From Vishnu Som’s twitter – two visual differences between Indian Rafales and any other Rafale

So I spot what appear to be two India specific upgrades on the first Rafale for the IAF. The fin near the cockpit may be linked to an Israeli sat com set and the radar warning receiver on the tail also appears different to in-service Rafales.

Dassault CEO Eric Trappier’s interview on the Rafale deal and accusations by the dunderhead that leads the Congress Party in India (Rahul Gandhi) that he’s a liar. The Congress Party is desperate to make this an election issue that will somehow dethrone the current NDA govt. of Narenda Modi. Since they have had no scams since this govt. came to power, they’re manufacturing one, hoping that just the insinuation alone will be enough to taint this govt.

India Today article

The chief of Dassault Aviation, the French manufacturer contracted to deliver 36 fighter jets to the Indian Air Force, hit out at Rahul Gandhi for calling him a liar.

“I don’t lie,” said Eric Trappier, the CEO of Dassault Aviation. “In my position as CEO, you don’t lie.”

Trappier was responding to Gandhi’s accusation that he was lying about the Rafale deal to protect Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Trappier also spoke about the controversial decision to make of Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence an offset partner and about the Congress’s claim that the Modi government was overpaying for the Rafale jets.

Moments after Trappier spoke out in his interview (watch full interview here) to news agency ANI, the Congress reacted, calling the Dassault CEO a “co-accused” whose statements hold no value.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala called the interview “dictated” and, “Manufactured lies can not suppress the Rafale scam.”

“First rule of Law – Mutual Beneficiaries & Co-accused’s statements hold no value. Second Rule: Beneficiaries & Accused can’t be Judge in their own case. Truth has a way of coming out,” Surjewala also tweeted.

The Rafale deal has run into controversy in India; the Congress has alleged that businessman Anil Ambani benefitted unduly from it, and that the Narendra Modi government was overpaying for the fighter jets..

…

TRAPPIER ON PRICE

Dassault CEO Eric Trappier, in an interview to news agency ANI, rebutted the Congress’s claim on price by saying that the price of the Rafale in a “flyaway” condition is less expensive in the NDA deal than in the UPA deal.

Trappier said, “Price of 36 [aircraft] was exactly the same when you compare with 18 flyaway. 36 is the double of 18, so as far as I was concerned, it should have been double the price. But because it was government to government, there was some negotiation, I had to decrease [the] price by 9%. The price of Rafale in flyaway condition is less expensive in the 36 contract than the 126 contract.”

Trappier did not speak about the aircraft that would have been manufactured in India under the UPA deal and whether they might have changed the price equation.

..

First pictures of the IAF’s first Rafale RB-008. ANI media team got access to Dassault’s CEO and took the pics and posted a 1 min video of RB-008 on a flight.

Pic courtesy ANI, posted on Livefist’s Twitter

Twitter link

Any pics of the first Indian Rafale, RB008?

Development hasn’t yet started and already there are issues bubbling up in the partnership between France and Germany.

From AW&ST

LONDON—Less than six months after signing agreements to jointly develop a future fighter, French and German officials have reportedly had a falling-out over potential aircraft exports.

German publication Der Spiegel said France threatened to withdraw from the program if Berlin did not allow more freedom of export.

Der Spiegel said it had been sent copies of cables from the German ambassador to France suggesting tensions were already bubbling between the two nations about their approach to the export of arms to countries like Saudi Arabia.

France and Germany previously used an agreed framework for the international sale of jointly-developed weaponry. But recently Berlin has taken a more national stance, even calling for a halt of European arms sales to Riyadh since the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

French officials said full exports of the new fighter would be “central” to financing the program, so long-term guarantees for exports would be “indispensable.”

“Only if such guarantees are given, the political starting point for billions of investments can be launched,” the French are reported to have said.

In a statement to Der Spiegel, Airbus CEO Tom Enders called for the two sides to quickly find agreement.

It was at the ILA Airshow in Berlin in May that German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen and her French counterpart Florence Parly jointly gave the green light for the two countries to begin study work on the new Future Combat Air System. It will go on to replace both the Dassault Rafale operated by France and the Eurofighter Typhoon flown by Germany by 2040.

The two countries are due to begin work on a joint concept study to get underway before year’s end. These studies will pave the way for architectural work which will lead to the rapid development of technology demonstrators, which could be flown by 2025.

France will lead development of the platform, which Dassault is referring to as the Next Generation Fighter.

Does anyone know what Mirage-2000 variant it is that the French are selling to the IAF? 2 of them are to be sold to the IAF and my guess was that they would trainers since the IAF lost 2 trainers in 2012-13 in crashes. These 2 would then be upgraded using the kits that were ordered prior to the 2 crashes.

Yes in this case is similar than Eurofighter.

Is this airplane on service already or is it a prototype yet?

In service with the IAF.