Rafale News

[Olybrius]

La ferté_Alais 2010: Rafale M and TBF Avenger



Some amazing pics of the meeting here:
http://www.deltareflex.com/forum/vie...hp?f=16&t=2113

[Olybrius]

Jobim says that decision on fighters should be taken this semester
Noticias Terras , May 28

Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said on Friday he is confident that the decision on the bids for the purchase of 36 fighters, with competing companies from France, United States and Sweden will be taken "before the end of the first semester."

He explained that the matter is in the hands of the National Defense Council, which brings together various ministries, and shall prepare a report which will be discussed later with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who will make the final decision.According to a study prepared by the Air Force, the favorites to win the contest are the Rafale fighter-bombers of the French company Dassault , which compete with the F/A-18 Super Hornet, the American Boeing and Gripen NG, the Swedish Saab

The minister said he is confident that the process will be concluded before the end of next month.He denied that the campaign climate in the country could delay the decision. According to Jobim, "National Defense is not designed by political comings and goings " but for "strategic needs".

The minister recalled, moreover, that the renewal of the fleet of fighter-bomber is a subject that began to be discussed in 1995 and has since been suspended for different reasons. However, Jobim said that this time the process moves forward steadily and "will be completed."

From
http://noticias.terra.com.br/brasil/...+semestre.html

[Olybrius]

More about the last Jobim interview:

Jobim says it is the final phase for the report on fighters
Estadao , may 28

Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said that the final stage of drafting the explanatory memorandum that will go to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, pointing to the model of the fighter who will best meet in Brazil within the Strategy National Defense. The preference is for the French Rafale fighter.

The defense minister said that Lula "want to make the decision" still in its mandate. Except that the delay in presentation of the Jobim 's explanatory memorandum and subsequent convening of the National Defense Council, which will assess and approve the purchase, is worrying the airmen, who fear the proximity of the elections and the natural difficulties that arise in this period, for concluding negotiations and closing contracts the size of the FX-2, which can exceed U.S. $ 6 billion.

[...]

Asked if the subject was not experiencing many delays and could be hurt by the arrival of the [World]Cup and the elections, the Minister Jobim joked: "Cup and election has nothing to do with the purchase of aircraft. To my knowledge plane does not play football ". "the issue is the need." And said: "We must remember that the defense moves these political issues. To emphasize that the President wants to make the decision even in his government, Minister Jobim said that "the whole problem is that we begin to have a gap in air defense in 2015 and we need to forwarding this issue and do not have much time to play with it.

According to Jobim, "President Lula only take a decision after a demonstration of the Defense Council." For him, "before taking any decision.". He acknowledged that the process has dragged on since 1995, but expects to close the matter."It will take time to finish. But, as we are dealing with a purchase that relates to a period of 20 years, we can not pretend to be resolved in one week, one day."

Jobim also noted that even after a decision by the president, with the choice of model, also will begin a "long process of negotiation of commercial and financial" with the chosen one.

[...]

From:
http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/n...s,558322,0.htm

[Olybrius]

Pic of the day:

[Olybrius]

Hi Olybrius, I'm still searching for a pic of an MKI with a Rafale...

India, France to hold joint air combat exercise next month
Times of India , may 31

NEW DELHI: Six Indian Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, two IL-76 heavy-lift aircraft and a IL-78 mid-air refueller will be leaving for France for a joint air combat exercise with the French Air Force next month.

The exercise, Garuda-IV, will be held at the Istres airbase in France from June 14 to 25. "The exercise will help to further enhance interoperability between the Indian and French air forces since pilots as well as the ground crew will get to see each other's operational, technical and administrative practices from close quarters,'' said an officer.

The exercise comes at a time when India and France are all set now to ink the around Rs 10,000 crore deal to upgrade the 56 Mirage-2000 fighter jets in IAF's combat fleet. The first four to six Mirages will be upgraded in France, with the rest 50 or so being upgraded in India by Hindustan Aeronautics under transfer of technology.

Under the upgrade, the entire airframe will be stripped down to be re-wired and re-equipped with new avionics, mission computers, glass cockpits, helmet-mounted displays, electronic warfare suites and of course weapon systems to extend and enhance the operational life of the multi-role fighters by around 20 years.

India had first inducted 40 Mirages in the mid-1980s, with over 20 more being bought in later years. IAF has had a `good' experience with the fighters, which successfully carried out `targeted bombings' during the 1999 Kargil conflict.

India's defence ties with France are quite broad-based, including as they do the over Rs 20,000-crore project to build six French Scorpene submarines currently underway at Mazagon Docks.

France, of course, has also offered its multi-role Rafale fighter for the ongoing competition in the the gigantic $10.4-billion project to supply 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft to IAF.

From:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/i...ow/5992058.cms

[Panchito12]

Pic of the day:

Cheap photoshop job. I've seen a better one with the colors of the PLAAF and one in which they had put USAF markings as if based out of Hill AFB.

[Olybrius]

An interview of Pius Drescher , a former Ruag manager and current director of Rafale International in Switzerland. Its old (2009) but interesting for everyone following closely the Swiss competition:


Pius Drescher, Rafale International Schweiz und Robert Kühni, FliegerWeb.com

English:
http://translate.google.fr/translate...Dreportage-159

French:
http://translate.google.fr/translate...59&sl=de&tl=fr

From:
http://www.fliegerweb.com/militaer/r...=reportage-159

[Olybrius]

A ladder in Iran
Istoe Dinheiro 660 - May 28

Before deciding on the purchase of fighter jets, the Brazilian government will wait to vote in the UN economic sanctions on Iran.
The Rafale aircraft are favorites, but the government is closely monitoring the movements of French diplomacy.

I'm waiting to read the full article but i don't really buy it. If every time, Brazil binds FX-2 to such minor political considerations, they will never buy any aircraft.

http://www.istoedinheiro.com.br/arti...+ESCALA+NO+IRA

[Olybrius]

Rafale at Fairford, 2009:


Capitaine Cedric Ruet and his Rafale B - the 4th Gen French nuclear capable fighter - taking in their applause at Fairford

[Sancho78]

From:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/i...ow/5992058.cms

Great news, will be interesting to see them together!

[Olybrius]

A 164 pages interactive annual report is now available on the Dassault Aviation website:



http://www.dassault-aviation.com/fil...l?xtor=AD-38#0
http://www.dassault-aviation.com/en/...ash=8328870e9f

[Olybrius]

CDG in Brest , April 2010:







From:
http://www.foxalpha.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16698

[Olybrius]

Greek minister says no decision on military purchases soon
AP , june 2

ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Greece will hold off any purchases of warships or fighter planes, a top defense official says, as the EU's top military spender struggles to pull itself out of a financial crisis that pushed it close to bankruptcy.
[...]
Greece had also said — well before its debt crisis erupted — that it was interested in purchasing 40 fighter planes, a contract several countries have expressed interest in. Germany would like Greece to buy Eurofighter planes — made by a consortium of German, Italian, Spanish and British companies — while France is eager to sell its Rafale fighter aircraft, produced by Dassault. The United States is also interested.

"There are the Rafale, there are the Eurofighters, there are the American F16, F18, F35. We haven't entered into any negotiation with the production countries, much less into any internal government discussion on the issue," Beglitis said. "The issue is exceptionally premature for us."
[...]

From:
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/mark...tent=D9G33EH80

[Olybrius]

Once and for all ?

Jobim said that government announces winning bid for fighters at the end of the month
Fohla online , June 1

Minister Nelson Jobim (Defence) said that the Brazilian government will announce the winner of the fleet renewal program for the FAB fighters later this month.

Jobim will meet with President Lula on Friday to submit a report with an explanatory memorandum and to defend the choice of a competitor.
[...]
The report to be delivered to Lula has the option of an aircraft. Today, after receiving a medal from the Legislature state, the minister repeated his call that technology transfer has prevalence in the business, which can reach 18 billion, if the purchase of the Rafale is confirmed.

"We're not buying the plane, we are working with technology package for the development of a national company," said the minister.

Besides the "strategic alliance" with France, the basis of possible selection of the Rafale is that the Gripen and the F-18 parts were manufactured in the United States, which have a more restrictive policy on technology transfer and could prevent sales of Brazilian fighters with U.S. components in the future.

This fateful meeting has already been postponed before. Initially scheduled for March, the definition has been postponed to April and now this month. After exposure of Jobim, Lula must convene the Council of National Defense before publicly announcing the switch.

"The council gives an opinion, does not decide. The president takes the decision," he said.

The completion of the deal, according to the minister, will still leave in 2010, the last year of Lula mandate, after discussing the terms of trade and financial agreements with the chosen manufacturer.

If the schedule announced today by Jobim is correct, it will be the outcome of the FX program, which began in the Cardoso government.
[...]

Google translated from:
http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/7...l-do-mes.shtml

[Olybrius]

Toussu 2007 : Bleriot XI and Rafale M