eagle1La tribune is giving some insight from the quatari competition :
What France can expect in Qatar
[…]However, the visit should advance some issues, particularly those above the pile as the Rafale (Dassault Aviation), the NH90 (Eurocopter) and the armored wheeled vehicle (8×8) from Nexter. In July, the Rafale had impressed the Qataris after a very positive campaign in hot weather (50 degrees) in Qatar … no heatstroke unlike some of its U.S. competitors, Boeing, the F-15 and F-18. The Qataris, who need 24 to 36 aircrafts also assessed the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-16 Block 50/52 (Lockheed Martin). The Rafale would be the preferred of the Qatari pilots and would come out as winner of the technical evaluation according to a close source. Doha, which has twelve aging Mirage 2000-5 could enter into exclusive negotiations with Dassault Aviation at any time, one says to La Tribune. However, there is little chance for a contract to be signed by the end of the year. But why not 2014…
Also from les echos :
Hollande will evoke Saturday during an official visit to Qatar the modernisation of the fleet of fighter aircraft, a contract Dassault hopes to win with the Rafale, it was learned on Wednesday at the Elysee Palace. “This will be discussed,” said an adviser to the French president who believes that the case could “evolve” in a few months.[…] The Qatari Air Force has carried out technical trials of the French aircraft, tests convincing compared to others competitors, said one French source.
eagle1Foreign secretary in paris; discusses indo-french issues
Rafale
[…]The Foreign Secretary said “Our own consultations at home have shown that both sides, Dassault and HAL, hadn’t really thought through this question which is clear in the strict meaning of the RFP which they had read. It’s the feeling that now that they have discussed this so much more they are much closer to an understanding of where they stand so we feel that it’s possible to make progress.”Asked if Dassault had withdrawn their demand to have the Ambanis [Reliance] as their preferred partner in India, Mr Mathai said he was not aware that there was a demand they should be dropped. He said, “Who their other partners are is not an issue. They are a total of 18 partners with whom they will be signing their own contracts. But they have to find a way so that as the main contractor they are liable and responsible for the aircraft and the delivery but HAL is going to be the agent that will work with them in India to deliver it. I think that now they have had so many rounds of discussions, they understand each other a lot better. So the potential for progress is very good.”
Last week, the CEO of Dassault Aviation, Eric Trappier, said in Paris that he was confident about the sale of the Rafale to India by the end of 2013. Mr. Mathai said the tone has changed because some of the issues were there because the discussions hadn’t taken place and now the problem is on its way to resolution.[…]
eagle1Le Drian: discussions for the sale of Rafale to India “on track”
The Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Monday that negotiations for the sale of the Rafale fighter from Dassault Aviation in India were “on track” and that there was “no particular delay “in the process.[…]
eagle1France exudes confidence on Rafale sale to India:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/france-exudes-confidence-on-rafale-sale-to-india/article4822389.ece
eagle1Jean-Pierre Devaux [DGA director of strategy]: “The Rafale will remain at the best technological level until 2050”
[…]
How will evolve the Rafale?
The evolution will go through the standard “F3-R” which provides the integration of Meteor air-to-air missile, the development of electronic warfare equipment, the laser designation pod next generation, or the introduction of GPS capacity when the signal is scrambled. All this brings us to 2019 or 2020. Beyond, the “F4” standard would provide an additional increment: integration of missile Scalp renovated, new weapons like AASM 125 kg or less, software radio … All this to 2025.Mid-life renovation?
From 2030, the Rafale will have to acquire new skills to meet the challenges of the future. As for the Mirage 2000, it will raise the question of adding new features, faster and at a lower cost. The decision must be made between 2020 and 2025. Our goal is to maintain the Rafale at the highest level for at least 25 more years.
[…]
eagle1Le Bourget 2013: New Rafale developments
At the Paris Air Show, the French DGA agency presents on its stand two preliminary studies programs currently funded to improve the performance of the French fighter aircraft in matter of detection and electronic warfare.
Unreported, the LEA (Leurre Electromagnetique Actif, active electromagnetic decoy) project was presented for the first time at Le Bourget. This involves the development of a releasable active decoy, which would confuse a air-to-air missiles seeker in its terminal guidance phase. At least 4 lures could be carried by a Rafale in the same place of the current chaff at the rear of the fuselage. Unlike Eurofighter, this lure would not be towed by the aircraft, but dropped and would not have propeller either.“Such a system would effectively complement the Spectra system already built into the plane to thwart some very specific threats, such as air-to-air missile seekers operating in Ka-band” said an engineer. […]the LEA is being studied at MBDA, and tests in tunnel shooting took place a month ago to check the separation system. Wind tunnel testing of the releasable lure should take place at the end of the year. This program is conducted under the PEA Incas (Integrating New Capabilities to Spectra)[…].
DGA also presented for the first time a study plan called PEA Tragedac. Notified in 2010, it aims to equip the Rafale with a capacity of passive target localization through networking aircrafts in a patrol. Specifically, two Rafale detecting a target with their frontal sector optronics (OSF) or Spectra could improve the accuracy of location of their objective by exchanging data via link 16. A software modification, according to DGA, especially complex to implement in the point of view of data synchronization between aircrafts. First test flights are expected to begin by year-end to collect data. […]
eagle1Here is 2 minutes of pure elegance and beauty…A wonderful HD video featuring the rafale and the PAF. Nice “wow” effect
eagle1double post
eagle1teaser :
DGA will present a new Rafale study called Tragedac during Le Bourget 2013 — will focus on passive & networked 3D target detection
https://twitter.com/G_Steuer/status/340041571753930752
eagle1If I am not mistaken and according to Dassault’s 50 years book dating from 1995, the mirage G8 still hold the speed record for a european jet fighter ? Or was it the mirage 4000 ? I have a slight doubt.
eagle1Sagem’s Smart AASM Now Laser-Qualified
[…]Following three developmental firings in 2010-11, three qualification firings were conducted last year, one against a fixed ground target from high altitude, another from medium altitude against a small vessel at sea and a third from medium altitude against a moving vehicle. The last “was a representative close-air support [CAS] mission,” according to Mathieu Chuiton, a DGA flight-test engineer. He described how the weapon was released from the Rafale that also designated the 90-degree off-axis target, at 10- to 15-km range. The test was deliberately conducted on a partly cloudy day, with the missile being initially guided toward the target by GPS, while the Rafale descended below the clouds to activate the laser of its Thales Damocles pod.
A Rafale can carry six AASMs, three on each of two underwing pylons. The Mali missions included one in which six AASMs were fired against munitions storage and training camp targets, and another in which two Rafales attacked 12 dispersed targets. The rebel forces “never expected so many of their buildings to be destroyed at once,” said the Rafale squadron commander who briefed journalists during a DGA media tour last week. He and other French air force officers noted that the AASM is more expensive than the GBU-12 laser-guided weapon that is also carried by the Rafale. But the French-designed weapon is more effective, partly thanks to a vertical attack mode that can be selected from the cockpit. The laser-guided version can also be used against targets moving at 80 km/hr–twice the limit of the GBU-12–and it is easier to operate from a single-pilot aircraft, the officers added.
eagle1Oooh thx for info!
You can read some parts (p300 & p301) on mp.net on the rafale news thread but I will still buy the issue…
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?137433-Rafale-News/page300
Rastig
people keep claiming that the Rafale programme cost has grown by 4% only and I understand that this has been stated by Mr. Edelstenne (IIRC).
Using the “general inflation” to adjust military development costs is basically useless.
Want to add an important point concerning the calculation of costs. The 4.7% unit production cost increase is neither a Dassault CEO nor a French mod convenient number but Cour des Comptes number. It doesn’t absorb R&D. As H_K said, total programme overcost is 16%.It has been established in 2010 by the Cour des Comptes report (French court of Audit), which is not known to be tender towards management of public expenditure.
The bigger picture from the pdf.
So 4% production and 16,5% programme are overbudget.
Keep in mind that the quoted 4% figure was for a F3 rafale standard, not a F3+ AESA standard nor did it encompass other urgent operational needs.
I hope the programme will go overbudget even more as it simply means that the french government is simply willing to invest more on this program and not simply stick to the antique intial budget envelop.
eagle1That’s a ~16% cost increase in 16 years… so a bit more than what the French MoD claims (+4.45% between 1996 and 2007), but they may have been using a higher % for defense-related inflation.
That’s a possibility as current official inflation rate is related to a basket of about a hundred daily mass consumption products like bread, milk, fuel, electricity etc etc…So it would be hardly relevant to a military program.
A possibility could also be that inflation due to the prices of commodities has been discarded to focus on the costs linked to the industrial organization and where there is actually a possible input (R&D and other investments,workforce,fixed costs etc…)
Anyway, bottomline is that with the rare exception of the Leclerc MBT the rafale is often quoted as an example of a well managed program by industry, media or politics compared to other “big programs” in France (as an instance there was an interesting article from Merchet on this issue). This actual perception that the program is well managed shared by the vast majority of stakeholders is eventually more important than the everlasting accountant debate.
If the general opinion would consider the rafale program as a fiasco, I don’t think that it would have received the support it actually gets even though it can’t escape the reality of defense budget cuts as a whole. That’s what counts in the end.
eagle1Can you develop or link AC number plz? Thx
It was reported in the “confidential” section of Air & Cosmos. This information was released slightly after the Lybian campain as the article mentioned that this new piece of hardware and most probably/coherently the softwares associated took advantage of the Lybian experience. Unfortunately I don’t remember the exact issue number.
***********
As far as costs is concern are we sure that former figures have been actualized or not ? If not then comparing numbers from different period is like comparing apple and oranges.
eagle1Army chief to head for France to bolster bilateral strategic partnership
[…]The defence ministry, however, says the workshare problems between Dassault and HAL have now been sorted out to a large extent. Under the project, while the first 18 jets will come in fly-away condition, the rest 108 fighters will be manufactured under licence by HAL over six years.
Dassault was earlier demanding that it would be responsible only for the first 18 jets, while HAL will have shoulder responsibility for the other 108 fighters once the kits for them are supplied to the defence PSU. MoD, however, had rejected this contention, holding that Dassault will be responsible for the execution of the entire project. But even now, it will still take several months before the MMRCA contract is finally inked.
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