The French claims of five draws were dismissed by Pilch and by other participating pilots.

The Mirage 2000 ‘kill’ (which I believe) has never been validated by a named pilot.

It was not denied as far as I remember. The F22 pilot said they were undefeated and Grandclaudon said 5 draw and one defeat for the rafale. This is perfectly consistent unlike the luftwaffe typhoon vs the F22 story.

You may hate him, but Lake is an independent journalist, though clearly one who rates Typhoon highly. He has sometimes written favourably about Rafale, and unfavourably about Typhoon.

You are certainly not an independent journalist…What a joke seriously ! When you get a living from Typhoon Gmbh to write their PR paper you can hardly be considered as independent. The limit has clearly been overreach in terms of professional ethics to be regarded as a neutral observer.

Writing unfavourably about the typhoon ? again what a joke…Each time it is just about finding excuses and the good story/anecdote is always for the typhoon in the end. I read your article of the rafale and why the typhoon lost in switzerland and your typhoon bias is simply obvious.

I stick behind Nicolas10 comments at that time :

the first part of the article was a fair assessment, that including the put down of the Swiss eval, and the assessment of the MMRCA in the first part was fair. (There was a lot of interesting bits in the political part of the article at the end too)

However, & as usual, the article is more about defending the typhoon and claiming that those eval were showing the typhoon of the past, and that the typhoon of the future will be oh so much better than the Rafale.

I bought the magasine wanting to read a Rafale article, and I end up reading about how the results in Swizerland were misleading, and how the typhoon will catch up and surpass the Rafale.

Cake > Bread
Spitfire > Gladiator

See a pattern?

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=113777&page=23

Please note that I have no issue that someone support this or that aircraft just that the way you introduce your arguments are so hypocrite.

Moussez and Edelstenne are effectively representatives of Dassault, and I take anything they say in that context.

Those are professional that speak on the record and that put their reputations at stake.

Jon Lake is a notorious Typhoon Fan & lobbyist and as such not an neutral observer and he writes and unnamed article to pretend that while the tyhoon has been eliminated after the technical evaluation it was the favored option…And I take anything he says in that context.

I do not recall named French pilots making claims about Rafale versus F-22 (I’m not saying that they did not, and I’d be grateful to anyone who wants to post attributed quotes), whereas I do recall that named USAF F-22 (including Lansing Pilch, the 27th FS CO) and F-16 pilots contradicted those French claims. That’s a pretty credible denial, though it doesn’t necessarily make it true.

Grandclaudon said that out of six dogfights against the F22 it ended in 5 draw and one defeat for the rafale.

F22 pilots said the F22 was never defeated which is fully consistent with Grandclaudon’s claim. I still don’t understand you have an issue with that.

Then we learnt (Air&cosmos end flight global) that the F22 was defeated in BFM by a mirage 2000-9 that cleary countradicts F22 pilot claims…

Anyway the conclusion is that be it the F22 vs the Typhoon or F22 vs the rafale the score is quite close.

>>What you should realize is that the F22 is a bigger aircraft with the constraint of stealth and weapon bays. The fact that it can hold its own against the rafale or the typhoon is impressive…More than the other way around. Just that for many the F22represents such a myth (for very good reasons but mixed with imagination) that beating the F22 in BFM is considered as a huge achievement when it should be at least on par when you don’t have the constarint of internal bays and stealth…

As far as Moussez is concerned he is a french air force officer speaking on the record which is FAR more credible than an unnamed article written by a Typhoon lobbyist (Jon Lake who also write for the PR publication EFW…). This was also repeated on the record by Charles Edelstenne during a press conference.

Weel actually Grüne spoke of BFM but one should not forget the second part of its quote about spectra which might give an edge to the rafale in BVR.;)

India’s Aircraft Acquisitions
India Strategic , July 2012

New Delhi. India’s various aircraft acquisition programmes are going on as planned, and that includes the process for finalizing the contract for the French Rafale aircraft.
[…]
As for the acquisition of the Rafale, which was initially shortlisted in technical trials along with the Eurofighter, and then selected due to its lower acquisition costs in the competitive bids, discussions between the manufacturing company, Dassault, and the Indian Ministry of Defence “are continuing as per the schedule and as they should.”
The Indian Air Force and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which is the lead integrator in the MMRCA project, are involved in the discussions.

In fact, French Safran’s Snecma group, which manufactures the M 88-2 engine for the Rafale aircraft, has also nominated one of its best engineers to help HAL manufacture the engine at a plant proposed to be set up in Bangalore. According to HAL sources, he has already visited the HAL headquarters to discuss the transfer of technology and manufacturing schedule as mandated by the RfP conditions.

Official sources say that the transfer of technology (ToT) has to be time bound both for the Indian and French partners, something on which the IAF’s commanders are particularly keen.
Except the SU 30 MKI, all of IAF’s combat jets fall in the vintage category and need modernization ASAP.

Dassault, and Thales – which makes the onboard systems and weapons – have also held discussions with potential Indian partners to transfer production capabilities.

Dassault ’s biggest private sector partner will be the recently incorporated RIL group’s Reliance Aerospace Technologies Private Limited (RATPL), which is applying for industrial licenses to manufacture aircraft and their components, onboard systems and engines. RATPL has set up office in Gurgaon, a multi-national hub on the outskirts of New Delhi.

Another Indian company, the medium scale Samtel Display Systems, is moving fast forward in the defence electronics business due to its hold on certain key technologies. A Samtel subsidiary in fact produces the imaging system for the cueing helmets used by the US Navy’s F/A 18 Super Hornets. Samtel has already been selected for supplying display panels for IAF’s SU 30 MKI aircraft, and possibly on the Rafales also.

The biggest headache for both the foreign vendors and the Indian public and private sector industries is the 30 per cent offset requirement – 50 % in case of Rafale – and the limited capability of the Indian industry as yet. The Government rightly says that the offsets are there to help the Indian industry absorb latest technologies, and that is why the country is also bearing the additional costs in this regard.

Every aircraft offered is cheaper in flyaway conditions, but as TOT and Offsets are added, additional costs also get added.
Naval programmes for helicopters have been slow but reportedly on track now.
All the Services have projected requirements for new aircraft and systems and Defence Minister AK Antony has already stated that the modernization projects of the three Indian Services are being accorded top priority.

http://www.indiastrategic.in/topstories1632_India_aircraft_acquisitions.htm

Refining rafale’s air to ground capabilities :

The Rafale is extending the release envelope of its Air to ground weapons. In February 2012, The Rafale C101 conduced high speed releases of inert GBU-12 bombs under G loads at the Dassault test facility (Cazaux). During the 3 flights, 6 tests were performed using high speed digital cameras, and wireless acceleration sensors on the bombs.
Similar trials are planed for the AASM missile as part as the ARC (Agile Release Capability) contract.

Source : Dassault magazine 149

http://rafalenews.blogspot.ch/

Ok, I know there are several categories.

If I remeber well at the first rafale appearance at RIAT with Cpt Ruet as a pilot it won the best solo award from both professionals and public. Last year it won one award.

2009 : The fighter pilot awarded two trophies for his first participation in RIAT: Sir Douglas Bader Trophy Best Solo Display Team and the Royal Air Marshall Ben Crowley Millins (audience award).

2011 : This display by Capt Brocard was the winner of the Paul Bowen trophy, for the best solo jet display at RIAT 2011.

2012 : The Sir Douglas Bader Trophy for the Best Individual Flying Display to #Rafale Solo Display Team at Air Tattoo 2012

Fine rafale M video with many in cockpit view

http://vimeo.com/26681072