in trems of combat worthiness or the added value it brings to the battlefield in the real wars of today (the only viable way to assess a fighter in my opinion), I would say:

–SH block 2:
(vesatile, persistent, survivable with a very wide range of weapons for a reasonnable price of devlopment). All or most of the functionalities including AESA are available now.

–rafale :
versatile, persistent, survivable with a lot of potential to come in the coming years. very good playload for the size of the aircraft.
A very good commitment in introducing new capacities.

–F15E:
same qualities (even more fore playload and range) than the rafale and SH but less survivable.

-Typhoon
behind in terms of integrating weapons to become a usefull asset. To much amphasis on AtoA. lack of range when carriying AtoG weapons.

-F22: (yes the last one!):D
can’t do many things for the price. A niche aircraft without many potential due to the lack of internal space.

PS: -F35 will certainly be number 1 in that list in a few years

-SU30 mki is very impressive but its true capacities remained to be seen in actual combat

The usual “my aicraft can kill your aircraft” or “my aircraft is faster than yours” is childish and not representative of todays airwarfare doctrine which put much greater emphasis in action towards the ground.

I agree with you and I am aware of it. that is why the AASM hits its targets with a high angle of attack. It is both to increase its efficiency and reducing colateral dammages.

To do so the AASM is a very maneuvrable AtoG weapon, as it needs when fired at low altitude, to climb brutaly and then dive a few seconds before hitting the target.

It allows this weapon to engage high off boresight targets at 90° of the aircraft axis. The fact that you can launch a six AASM salvo (one fired every second and it is fire and forget) is also a nice capability.

PS:the extra range is interesting for the SEAD role.

I bought the latest monthly “Air fan” n350 which is about the rafale. there is a big interview with Moussez:

a few informations:

-44 rafale C for the AdA

-38 rafale B for the AdA

-38 rafale M

-so 120 should be delivered in 2012. another order is expected in late 2008 or at the beginning of 2009

-beginning of the F3 retrofit this summer.

-mid 2009 reecce pod operational

-tiger rockets are likely to be integrated. Moussez would like to see them under the external wing station

-the now famous new config that Tmor, HK and aothers were spaeaking about is under consideration.

-a new datalink and a new aditional screen above the virtual HUD in the rear seat, are currently being put in the rafale B to share video, tactical situations, coordinates of targets with troop on the ground.

-a rover system should be intoduced in order that ground troops could directly controle the damocles pod for designtion of targets. should be ready in 2010.

-sattelites transmissions are under study with the navy

-Damocles operational for the beginning of 2009.

-the AdA study the possibility of Laser AASM, and AASM of 125kg and 1000kg + enhanced paveway

-AASM achieved a 60 km strike with an angle of impact of 70°

-AASM should be deployed this year in Astan

DVI and HMD between 2012 and 2015 are very likely.

apparently rocket pods on the (unused for the moment) external wing station are under study!!!

this would be an exotic configuration!:D

I found this intresting rafale picture (recent) on a french forum showing an unusual configuration of the aircraft:

2 meteor

6 micas (2 on the awaited external wings station)

2 SCALP

and 1*2000 liter drop tanks

+CFT?

agree with Tmor:

Exclusif: la “désorientation spatiale” en cause dans le crash du Rafale
Selon nos informations, les enquêteurs sont de plus en plus convaincus que le crash d’un Rafale, jeudi 6 décembre en Corrèze, a été provoqué par un phénomène de “désorientation spatiale” du pilote.

“A la sortie d’une phase de combat, il croyait évoluer dans le plan horizontal alors qu’il était à la verticale”, indique une source proche du dossier. L’accident a eu lieu de nuit et par mauvais temps. Les premières analyses du vol, au travers de la boite noire, montrerait que “le pilote n’a jamais cessé de manoeuvrer”, ce qu’il signifirait qu’il n’y a eu ni panne de l’avion, ni perte de connaissance du pilote .
La “désorientation spatiale” peut se produire notamment après une phase de combat air-air, lorsque le pilote manoeuvre son avion en vertical et en horizontal. Il perd la notion de haut et de bas, d’avant et d’arrière, surtout lorsqu’il vole de nuit dans la pluie et à 900 km/h. En principe, le pilote navigue aux instruments, mais dans le cas présent, il a suffi de quelques secondes d’inattention, quinze au maximum, pour que l’avion vienne percuter la planète. Le Rafale évoluait à 4000 mètres d’altitude.

“Depuis le début, nous privilégions le facteur humain” indique-t-on dans l’armée de l’air. Au delà de l’hypothèse de la désorientation, la plus probable, reste la possibilité d’un évanouissement même bref sous l’effet d’un G-Loc (perte de conscience sous l’effet de la gravité).

[En 1998, l’armée suisse a perdu un F-18 dans des circonstances comparables. Lire le compte rendu officiel mettant en cause la désorientation spatiale.]

http://secretdefense.blogs.liberation.fr/defense/2007/12/index.html