Typhoon vs. Rafale.

How does the Eurofighter(latest variants) compare to the Rafale?

I believe the Rafale beat the Typhoon in both the Swiss trials and UAE BVR matches due to its superior SPECTRA and PESA radar. However now the EF has DASS and the new CAPTOR-E, how does it compare to the newest RBE22 armed Rafale?

Both can now be armed with Meteor missiles with have an extraordinary range. The Typhoon does have the speed and altitude advantage to boost the missile farther(effectively due to trajectories) and faster. Since they both are armed with AESA, DRFM with have little to no effect on their radars. However since the Meteor is not an AESA seeker, if one plane fires a missile, and the other fires, both have to do evasive maneuvers to avoid getting killed, leading to a seeker battle. The Typhoon still gets its advantage in acceleration of the missile plus acceleration due to its thrust/weight to dodge the missile, however the Rafale can jam the seeker much better.

Once the battle has reached the NEZ(no-escape zone) of the Meteor, evasion becomes counterproductive and you are relying purely on jamming. The Typhoon’s jamming pods are located in front, while the Rafale is in the rear. Plus the Typhoon has 2 way data link giving it better knowledge to know if its missiles are jammed.

In a BVR contest, I give a slight edge to the Typhoon due to its speed, acceleration, datalink and frontal jamming pods.

But if all Radar BVR missiles failed to hit, and the merge happened it becomes a MICA v ASRAAM/IRIS-T battle, the MICA has better range and speed(80 km, at Mach 4) while the ASRAAM/IRIS-T has better maneuverability(60 G). Honestly I give an edge to the MICA, even with 50 G maneuverability it is damn lethal and probably will have a better NEZ than the Typhoon’s missiles. It’s no Phoenix. Modern IIR missiles are pretty impervious to flares. If this contest is still BVR, the Typhoon will have the advantage.

Finally, the guns only battle. The Rafale is definitely better a lower altitudes due to its higher angle of attack nose pointing with those close winged canards. However if the battle started in high speeds, the altitude, superior T/W and wing loading of Typhoon will trump the French plane.

IMO the newer Typhoons is slightly better for A2A. The Meteor isn’t in service yet, however even with the new AMRAAMs, the Typhoon has an edge over the shorter range MICAs. Rafale is still better for A2G, plus cheaper.

Agree….Disagree?