Aircraft Illustrated, FEB, 2009

Rafale from the cockpit

Henri-Pierre Grolleau

1. The report of a flight-test of Rafale B301 in F3 standard before it has formally equipped AESA radar and Spectra EWS.

2. Configuration and weight of Rafale B301 during that flight-test:
a. Two 2,000 L fuel tanks with half-full fuel insides.
b. One wingtip mounted MICA IR training missile.
c. Total fuel loading: 5,980 kg of external and internal fuel.
d. Total external loading: more than 2 tonnes.
e. Take-off weight: 17,230 kg.

3. Taking-off: In the configuration mentioned above, the Rafale B301 could accelerate as fast as a clean Mirage 2000and lifting-off within 700 m runway.

4. Two types of FCS limits for maneuverability:
a. Air-combat configuration: +9G, 270 degs/sec role rate, and 29 degrees AoA.
b. Heavy-loading configuration: +5.5G, 150 degs/sec role rate, and 23 degrees AoA.
c. The limits mentioned above are soft limits which can be overriden in some conditions. For example, the pilot could pull up to +11G in the air combat configuration if necessary.

5. Automatic terrain-following: Rafale is cleared to fly down to 200 fts above ground, or 100 fts above sea, with the speed up to Mach 0.9 in TF mode.

6. The image of the HUD can be projected on a color LCD repeater for the rear-seat pilot.

7. FSO: it is able to track a targets like the size of Mirage 2000 at the distance of considerably more than 20 nm (37 km).

8. RBE-2 PESA radar: In the air-to-sea mode, it can detect ships in Mediterranean at the range considerably more than 100 nm (185 km).

1. AESA radar can significantly increase the detective / tracking range only when your fighter is big and heavy enough to carry a large antenna with enough number of T/R modules, and electrical and cooling systems with enough power.

2. AESA radar’s logistical cost and repair time should be much lower comparing with a traditional radar. However, its procuring cost is much higher than a traditional one.

3. AESA radar with a fixed anthenna has a much more fast scan rate comparing with a traditional radar. But the cost is that its horizontal scan angle is reduced.

4. AESA radar is usually significantly heavier than a traditional radar it replaced, which may be a problem for some fighters that are not big enough.

aviapedia, however if we even went to MiG’s site on migavia.ru,
it lists the MiG-29K as having a “normal” take off weight of 18550kg.

now normal can mean a lot of things, but lets say the normal take off weight includes the maximum of 4 Kh-31s, 2 RVV-AE, and 2 R-73
these ordinances alone are 600kgx4, 226×2, and 105×2 respectively, meaning the ordinance are slightly under 3000kg.. meaning with out them, a empty weight is still over 15,000kg.

thats probably not a normal take off weight, but even if you added fuel tanks it’lll still be over 12,500kg.

these new MiG models are certainly F-15C class in weight and size.

The normal take-off weight should include the fighter’s internal fuel, and for the members of Fulcrum family, the amount of internal fuel they can carry is from 4,540 L / 3,632 kg (MIG-29C) to 6,250 L / 5,000 kg (MIG-29M) .

It is SAAB that has tried to offer 36 Gripen NG to Brazil Airforce. However, Brazil AF won’t make the final decision until the end of 2009.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/253856,tender-for-36-swedish-jas-gripen-jet-fighters-presented-to-brazil.html

I wonder what the wast superiority by F-22 can be attributed to:
1) All aspect stealth ?
2) Superior kinematics ?

A:

1. Better and All aspect stealthy performance compared with JSF’s relatively cheap, simple, and easy-for-maintaining stealthy techonology.

2. Much, much, more superior high speed supersonic cruise, acceleration, maneuverability, agility, and durability which can significantly increase the effective range/NEZ of F-22A’s missile and dramatically decrease the effective range/NEZ of enemy’s AAMs and SAMs.

3. Advantage of high altitude (50,000 to 65,000 fts+) occupation capability ~ another important factor for increasing the effective range/NEZ of F-22A’s missile and dramatically decrease the effective range/NEZ of enemy’s AAMs and SAMs.

4. And perhaps most important of all, it’s the advertisement for persuading Pentagon / US government to produce more F-22A ~ Giving F-35A a combat exchange ratio of Vietnam war performance and F-22A a combat exchange ratio which is three times better than the Korean war performance is a reasonable tactic:D

According to an article of the newest AWST, in order to acquire the support for producing more F-22A, USAF has revealed some previously classified information of Raptor recently:

1. Raptor’s supercruise capability: up to 1.78 Mach.

2. Raptor’s operational altitude: more than 50,000 fts with military power, or more than 65,000 fts with A/B thrust.

3. Raptor’s acceleration: 3.05 secs quicker than the contract requirement (54 secs).

4. Raptor’s minimal RCS: -40 dBsm class.

5. Raptor’s APG-77 radar:

a. The air-to-air detective range is about 5% better than the contract requirement, or at least two times longer than the standard military radar today (APG-63 ??).

b. The estimated effective range for electronic attack: more than 150 mile (240 km).

6. The LM/USAF’s computerized stimulated exchange ratio between different American fighters and an unknown advanced enemy fighter today (EF-2000??, Su-35??, Su-30??):

a. F-22A: 30:1

b. F-35A: 3:1

c. F-15/16/18: equal or less than 1:1

ADA to equip Light Combat Aircraft with more powerful engines

http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Feb62009/national20090206116934.asp?section=updatenews

ADA to equip Light Combat Aircraft with more powerful engines

With DRDO still looking for partners to develop the indigenous fighter aircraft engine ‘Kaveri’, Aeronautical Development Agency has decided to equip the Light Combat Aircraft Mark II version with more powerful engines after procuring them from global manufacturers.

“We are looking to procure either the GE-414 from US or European consortium Eurojet’s EJ 200 to fly with the LCA Mk II version,” Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) Director P Subrahmanyam said here.

LCA’s Mk II version is expected to join the IAF in 2014 after the initial two squadrons in Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) configuration are inducted.

“Request for Proposals (RFP) is just about to go out and very soon it would be floated,” the ADA Director said. The present GE 404-IN 20 engine, he said, was the interim solution as a power-plant for the LCA.

“Since the beginning, we knew that the present engine would be the interim solution as it is adequate for the IOC aircraft. We are looking to get the higher derivatives of GE-414 or EJ-200,” he said, adding “we told them (GE and Eurojet) that whatever you have on your drawing boards, we will go ahead with that”.

DRDO is hoping to deliver the aircraft to the IAF in IOC configuration by December 2010. IAF will have seven squadrons of the indigenous aircraft of which the first two would be in IOC configuration and the rest would be the Mk II versions.