With the noticeable absence of its 4 main western competitors (Eurofighter, Gripen, F/A-18E/F and F-35) the Rafale is clearly the star of this year Paris Air show.
The week began with the visit of French President François Hollande and his Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian who played an active role in the first export successes of the jet:
In 3 months, 2 contracts were signed with Egypt (24 aicrafts) and Qatar (24 aircrafts + 12 options).
Within the same period, India also confirmed its intention to acquire quickly 36 Rafale off the shelf.
As the first export customer of the Rafale, the Egyptian delegation poses proudly in front of its future fighter jet. The Egyptian Air Force, will receive its first 3 Rafale within a month just in time for the inauguration of the new Suez Canal.
This 51st Paris Air show was a good occasion for several countries to visit the Dassault chalet, some of them quite unexpected like the Croatian Air Force delegation.
Also
present are the Mirage 2000D #676 and the "ABE-NG" testbed based on a
Fokker 100. The Mirage should perform the initial trials of the new
Thalès Talios pod while the Fokker will replace the 3 Mystere XX for the
Rafale equipment trials. It took 5 years for the French company Sabena to modify this Fokker 100. The early field tests should start in early 2016 with the IFF-NG and new communication systems for the Rafale. 
The ABE-NG features a
reinforced front section able to carry 500 Kg of equipment like the
RBE-2 AESA radar. The lower center fuselage can sustain a 1 tonne
loadout and the wings have also been strengthened to carry Mica and
Meteor Air to Air missiles. However, no missile can be fired as it is not the purpose of this aircraft.
Although it will primarily be used to
test Rafale equipments, the aircraft is completely modular and can be
adaped to assess non Rafale systems as well. Each electronic bay can be sent directly to
the manufacturer (they were designed to go through the Fokker main door)
so that it can prepare the setup to be tested in its own facility. The bays are on the right
side of the deck and 4 operator consoles are available on the left. The right seat of the cockpit can also be used to control external load (such as pods) thanks to a dedicated joystick and display. Moreover, 15
additionnal passenger seats are located at the back of the plane.
