasilian Air Force will be put on hold during 2012 unless the economic situation improves :

“Depending on the evolution of the global economic situation, if the crisis turns out to be less severe than some imagine, then those plans can resume next year”

The French Press also reported that Dilma Rousseff would have stated to her French conterpart that she would favour the Rafale if the bidding process was to be resumed.

MMRCA, French general interview about the Indian contest

2011-09-23T20:21:00.001+02:00

Nuclear capability, a key feature for India ?

The Times of India has published an interview of the French Air Force chief, General Palomeros. When asked about the Rafale Vs Eurofighter contest, the General provides some interesting points :

How does the Rafale match up with the Eurofighter Typhoon, the two finalists of the Indian MMRCA race?

"Rafale demonstrated its full capability during the Libya operations. We had 90 to 95% serviceability as well as reduced maintenance costs of both Rafales and Mirages. During the first three days, French air force was the only air force flying over Libya. We were able to enforce the no-fly zone as well as strike Gaddafi's forces with precision and minimum collateral damage. Rafale's digital reconnaissance pods provided a lot of intelligence in real-time for the strikes.

I do not want to compare fighters but Rafale was designed as a multi-role platform from the very beginning. It has been a real success, as shown in Afghanistan, Libya and elsewhere. I must also stress Rafale is nuclear-capable. It has real growth potential. France will be more than happy to develop it with India. It is, of course, up to India to now select the best platform it needs."

First, the General claims that the French Air Force was the only Air Force over Libya during the 3 first days of operations. That's very surprising. Officially the First French fighters were deployed on March 19th and other allied aircrafts were involved the next day. Therefore, if it's not a typo, that would mean that the French fighters were flying over Libya since March 17th for intelligence purpose.

It is worth noting that the General see the fact that the Rafale is a nuclear capable platform as a valuable argument for the MMRCA contest. Besides the ability to carry heavy nuclear missile and fuel tank, the nuclear mission also relies on the rafale capability to avoid Air defense systems and penetrates deep inside the Ennemy territory... a skill that could make the difference when India will make her final choice.

Also read : French Air Force General at Aero India

Rafale pictures of the day

2011-09-21T01:11:00.004+02:00

2 Superb pictures by Gregoire Delatte
FoxAlpha.com

Rafale C129, first Normandie Niemen Rafale seen at Mont de Marsant. Picture by Rozanoff

Flotille 11F switches to Rafale M

2011-09-19T21:12:00.000+02:00

Monday September 19th, the French Navy Flotille 11F has officially switched from the Super Etendard to the Rafale M. This second Rafale M unit should be operational next summer. Capitaine de Fregate Bertrand Lepoutre is the new commander of the 11F.

Formaly named "1F" after WW2, the Flotille will only get its curent name in 1953. At the time the Flotille 11F flies on F4-F Helcat and is deployed in Indochina. In 1955 the Hellcats are replaced by Aquillion which will served during the Algerian conflict. From 1962 to 1978, The 11F operates the Etendard IVM and since 1978, the Super Etendard and its modernized versions.

Based at Landivisiau Naval Base, the 11F have been deployed several times to Afghanistan since 2001 onboard the CdG aircraft carrier.

The same day, Capitaine de Fregate Jean de Larivière has taken the Command of the Flotille 12F, the first Rafale M unit which entered operational service in 2004.
Source : www.defense.gouv.fr

Libya, Rafale stats

2011-09-19T03:19:00.000+02:00

Air&Cosmos published the Rafale stats after s 6 months of the Libyan campaign.
The French Air force Rafale were the very first fighter jets of the coalition to enter the Libyan air space on March 19th 2011 forcing the Gadhaffi forces attacking Benghazi to retreat.
8 Rafale B/C and 4 Mirage 2000 D/-5 took part in this first day operation destroying several tanks after a more than 2000 km flight from their home bases in France.
3 Days later, the Rafale M deployed onboard the CdG aircraft carrier were conducing their first recce mission over Libya.

All in all the Rafale M have remained 4 months in the theater logging 2000 flight hours in 1000 sorties (more than 7 sorties/day, 2 hours/sortie).

The Rafale B/C are still operating from the Sigonella Air Base, Scicilia, after 6 months of operation. They have logged 4000 flight hours in 900 sorties (more than 5 sorties/day, 4.4 hours/sortie)

it is worth noting than the Rafale M were able to performed 10% more sorties in a shorter amount of time (about 20% less days on site) than the Rafale C due to the fact that they were operating closer to the war zone. Even more striking is the fact that the Rafale M logged twice less flight hours for about the same number of sorties for the same reason (Aircraft carrier very close to the Libyan coast).

The 1900 Rafale sorties represent more than 40% of the French Forces sorties and were splitted as followed :

offensive sorties (A2A and A2G) : 855 (45%)
Recce sorties : 855 (45%)
Budy-budy refueling (Rafale M only) : 190 (10%)

Also read :
Rafale goes to Libya... for war
Details on Rafale mission over Libya
First pictures of the Rafale engaged in Libya
First Rafale M mission over Libya
Video of the carrier operations onboard the CdG

Switzerland, National council approved the new fighter jet acquisition

2011-09-19T02:08:00.002+02:00

Switzerland National Council

After the Federal Council which had recommended the passing of a special budget to order 22 new fighter jets, the Swiss National council has halso voted the acquisition of new aircradts to replace the F-5 tiger II.

The 24heures web site also confirmed that Armasuisses officially ranked the Rafale first after the 2008 technical evaluations, in front of the Eurofighter and the Gripen.
The evalution was including some 30 flights per aircraft during which swiss test pilots were able to assess Air2Air, Air2Ground and recce capabilities of the 3 contenders. Compliance to the Swiss Air Force facilities and maintainability of each jet were also evaluated.

Though, the Eurofighter consortium is said to be leading on the offsets ground with about €6.6 billions while the Rafale International proposition would be around €5 billions.

The rafale offsets offer would include :

A Rafale final assembly line and maintenance center
The production of structural items
The Mica missile production
The development of the Rafale HMD, the OSF-NG and Spectra self defense system
Several othe military or civilian industrial cooperations (CFM-56 engine, Falcon business jets, military and civilian avionics)

According to 24Heures, the Rafale main avantages were its excellent results during the evaluation (It fullfilled 95% of the Swiss technical requirements) ad its price would match the Swiss budget. Conversely, the Eurofighter would be too expensive both to buy and maintain.

Sion Air Show 2011

2011-09-19T01:18:00.002+02:00

The Rafale Solo display team was at the Sion Air show last Weekend in Switzerland. Beautifull pictures of the Rafale and other aircrafts can be seen on SpottingZone and FoxAlpha

Pictures credits :
Thierry Gay

Paul Marais-Hayer
ChristianB.

the first swiss pilot with a Rafale patch :)

Video, 30,000 hours Rafale scheme making of 2

2011-09-14T20:49:00.003+02:00

Nice job guys !
Source : http://www.dassault-aviation.com/
Also read : Rafale 30,000 hours special paint job

Switzerland, Rafale would lead the competition

2011-09-12T04:08:00.002+02:00

According to the Swiss site Basler Zentung, the Rafale would have been ranked first during the evaluation made by Armaswiss since 2008. Eurofighter would be at the second place and the Gripen third.
Due to favourable exchange rate between the Swiss Franc and the Euro, Switzerland could speed up the acquisition process of new fighters to replace the F-5 Tiger II. The winner could be announced before the end of the year..

Video, Rafale IR decoy launches

2011-09-10T19:42:00.001+02:00

Very interesting video showing the Rafale praticing IR decoy launches

Full video of the RIAT 2011 Rafale solo display with in cockpit footages

2011-09-10T19:31:00.003+02:00

Rafale picture of the day, AASM-IR and Reco-NG pod

2011-09-08T00:23:00.002+02:00

Another picture of the AASM-IR used in Libya seen on the French Mindef website

According to Air&Cosmos, several AASM-IR have been fired during the last weeks

A Rafale pilot prepares its reco-NG pod before flight

Nuke test at Istres

2011-09-06T00:43:00.004+02:00

©Tucano13800

A quite rare sight of A mirage 2000N from the 03.004 "Limousin" squadron carrying an ASMP-A nuclear missile. It was spotted yesterday by Tucano13800 at the Istres Air base. I could be wrong but the missile looks like an instrumented one. This impressive tri-sonic missile is also operational on the Rafale B/C and M since summer 2010 (2009 for the Mirage 2000N)

Lybia, pictures onboard the CdG

2011-09-05T20:47:00.001+02:00

Beautifull set of pictures taken by French photographer Thomas Goisque, onboard the CdG when the aircraft carrier was enforcing the no fly zone in Libya.

Also don't miss the reportage onboard the Tonnerre helicopter carrier

FX-2, Rafale presentation to the Committee on External Relations and National Defense

2011-09-05T02:45:00.005+02:00

After Saab and Boeing, the Rafale Consortium has presented its project to the Brazilian Committee on External Relations and National Defense.

The main points raised by Jean-Marc Merialdo (Director of Dassault International and representative of Brazil's Rafale International in Brazil) were the following:

The 3 companies of the Rafale Consortium (Dassault Aviation, Thalès and Snecma) have extensive experience in the international aviation market.

135000 people
sales : $40 billion
backlog : $100 billion
Dassault has delivered more than 8000 aircrafts to 70 countries and developped more than 100 prototypes

The Rafale advantages:

Twin engine aircraft for more power and safety (flying over dangerous areas like Amazon forest or Atlantic ocean)
Omnirole capability : perform Air to Air, ground attack and tactical or strategic reconnaissance mission in the same flight.
Replace several types of aircrafts : simplify logistic and crew training.
The only aircraft able to carry 1.5 times its empty weight while remaining very compact.
Range/payload efficiency sligtly better than the much larger Super Hornet and far better than the Gripen.
Production garanteed until 2030 for French need only.
Ranked first in Korea contest (F-15 won on political ground only)
Shortlisted by India who dismissed both the Gripen and the Super Hornet
Navy version operational on medium carriers (unlike Gripen)
90-95% commonality between the navy and Air Force Version allowing common logistic support and crew training

Transfer of technology:

100% from french origin
French Transfer of technology only depends on the French presidency (unlike US TOT which need the Congress agreement) and has already been granted
Transfer of technology is considered as a part of the strategic partnership betweenBrazil and France and will be without restriction

Offset Examples :

Integation of new weapons through source code transfer
Production of the Rafale wings for Brazil, France and other export costumers
Production of the Radar
Engine maintenance
Development of new weapons
Future devolopments for Brazilian or French needs
When acquired by Brazilian engineers, the techologies are not restricted and can be used in other strategic areas
Dassault, Thales and Snecma has already a strong cooperation experience with the Brazilian Industry
Offsets reach 160% of the aircrafts purchase (both in defense and civilian projects)
Direct offer to purchase a dozen of Brazilian KC-390 including French industry support for the aircraft development

Low risk program with strong commitment from both French government and industry

source : http://www.defesanet.com.br

Libya, AASM-IR is combat proven

2011-09-03T17:36:00.001+02:00

Since august 18th and a picture released by the French Air Force, There were strong rumors about the first strikes using the AASM-IR in Libya. Indeed, the 2 AASM visible on the picture (see on the left) had the typical transparent window of the AASM-IR head.

It now has been confirmed by Air&Cosmos in its yesterday issue that the IR version of the AASM bomb has actually been fired in Libya for the first time, a few weeks only after it entered operational service on the Rafale.

The AASM-IR (SBU-64) is capable of 1m accuracy compared to the 10m of the GPS/INS version (SBU-38).
A new anti-tank mode (new targeting algorithms to recognize vehicles) is also under development for this smart bomb.

Rafale picture of the day, face to face with a warrior

2011-09-02T22:16:00.002+02:00

A truly beautyfull picture by Gregoire Delatte from SpottingZone
Note the gun muzzle under the left wing root which is usually masked by a composite cap (desintegrated by the first round).

Libya, Rafale M14 "wave off" at Luqa, Malta

2011-09-02T22:01:00.001+02:00

A short video of the first Rafale M visit to Malta last June, 8th. We still don't why this Rafale made this fly by before returning to the Charles de Gaulle.

Libya, Rafale pictures of the day

2011-09-02T02:16:00.003+02:00

A Rafale B at Sigonella Air Base, ready for a Recce mission over Libya.

Rafale C. Note the thrust vectoring nozzle and the data link antenna on the Mica IR

pictures credit : http://www.defense.gouv.fr/

Video, the reco-NG pod in action

2011-09-02T01:43:00.001+02:00

La chaîne de mise en œuvre du « Pod Reco-NG » par ministeredeladefense

New generation recce pod
operational on Rafale since october 2010
operated from the Sigonella air base since July 2011 and over Libya since the the first day of the no flight zone enforcement (and presumably 3 weeks before it)
Length : 5m / weight: about 1 tonne
forward sensor : Visible and IR spectrum / Rear sensor : IR only
4 technicians needed to mount the pod
Typical mission over libya : 02h45min / 15 recording points
The pictures are transmited inflight using a dedicated antenna deployed on the air base

Les Echos on the UAE deal

2011-09-01T08:53:00.005+02:00

Dassault is to submit the final commercial bid to the UAE before mid-September.

According to Les Echos today, after the strong demonstration of its capabilities in Libya, the UAE have dropped their requirements on improved thrust and enhanced Spectra...

This article comes as a confirmation of what was published in July.

This is the Rafale B311, one of the Rafale based at Al Dhafra (BA104), here spotted in India

Picture credit : Arpit Agrawal

First Normandie Niemen Squadron Rafale !

2011-08-31T22:42:00.002+02:00

Here it is ! As far as i know, this is the first high viz squadron insigna seen on a Rafale.

Picture credit : ©Peyo
Also read : http://www.air-cosmos.com/

Rafale 30,000 hours special paint job making of

2011-08-30T01:26:00.004+02:00

Happy Design, the company who made the beautifull Tiger Meet 2011 Mirage 2000C camo as well as the now, most famous "Petit prince" 30,000 hours commemorative paint job on the Rafale C118 and C121 has published a video and some interesting pictures of the different steps of the painting process made by the company ACOS. It took them only 6 days to complete the job using a paint with a different chemical base than the Rafale usual paint in order to remove it without damaging the military coating of the jets.

Pictures credit: ©Sébastien OGNIER

The "Neu-Neu" will be back soon

2011-08-26T12:47:00.011+02:00

"Neu-Neu" is the nickname of a legendary French squadron, the "Normandie-Niemen" :

In 1942, during World War II, after an initiative by the General De Gaulle, some French entered the Resistance, while others moved to UK, Nothern Africa, Middle East, and Soviet Union so as to fight the Nazis.

Upon those people, some founded the squadron "Normandie" in Libanon. The "Normandie" was then moved to the Ivanoso airfield (250km North East of Moscow) and started its epic battle against the Luftwaffe in 1943, operating the Yak 3 among other types.

They rapidly became famous, decorated by both France and Soviet Union. Staline himself, in July 1944 added "Niemen" to "Normandie" after the name of a river and its associated battle. During the war, the Normandie-Niemen flew 5240 missions, and got 273 confirmed air victories with 36 probable.

After WWII, the "Normandie-Niemen" flew over Indochina, Algeria, Rwando, Bosnia, Serbia...

It was put on standby in July 2009, waiting to be reactivated in 2012 with brand new Rafale F3.

The time has come. The first spotted Rafale F3 flying the legendary Normandie-Niemen insignia is the C129. It left Mont de Marsan on Thursday, 25th of August 2011.

Picture 1 from ECPAD website
Picture 2 from http://normandieniemen.free.fr

Edit : while waiting for the first 02.030 Rafale picture, here are some nice patches seen on a Normandie-Niemen pilot at the last Saint Dizier Airshow

Maks 2011, Rafale solo display

2011-08-20T02:06:00.002+02:00

It is also worth noting that this is the first Air Show of the Sukhoi T-50.