Rafale News

[Olybrius]

France confident about the sale of Rafale in Brazil
R_euters, Feb 14

French authorities expect soon the announcement of an initial order of 36 Rafale fighter jets from Dassault Aviation in Brazil after the start of exclusive negotiations with India for the supply 126 of these devices.

"Politically, strategically, financially, all elements combine to lead Brazil to confirm its choice of the Rafale," it was explained to ******* on Tuesday by French government sources, after similar echoes from Brasilia.

"We always said we were confident, in the current situation we are even more confident," the source added. "Everything suggests that Brazil is about to confirm the choice of the Rafale. The question, now is the time."

Two decisive factors have convinced the Brazilians to choose the French plane after years of procrastination, says one in Paris: the demonstration of efficience of the device at the air support operations in the Libyan revolution and the Indian decision.

The fact that India, an emerging country like Brazil, have pre-selected the Rafale proves the excellence of the device but also reassure other potential buyers on long-term production of the French plane and offer hope about a future decline in unit cost due to the volumes produced, it is argued the same source.
[...]

Google translated from:
http://fr.*******.com/article/frEuro...8DE5CB20120214

[Loke2]

According to information reaching the Maurer's Gripen E / F in the final report of the Evaluation of the "operational effectiveness" of a 9-point scale a score of 5.81 points. In the "operational suitability" of the Gripen reached 6.87 a 'satisfactory' and in the overall score is also a "satisfactory" with 6:36 points. These values ​​are significantly higher than those mentioned in the published reports on Sunday. There was always worse than the Gripen, the cut off score of 6.
The report was created in 2008 with the type of the Gripen C / D. How has the development of the airplane affecting leave be calculated.
Feedback from Sweden about the changes to the model development steps towards E / F have now shown that these assumptions will be exceeded, said Air Force Chief Markus Gygax.

Google translated from: http://www.tagesschau.sf.tv/Nachrich...Entscheid-fest

14:30 Another question: In the November 09, there were doubts about the air policing capability. What has changed since then?
Gygax: In the meantime, the aircraft was developed. Planned further developments, where they had been sceptical at first had, meanwhile, proved to be more likely

.

http://www.blick.ch/news/politik/der...id1766990.html

No "far-fetched" discussions, but no propaganda either...

[Loke2]

The risk was indeed weighted but probably not as you explain.

From the leaked 2009 document, Executive Summary, second paragraph: "The effectivness score obtained by improvements have been corrected by a credibility factor which was a function of the block upgrade readiness level".

http://files.newsnetz.ch/upload//1/2/12332.pdf

I think we need to implement a credibility factor on this Rafale News thread soon...

[Olybrius]

Brazil hopes for cheaper FX-2 fighter deal
[...]Brazilian negotiators reportedly received French offers of discounts of up to $2 billion in the total price if Brazil chooses Rafale as its jet fighter of choice.[...]

From:
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Sec...5551329257122/
But UPI is not very reliable source (F16, EF still in the race ...),

[Olybrius]

I think we need to implement a credibility factor on this Rafale News thread soon...

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums...=1#post5851057

[Olybrius]

Ueli Maurer's interview by RSR (in french):
Click on "sur ce sujet": "La riposte du ministre de la Défense, interviews d'Ueli Maurer "
http://www.rsr.ch/#/info/les-titres/...ns-gripen.html

Not at all clear , especially regarding new offers coming from Dassault or Eurofighter... He first says yes we will examine it ... but seems to say the opposite a few minutes later lol

[Dankster]

Careful now, Dassault should know better than to prematurely declare victory in Brazil. For all we know, they could delay the decision by another year (or five). But hopefully they won't, it sounds like the MMRCA deal could open up the floodgates for more Rafale customers.

[Olybrius]

Government suspends, at least until May, the decision on fighter purchase
Valor Economico , feb 15

The President Rousseff suspended at least until May, any decision regarding the purchase of new fighters to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), but takes into account the new scenario created with the purchase of French Rafale fighters to India last week . It was reported to Valor by an authority with a seat at the Presidential Palace that there are also chances that the FAB choose the Super Hornet of U.S. Boeing.

The government, the source said, will await the outcome of presidential elections in France in March, and Dilma talks in April, with the U.S. president, Barack Obama, who has been lobbying in favor of the American jet.

In France, there is an expectation that Brazil announce soon the order of 36 Rafale combat aircraft. According to French press reports, the government of President Nicolas Sarkozy is right that Brasilia will confirm the choice of the French plane in the wake of the efficiency of the operations in support of the revolution in Libya and India's decision to purchase the aircraft.
[...]

Google translated from:
http://www.valor.com.br/brasil/25311...ompra-de-cacas

For Estadão, Rafale is the favorite but US will try to take advantage of Dilma visit in April.

[...]
The White House expects the Brazilian government will abandon its preference for the Rafale , from the French Dassault, and choose the Boeing SuperHornet.
[...]
According to the diplomat, the U.S. hopes to have the opportunity to narrow the "personal relationship" between the two presidents during the visit of Dilma.
[...]

Google translated from:
http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/i...-,836109,0.htm

[Olybrius]

For those who like Dassault aircraft, a Flying report about the new Falcon 900LX:

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/87/flyingk.jpg
http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/969/dass1.jpg
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/9531/dass2.jpg
http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/4364/dass3.jpg

[Olybrius]

TLP 2012-1:

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/3738/avc00238952.jpg
From:
http://www.aviationcorner.net/index.asp

For the record:
http://www.albacete-airbase.com/reporttlp20121.htm

[lander]

For those who like Dassault aircraft, a Flying report about the new Falcon 900LX:

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/87/flyingk.jpg
http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/969/dass1.jpg
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/9531/dass2.jpg
http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/4364/dass3.jpg

Man she's a beauty!

[ArcDeus]

Man she's a beauty!

An expensive one !

[Olybrius]

Confusion about Maurer's offer to Dassault
20 Minuten Online, feb 15

The French Rafale producer should make a concrete offer , Ueli Maurer told the media. Such an offer is unusual. The Department [Mindef] remains silent.

Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer caused astonishment in front of the media on Tuesday, as he called on the French Rafale manufacturer Dassault to submit a concrete offer - even though the government had on principle decided for the Swedish Gripen. Dassault had [...] sent to the Upper House of Parliament a letter, in which he offered to the security-political commission 18 Rafale jets for 2.7 billion franc. A copy of the short letter was also sent to Defense Minister Maurer.
[...]
Whether the statement of Ueli Maurer has an actually official character and whether all manufacturers are requested to submit again an offer remains unclear. The Defense Department was not reachable for comment.
A new round of bid would also implicitly put back into question the decision of the federal council. Although the government had a meeting on Wednesday and was informed by Maurer about his press conference, as said spokesman Andre Simonazzi. But it was not on the table to come back about the decision in favor of the Gripen.

Google translated from:
http://www.20min.ch/news/schweiz/sto...sault-22583983

[Olybrius]

Decision on Fighter Purchase May Come Soon: Brazil
DefenseNews , Feb 15

BRASILIA — Defense Minister Celso Amorim said Wednesday that Brazil may make a decision on awarding a multibillion-dollar contract for 36 fighter jets in the first half of this year.
The Rafale, built by French company Dassault, is competing against U.S. aviation giant Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and Swedish manufacturer Saab’s Gripen for a contract valued at between $4 billion and $7 billion.
“The decision may be made in the first half of this year,” Amorim told reporters after a seminar on defense policy.
Last year, Brasilia delayed a decision on the purchase following a major budget cut.
“I think the fighter jets are needed, Brazil needs them for its defense,” the minister said. “The president [Dilma Rousseff] is fully aware of this. Now the exact time requires a conjunction of factors ... It is up to the president to decide.”
[...]

Full article:
http://www.defensenews.com/article/2...text|FRONTPAGE
More:
http://www.challenges.fr/monde/20120...-ici-juin.html

[Olybrius]

2 articles about Dassault in the Financial times ...

Dassault’s family value has costs, say rivals
Financial Times , Feb 15

French ministers and arms industry executives are still struggling to contain their delight over Dassault’s surprise victory in the $15bn-$20bn Indian fighter jet contest.
A final contract for 126 new combat aircraft is not yet signed, explaining the reluctance to crow too loudly. But the choice of Dassault’s Rafale, over the rival Eurofighter, as the preferred bid by India’s air force has done wonders for France’s flagging industrial morale.
The international vote of support was essential for the future of an aircraft that has cost France an estimated €43bn but has failed to secure a single export order.
However, rival defence executives and analysts warn that Dassault’s success, which tightens its stranglehold on France’s arms industry, carries a hidden cost.
They argue that the reinforced dominance of the family-controlled manufacturer – whose influence far outstrips its €7bn market value because of the prestige and economic importance of fighter jet-building and its ownership of Le Figaro newspaper – makes the much-needed consolidation of the French defence industry look as remote a prospect as ever.
“When you have a family in that dominant a position will you have any move towards serious rationalisation?” asks a senior European defence executive. “I just can’t see it.”
Zafar Khan, aerospace analyst at Société Générale, adds: “This clearly gives Dassault a deeper hold over France. Before India its position was starting to look under threat. Given the amount of money stuck into developing the Rafale, a failure to sell it overseas would have been a huge blow.
The problem for France is that while the government has long acknowledged that its arms industry must consolidate – with recent austerity measures intensifying the pressure on companies to cut costs – progress has been almost non-existent.
The UK, Italy and Germany have all consolidated their industries to the point where they have defined national champions in BAE Systems, Finmeccanica and EADS respectively.
France, by comparison, has a complex system of cross-ownership and duplication, where Dassault, EADS and Thales, the military electronics group, all vie for leadership.
The prospect of a socialist victory in this spring’s presidential elections has raised hopes that a new administration may clear the industrial logjam.
Jean-Yves Le Drian, defence spokesman for François Hollande, the socialist frontrunner, says a socialist government would make a “significant effort to consolidate and strengthen” the sector. He says also that Europe would be the “field for constructing a new French defence industrial policy”, pointing to previous initiatives by socialist governments such as the creation of Airbus, the European passenger jet maker, and EADS, its Franco-German parent.

But Sarkozy officials and some industry executives doubt whether a Hollande government would do much to upset Dassault. “The socialists won’t challenge Dassault,” says a government insider. “Fighter jets are just too important for our prestige on the world stage, which has just been confirmed in India. They also support jobs. François Mitterrand didn’t change things when he was in power.”
But for supporters of consolidation, Dassault’s influence is a concern. Rivals say the family is motivated more by profit than by what makes sense for the French state. “They are driven by a financial rationale so I don’t think they’ll push for consolidation unless they can make big money out of it,” says a rival.
Dassault also shows little appetite for working collaboratively in Europe, except for a small alliance on drones with BAE, even though many in the industry believe that is essential to compete with the US.[Neuron?]
EADS is the company that loses most from Dassault’s dominance. Louis Gallois, the outgoing French chief executive, says it has made three attempts to buy into or acquire Thales to consolidate its own French military business with the defence electronics group.
It has been blocked each time, most recently in 2008 when Paris let Dassault acquire a 21 per cent stake in Thales even though EADS offered a better price.
Dassault now exercises “industrial control” over Thales. In one of those strange quirks of French industry, EADS owns 46 per cent of Dassault Aviation, but has no control.
At a recent meeting with investors Marwan Lahoud, EADS’s number two, spoke of his company’s “Thales dream” and said he could think of 10 good reasons why it would make a good match.
His problem is a German government – which controls 22.5 per cent of EADS, the same level as France – that is wary of making the company “too French”.
Paris is equally suspicious about selling defence assets to EADS, particularly with the German Tom Enders about to become chief executive.

From:
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/8ab8f...#axzz1mXBQSA4N

Dassault succession offers hope for change
Financial Times , feb 15

The French defence industry is abuzz with speculation about succession planning at Dassault, the fighter jet maker still controlled by its 86-year-old family patriarch.
The hope among rivals is that the search for a junior family member to take over the reins from Serge Dassault will ultimately prove fruitless.
In that event, they argue, the family could opt to sell out in part or hand over leadership to an outsider, thus providing an opening for a shake-up of the French defence industry.
To people who know this fiercely independent company well, though, this looks like wishful thinking. Serge himself succeeded his father, Marcel, founder of the family firm and one of the great figures in aviation, in 1986 when he was already 63.
After expressing exasperation about whether the younger family members were “competent”, Mr Dassault appeared to have a change of heart late last year when he suggested that his 60-year-old eldest son, Olivier, was “far more appropriate” than others to run the business, including it would seem his three other children.
Charles Edelstenne, veteran chief executive of Dassault Aviation, which makes the Rafale fighter jet, is also likely to step down early next year when he turn 75, raising further hopes that the company could become more amenable to outside influences.
However, one senior European defence industry executive who has known Dassault for decades, says it is “almost inconceivable” that the family will give up control – especially if the Indian export success for Rafale is followed by other deals in Brazil and the United Arab Emirates.
“Why would they want to sell out?” he asks. “There doesn’t seem to be much reason why Serge himself couldn’t carry on for another five years or so. And to leave it to a third-party to manage is difficult to imagine.”

From:
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/519c5...#axzz1mXBQSA4N
And why would the family give up control ? to please the FT ? They are still here because the group is well managed . Dassault Aviation has been profitable ever since its creation in 1936 and the process of diversifying with Dassault Systemes is successful. Period.