That’s not true when the UK entered the JSF programme it intended to purchase 60 aircraft for the RN to replace the Sea Harrier. The RAF’s interest in a Harrier replacement let to the plan to purchase 90 aircraft totaling in 150 airframes. The number was later cut to 138 and the rest remains yet to be seen.

Not quite. Its true that when GB was evaluating its needs the first “plan” or “intention”, was precisely what you have described (Staff Target 6464, 1996). By the time that the MOD actually joined the JSF team, those “intentions” had gone out through the window and the “Joint Force Harrier” was in full swing (1998).
The selection of the JSF has the JCA was confirmed in 17 January of 2001 with signing the of the JSF Team MOU.

Tests have been done by the french already (ONERA using a Mystere 20 testbed).

http://www.onera.fr/actualites/2006-0146-liaison-optique-lola.php

If you don’t read french or a google translation doesn’t work I’d be glad to translate the article for you.

By the time the operational dvpt of Neuron comes online it could very well be a reality.

And in my post I wasn’t describing a real time communication, but a download of target data and ROE, and fire authorisation. Even a manned bomber isn’t going to look for targets by himself on a 1st day of war scenario and let the pilot decide what or what not to engage.

Nic

edit: I think I remember that the laser satcom was mentionned to be a part of the Rafale mid life update for around 2020.

I do read french, and i am aware of the ONERA tests, but thanks for the offer. 🙂

The point that DJcross was making is that you do need real time communication for that “2020 peer scenario” (i do agree with him), and that consumes a huge amount of bandwith that must be encripted/secure and resistant to jamming.
The use of laser satcom is a wonderful answer, it has massive bandwith (the 2006 test managed a 50 Mbps on real time, taking into acount that the Sat was 36 000 km above earth, this is fantastic, i have seen theoretical maximums of 360 Mbps for this technology), its almost impossible to jam, and the time delay is less than one second even if the receptor is on the other side of the planet.
But the drawback (and you can find in the internet documents about the Onera LOLA that state this, including severall in French) is that you must have a stable and predictable flight path.
Imagine this, you have two send/receivers laser modens, one in the Sat, and another on the UAV, they are separated by thirty six thousand km´s, both the sat and the UAV are moving, at that distance the laser must hit one antena with a few cm2… The 2006 tests were made with the aircraft flying in straight line for periods of 20 minutes, if it went left or right, up or down it would lose the signal .

http://www.icsoconference2008.com/cd/pdf/S13%20-%20Fiber-Free%20Space%20Optic%20-%20Vaillon.pdf

Not exactly a 9g´s capability is it? 😉

Cheers 🙂

Sintra,

TPs are taught to communicate, and most of them write very well. Just read John Farley’s stuff, or Craig Penrice’s. I think that Flight took the easy option on this, and hasn’t served its readers as well as it could have done.

I have been reading this kind of “stuff” for three decades now (and if i am not mistaken, more or less the same amount of time that you have been writing :D), and i thought that was a very good text.
But i get your point, i remember one article written by Craig Penrice in wich he describes is first ejection, he has a very nice sense of humour.

Cheers

you’re using fanboy maths, arent you
it has been stated that a loaded rafle is m .9.
i asked if that was high alt. if it is, a pig is 2.5 now, an uber-pig will probaly be m 3

Jack

This must be one of those “i want to won the sillyest post of the month” text!

You are doing this (the “Monty Pyton” part, joking with the rest of us) on purpose aint you? 😉

Cheers

Merci: Pour a ceux qui pensent a donner le credit (tout merite) a un grand monsieur qui a assez de bouteille pour dire la verite et le magazine Editors pour le publier.

Cheers, Mr Peter Collins and F-I!

Dare2

Thats a bottle of beaujolais nouveau?! 😮
Peter Collins and the Flight International team deserve something better…
Here you go:
http://www.interestinwine.co.uk/images/categories/le_pin/le_pin_1.jpg
😉

Cheers

Radar range is not everything, pilots repports being able to detect a Typhoon at a range 50% greater than another Rafale in the same conditions, as for the RBE2 AESA its non-quanted array maximises the frontal range.

Any quote for that?