Rafale News

[Olybrius]

Close Encounter: Typhoon and Rafale
Ares, March 5

The RAF's No. 3(F) Squadron dispatched two of its Eurofighter Typhoons from Coningsby to France to visit the Dassault Rafale operating 1/7 Squadron at the Saint-Dizier air base.
The visit, which too place March 2-5, was part of a larger effort to cement French and British military ties after the two countries have entered a long-term strategic partnership.
A pilot exchange program between the two aircraft types is also planned this year.

From:
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs...entId=blogDest
More:
http://www.defense.gouv.fr/air/actus...on-britannique
http://www.defense.gouv.fr/air/actus...co-britannique

[Olybrius]

India, Dassault enter final MMRCA negotiations
FlightGlobal , March 6

India has confirmed that final negotiations with Dassault for 126 Rafale fighters have commenced, and that the Indian air force plans to phase out its Mikoyan MiG-21 aircraft from 2014.

The defence ministry says final talks are now under way with Dassault, which in early February secured so-called "L1 vendor" status, denoting that it was the lowest-price-compliant bidder for the medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) competition.

A defence ministry official also dismissed as false a report in an Indian publication that quoted unnamed sources as saying it had raised concerns about calculations pertaining to the Rafale's life-cycle costs.

Achieving L1 status allows Dassault to conduct final negotiations for the deal with India's Contract Negotiation Committee (CNC). A CNC is comprised of a defence programme's key stakeholders, and in the case of MMRCA is likely to include organisations such as the air force and Hindustan Aeronautics, which will build 108 of the aircraft domestically.

Once launched, negotiations between the CNC and Dassault could take between six months and one year to complete, according to an industry source.

Analysts have estimated the value of the MMRCA contest as ranging between $10 billion and $20 billion. The Rafale's original rivals for the requirement were the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin F-16IN Super Viper, RSK MiG-35 and Saab Gripen NG. All but the Rafale and Typhoon were eliminated in April 2011.

The defence ministry source says India will begin phasing out its MiG-21s from 2014. While popular among experienced pilots, the MiG-21s in air force service have suffered from obsolescence problems as well as a number of fatal accidents in recent years

From:
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/art...ations-369150/

[Loke2]

A second Mirage 2000 combat jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed on Monday, only 10 days after the first incident, unsettling the relatively good flight safety record of the aircraft in service for more than three decades.

The two survived the crash. The two belonged to the same No. 1 squadron based in Gwalior, from where Air Marshal Anil Chopra and Wing Commander Ram Kumar had taken off in a Mirage 2000 on February 24 but crashed soon after.

Incidentally, both the crashed aircraft were assembled by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Questions have been raised in the past about the quality assurance of HAL's work. The engine of the aircraft failed when it was flying at 16,000ft.

Even the other aircraft that crashed last year was assembled by HAL. Defence Minister A. K. Antony had reviewed the flight safety aspects and a directive was given to other stakeholders, such as the HAL, to strictly follow IAF's instructions on maintenance of the aircraft.

Complete story: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/i.../1/176612.html

Thankfully it seems all pilots ejected safely. It will be interesting to see what the cause for all these crashes have been.

HAL will, as most of the readers know already, assemble 108 of the 126 Indian Rafale.

[Olybrius]

Air International, March 2012:

What happened over Lybia ? The Marine Nationale and operation Harmattan.

[...] Rafale's success can largely be attributed to the quality of the aircraft. "During Harmattan, Flotille 12F demonstrated, in action , that Rafale is an agile, powerful, easy to fly fighter that offers excellent endurance and good-bring back capability" says Flotille 11F's commanding officer Captain Bertrand Lepoutre, fresh from leading Flotille 12F during the Lybian campaign.[...]

Full article:

http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/7302/ai2s.jpg
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/2187/ai3p.jpg
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/8750/ai4.jpg
http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/3244/ai5fm.jpg
http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/6770/ai6.jpg
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/1722/ai7e.jpg

[Olybrius]

Dassault’s Asian contacts under scrutiny
Intelligence Online, Feb 23 (updated march 7)

In a bid to understand how Dassault came out as the lowest bidder in the competition for the Indian Air Force’s future multi-role fighter aircraft, BAE System, which made a rival bid, is taking an interest in advisors and consultants that may have helped the French group. One of the individuals that BAE Systems has been focusing on is Bernard Baiocco, the former director of Thales International Asia who retired in 2006 and is now a consultant. According to our informations , Baiocco has been based in Singapore for many years.[...] He is indeed active as a consultant in India, but does not seem to count Dassault among his customers.

From:
http://www.intelligenceonline.com/co...under-scrutiny

[Olybrius]

A female captain of the Air Force, Claire Merouze is about to be released in a few days on the Rafale, if her progress continues. This young woman of 26 years joined the Air Force in 2005. [...] Assigned to 1.7 Provence, after a detour through the 2.2 Côte d'Or, [she] currently accumulates simulator sessions, and has already recorded five flights with instructors from 2.92 Aquitaine. [...] Coming from the "gadget"-the nickname of the AlphaJet, Rafale is for her , unsurprisingly, "very impressive".[...]

Google translated from:
http://lemamouth.blogspot.com/2012/0...du-rafale.html
More:
http://www.defense.gouv.fr/air/dossi...ere-sur-rafale

[Olybrius]

Conference : 1 year after Harmattan: What lessons for the French air force?
March 15 , Ecole Militaire , Paris.





Links:
http://www.anaj-ihedn.org/2012/02/15...es-lecons.html
http://www.defense.gouv.fr/air/actus...cole-militaire
Registration:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...TW11TmxKd0E6MA

[Olybrius]

India makes payments to French firm to upgrade Mirage fleet
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/i...w/12178065.cms

[Olybrius]

Rafale 3D pic:


From:
http://cdaoa.fr/index.php?option=com...id=5&Itemid=79
http://cdaoa.fr/index.php?option=com...lery&Itemid=79

Commandement de la defense Aerienne et des Operations Aeriennes (Air Defense and Air Operations Command)
http://cdaoa.fr/

[Olybrius]

Know your Rafale: India's latest Fighter Aircraft acquisition
http://www.aame.in/2012/02/know-your...t-fighter.html

Flight testing the Rafale - UK Test pilot's perspective (nothing new .. its the Peter Collins test made in 2009)
http://www.aame.in/2012/03/flight-te...est-pilot.html

[Olybrius]

Dassault Says Indian Fighter Jet Deal Secure as Talks Intensify
Bloomberg , March 9

Dassault Aviation SA (AM) is confident that an accord to supply at least 126 Rafale combat planes to India will cross all hurdles as the French company intensifies negotiations to clinch the first-ever export deal for the jet.

Dassault and India are now in final talks to conclude details of the contract, after the Rafale was given preference over the competing Eurofighter jet last month, Chief Executive Officer Charles Edelstenne said in an interview in Paris. Negotiations may wrap up by the end of the year, he said. Selling the Rafale to India would mark a major victory for Edelstenne, who has had to rely on France as the aircraft’s sole customer. The Indian backing for the $11 billion contract has boosted Dassault’s hopes it can also prevail in Brazil, and help raise production rates of the Rafale that are now hovering at the minimum of one a month, the CEO said.

“For 15 years, we’ve been saying the Rafale costs less than the Eurofighter,” Edelstenne said. “Now it’s the Indians who are saying it.”

Dassault will prevail against the Eurofighter in India because in every competition where the two jets have been in direct competition, the French model gained higher rankings, even if it ultimately didn’t win the final deal, the CEO said.

Edelstenne said Dassault can easily boost production to two or three Rafales a month or more if needed, depending on what other orders the company may win. Beyond Brazil and the United Arab Emirates, Dassault is also pitching the plane to other export prospects he said, including Malaysia.

Fighting Back

Dassault has already delivered 106 of 180 fighters ordered by France, which has said it will order 286 planes over the lifetime of the plane. Edelstenne said India’s naming Dassault as lowest-bidder would help generally export prospects .

British Prime Minister David Cameron has said he would keep fighting for the Eurofighter Typhoon, partly built by BAE Systems Plc (BA/), to get back into the contest. Louis Gallois, the CEO of European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. (EAD), said yesterday the only way for his company to get back to into the contest is if talks between Dassault and the Indian side fall through.

Until India decided on the Rafale, Dassault had failed to win any export contracts for the aircraft, losing out in a half dozen competitions to countries including Singapore, South Korea, Morocco, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

U.S. manufacturers beat Dassault in all those contests except in Switzerland, where Saab AB (SAABB)’s Gripen has been pre- selected. The company still hasn’t given up in Switzerland, Edelstenne said, citing a review of the decision process.

Long Relations

Dassault’s relations with India date back 60 years. India was the very first export customer for Dassault, ordering 71 Ouragans in June 1953, and India has purchased most Dassault models sold since. India replaced the Ouragans with Dassault’s Mystere IV A in 1957, procuring 104 in 1957 and using them in 1961 for air strikes against the Portuguese colony of Daman.

The French company will gradually turn over the manufacturing of its plane for the Indian market to local businesses because that was a requirement India had set for all competitors, he said. Dassault will provide the assistance required to do that.

“Little by little, the whole plane will come to be produced in India within 10 years,” he said. “We are open to all transfers of technology, I don’t fear competition.”

From:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-0...intensify.html

[Olybrius]

French navy, Guide Book:


Full guide:
http://fr.calameo.com/read/00033187617b5e26f6f56
http://fr.calameo.com/books/00033187617b5e26f6f56

[bve]

does the Rafale not deploy the AM39 Exocet? This "guide book" suggests otherwise

[Olybrius]

Page 8:

GBU 49 on Rafale:
Requested by the Navy, the integration of GPS/Laser guided bomb GBU 49 is underway with the first launch test planned in the very next day. The aim is to use this weapon, already acquired for Mirage 2000 and SEM, on all Rafale

Page 12-15:

Indian Rafale: how Dassault is preparing:
[...]Since the beginning of February, Indians have sent their best staff in St. Cloud, dozens of brilliant graduates to form working groups with Dassault teams [... ]

(i will scan this article)

Page 34-36 :

Rafale and A400M : the 2012 roadmap is busy for CEAM "experts" with a major objective: to prepare and test a new Rafale standard [...] we will give to operational units the key features for cooperative work between AESA and PESA Rafale[...]

(and also this one)

[Olybrius]

DASSAULT RAFALE’S VICTORY IN INDIA flight to FUTURE
http://www.financialexpress.com/news...future/921585/