– Typical recce run lasts 1 hour above Libya, Rafale in A2A conf in escort. If needed, a second 1 hour run is possible after an aerial refuel.

Are the majority of recce and CAS runs really continuing to pull ´top cover´ A2A escorts?
Perhaps F1 isn´t, but it seems that Rafales, M2Ks, F-16s, Tornados in strike configuration are all more than capable of taking out any Libyan planes that they encounter, just with minimal A2A suite, e.g. wingtip IR missiles. Especially when it seems like there really just isn´t any Libyan aircraft trying to challenge them… I mean, obviously you have some countries supplying jets that they are ONLY willing to task for no-fly zone maintenance, but I was surprised to read that an F1 took a RAFALE as A2A escort… It seems like a Rafale in CAS configuration, with designation for the F1, should more than be able to provide ´escort´ with just 2 wingtip MICAs if necessary… :confused:

I don’t think even pre-Fukushima that ATD-X or whatever you want to call it was in a position to compete against F-35. At one point in time, there was a question of whether to join the Eurofighter consortium, but that window of opportunity has passed IMHO.

Prospects for what to do with domestic industry is now outside the immediate scope, which will be filled with F-35. ‘Talk’ of co-funding/developing NGAD with the US has floated around, and while that would provide Japan with a solid answer to PAK-FA and whatever China does, the idea that the US would do so when even F-22 was unexportable at the end of it’s production run, along with Japan’s demonstrated history of susceptability to espionage, suggests that may not be quite realistic. …Never say never, of course.

But it’s fair to say that Fukushima will have huge implications, hard to say what exactly…
The political fall-out has really not had a chance to come together yet.

Note: Curiously, the leader of Japan’s SDP, formerly part of the DPJ majority government until quitting over Okinawa, and strongly anti-militarist, has the family name of Fukushima.

I would say the only verifiably stupid thing is that article…
Even accepting it’s claims at face value, what it actually claims is just that negotiations are taking longer than expected because off possible tie-ins to a mooted MMRCA win. Actually nothing about arm-twisting or extortion, though the TONE of the writer’s words leads an average reader to that conclusion.

If India can get a better price, why not negotiate that over a few more weeks? Obviously Dassault and Thales feel there would be synergies between the M2K upgrade and armament and a Rafale purchase (MICA purchases or licenced assembly would be the minimum), and those synergies would need to be clarified and quantified if they are to be included in a contract. Talking about licenced MICA assembly requires a non-trivial look at how much that would cost to actually achieve, i.e. if it even makes sense vs. purchasing them off the shelf. If IAF would prefer to throw away possible synergies they can tell Dassault they aren’t interested and will take the non-synergistic price regardless of MMRCA outcome.

Just check his last sentence…
If the IAF believes the Mirage upgrade deal isn’t worth it why have they praised the outcome of negotiations and Dassault/Thales’s JV with Indian contractors reducing the price, and in fact seem happy that they are apparently going thru with the deal? He doesn’t even mention that, nor that the ‘upgrade’ includes advanced munitions (MICA) which the upgrade he compares it to does not. It’s all a bunch of muddled writing, meant to lead an unwitting reader from one ill-informed opinion (Mirage upgrade is bad) to another (dastardly French pulling one over India). Of course the subtext here is that this stuff is all EXPENSIVE, and instead of recognizing the simple fact that India is a poor country and France is a rich one whose products unavoidably tend to cost alot, it’s needlessly twisted into ‘Insidious French Plotting’.

HINT:If you’re interested in writing an incisive, informative article, you don’t start out with “Insidious French attempts”, ESPECIALLY when you can’t follow thru with even CLAIMS of specific unethical if not illegal actions. I would say that yellow journalism of this caliber pretty much DOESN’T qualify for receiving the benefit of doubt.

According to Le Figaro’s sources, Russia has pushed through an important change in the intergovernmental agreement, replacing French “assistance” in technology transfer to Russia with a “guarantee” of technology transfer.

Clearly, french government can’t guarantee what private companies will have to deliver …. hence the term assistance.

The French state has a majority stake in DCNS, though this is set to be reduced if Thales (with sub-majority state share) takes DCNS over. I don`t see a problem here.

Operating deep in enemy territory, and all the other benefits with having a smaller RCS.

There’s a reason the USN was looking at a stealthy next generation jammer over the current, already very potent F-18G growlers.

Do you mean the JSF based jammer meant to be the follow on to the Super Hornet mounted NGJ?

There`s also the point that USN is going to eventually phase out their SH fleet, and mounting the jammer on their LEAST stealthy platform by then (F35) makes sense because of fleet commonality. By the time the JSF-based follow on to the SH-based NGJ is fielded, USN will likely be flying the NGAD… Even if they don`t NEED the JSF grade stealth (since this is hugely an emitting platform), they might as well use it since otherwise each carrier will have to support yet another platform. Not to mention continuing to use SH would likely require re-integrating the latest and greatest self-protection, comms, and other sub-systems, which are all intergrated `for free` via JSF`s use as strike fighter.

That said, I think JSF-NGJ is interesting because the lift-fan volume doesn`t need to be turned over to fuel as in A/C, but could instead hold electronics/ batteries/ etc to support an electronic mission – just needing relatively more re-fueling with the lost fuel. Probably no development budget for that, but it seems ideal to carry jetissonable fuel stores externally and have electronics on-board, rather than the other way around.

MMRCA or whatever program would be a good start.
insisting on whoever comes with an offer to include package to integrate the standard type instead offering another bvr.

If India has the source code and tech transfer, they can do it themselves.
That`s rather the point of getting this stuff, so you aren`t dependent on manufacturer`s `preferred` armament.

5. Commonality of engines with the LCA.

6. A viable option for the IN.

5. Commonality of engines with temporary imported Tejas Mk.2 engines.
Final Mk.2 engines are based on Snecma core, and have been stated to be usable with Rafale if that is selected.

6. I don´t think IN is really all that relevant here for ANY of the contenders… Except MiG (but I don´t think it will help them).
IN already has MiG-29Ks. IN is on-board AMCA, which will be it´s future carrier fighter.
If AMCA can´t be developed fast enough, it just doesn´t make all that much sense to induct a completely new platform to then immediately phase it out…
Much more likely that a small batch of ´Super´ MiG-35++´s would be ordered (or simply a MLU) to carry over until AMCA is ready, and possibly for the smaller carriers even after AMCA is inducted.

Anyhow, the rest of your points are spot on, Super Hornet certainly can offer good value for money.
Not going to be cheaper than Gripen, but it likewise offers more capacities.

I´m guessing Rafale wins this in the end though.