Good Video of the new “super HUD” for the rafale on demo :

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xjge9h_le-collimateur-tete-haute-numerique_news

DASSAULT CEO PRESS CONFERENCE :

http://rafalenews.blogspot.com/2011/06/le-bourget-2011-dassault-aviation-ceo.html

Main points :

Lybia :
Spectra has allowed the Rafale to enter first in the Libyan airspace while the
Lybian Air defenses were still solid.
Total interroperability, excellent reliability and availability demonstrated
AASM demonstrated at a range of 57 km against a tank
All the scalps launched have hit their target

Rafale F3+ :
First deliveries in 2013
RBE-2 AESA qualification in 2012 and deliveries in 2013
Meteor planned for 2018 or earlier
Other improvements expected due to field experience : on the Canon, FBW system, introduction of concrete bombs …

French deliveries :
180 Rafale on order
98 delivered (the 100th is flying and its delivery is expected in September)
82 planes remain to be built between now and 2018 at a rate of 11 aircrafts/year
Further deliveries for french needs should continue until about 2025

Export

Program cost increase only by 4.7% in 25 years thanks to significant optimizations to reduce production costs.
Rafale global cost would be 60% less expensive than a typhoon
Dassault Aviation CEO says he’s “more than optimistic” for the Indian contest adding that the Rafale does have capabilities that the Eurofighter doesn’t.
Indian offsets requierements are vey high and could be difficult to fulfill.
Dassault declined to answer the japan’s RFQ/RFI because they are convinced that the Final choice will be american, no matter what. “We don’t want to spend money to serve as a rabbit for the USA” said Edelstenne.
Switzerland competion re-opened with very good chances for the Rafale
9 Tonnes engine for the UAE can be offered without any problem
Brazil FX-2 competition in stand by but should start up again in 2012

I’ve been to the Paris Air show yesterday, I’ll go again tomorrow.

I had a long discussion with a rafale pilot at the French Mindef static display. This pilot did Red Flag, Astan and Lybia.

I can’t say that I got really new informations as he was not really up to date concerning rafale future upgrades. However we talked about the Su-30 Mki and when he gave his impressions he confirmed what I’ve already heard about the MKI.The Sukhoi is an impressive machine because it is big but lacks the sensor integration of the rafale etc…

I also taked to a F15E pilot based in england who trained against rafales and he was impressed with the rafale maneuverability and systems.

I will try to take photos the next days.

I found the probably the first “unofficial” rafale video taken by a pilot…I hope they will follow the example of their older brothers with their very successful “mirage videos” famous all across the net:D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xY5vxPJiJo

rafale video from a recent TV report :

http://champagne-ardenne.france3.fr/info/avions-en-rafale-a-saint-dizier-69210991.html?onglet=videos&id-video=000275278_CAPP_Prparationdespilotesderafalelentranement_140620111703_Au

It is about the training for rafale solo display

New report :

Striking Lybia From The Sea

Combat Aircraft magazine , June 2011, page 59

[…]
Rafale success

For the French navy, the Lybian operation, the 1st significant engagement of the Rafale in a major conflict has proved an unconditional success: “The Rafale is a brilliant fighter capable of performing the whole spectrum of tactical missions” says ‘Harry’. “For instance we have carried out strike missions and recce missions without any dedicated escort, our RBE2 radar , our Link 16 and our Spectra electronic warfare suite helping us maintain a very good all-round situational awareness. if intercepted, we could have engaged and destroyed any airborne threat with our MICA’s during the very same missions. The Rafale’s sensor and armament suite have also proved extremely effective and remarkably flexible. I will take one example: the Rafale’s weapons system has not been specifically designed for the destruction of ennemy air defenses (DEAD) role. With all our sensors – the high-resolution radar mode, the Spectra suite, the Damocles and the FSO optronics system- we were nevertheless fully capable of detecting, localizing and engaging enemy surface-to-air missile sites, and we destroyed SA-3 and SA-6 SAM systems with the AASM including some mobile systems. This was a significant achievement. I would like to stress the fact that Flotille 12F is one of the very few units in the world which can carry such a large array of missions from a carrier deck, from reconnaissance to nuclear deterrence, from DEAD to anti-ships attacks, from close air support to air defense”.

Operation Harmattan has demonstrated once again, that naval power and air power from the sea are decisive tools in modern warfare.
[…]

Scorpion,

The source from the ROE was leaked on “secret-defense” blog. A big community of actual militaries posts here in the comment section. The ROEs were leaked by a mechanics of the provence squadron who took part to that exercise.
I think there is a distinction between detection and being locked but I don’t know more about it.

You mean the routine !:D;)