Acccording to this (http://www.gandul.info/actual/avionul-francez-rafale-posibil-inlocuitor-mig-21-lancer.html?3927;860847), the Rafale in officially in the game for the romanian air force procurement tender. Romania needs and will buy 48 new planes – first deliveries expected in 2010- …..

Without under estimating Romania, is the budget high enough to sustain planes such like Rafale or EF2000 ?

Gripen and F-16 semm to be the perfect bird for them .. unless I miss something.

For 2010, the best Rafale available will be the F3.
If required, AESA and upgraded M88 may come later… (2012 for the AESA)

Ok for the AESA, but the M88 can be ready earlier … should the customer required it.
Ok, certainly ready in late 2009 at the very best 😉

1) DJ Cross makes a good point – and it might usefully be added that a missile’s effective range is also a function of radar range. If you can’t support a missile before it goes active, then the missile is wasted.

His point is true for the AMRAAM too you know

2) The figures you give are, in any case, incorrect even as an indication of the Mica performance modelled by JOUST

I don’t find again a source but I remember years ago, the max range was estimated at 40km and much lower than the AMRAAM max range.
something obviously wrong.

3) If JOUST was good enough to earn such high praise from Rand, then it’s plainly a useful tool.

My dear Mr Lake, it’s tiresome.
I’m not complaining of the tool but the datas that feed that tool.

4) The Rafale’s relatively poor showing was more to do with its relatively modest supersonic agility, acceleration, and inability to maintain energy in a supersonic BVR engagement, together with its more limited gimbal, and low radar range (especially at the gimbal/azimuth limit).

Since the range of the main weapon of the Rafale was totally untrue, how can we be sure that these datas were accurate ?

5) JOUST did not and could not evaluate the areas where Rafale is most impressive – swing role ops where a robust self defence/self escort capablity augments an air-to-ground tasking, for example – or taking a missile shot during a PGM engagement.

Thanks to admit that. But I can’t find any website stating “Be careful of these datas, the Eurofighter is put into a better light than in reality” 🙂

Joust was a rigorous man-in-the-loop simulation, using detailed and accurate parameters.

Good joke.
Could you remind me the range of the MICA used in that simulation ?
JOUST: 40km
TAiwanese AF: drone shoot at 73km
French AF: more than 80km

😀

The only interesting part of the mriage to upgrade is the engine I think.
The only problem is that India was propose the M53 PX but decline to buy it.

Anyway, before asking how France can use it’s mirage 2000 fleet, keep in mind that for now for now, one rafale = 2 mirage 2000D + 1 mirage 2000-5 (or very close to be).

With the upgrade of electronic to come, the difference will be obvious, so, I’m not sure the AdA is tempted to threaten the Rafale for a mirage 2000.

An own comic. :rolleyes: Eurofighter should buy a guest appearance in the Simpsons.

That’s not the first comics with the Rafale as the “hero” :diablo:

The F4 designation seems to have been dropped.

AFAIK, “F4” has never been an official designation.

apart from the zhuk ae, which is flying as of now (and supposedly has excellent SAR), the 35 is as ready as it gets.

Mig is celebrating so much difference than previous version of the Mig-29 that you don’t have any choice of years of test …. if it’s true of course.

But there isn’t any questions.
The RAfale/Typhoon/EF-18/F-16 are operationnal now, the Mig-35 isn’t.

the U.S. birds will have to undergo significant modifications before they are up to IAF configs.

All of them I think.

Moreover, while the Rafale, Typhoon and Hornet lines are busy with existing orders from the Adla/Saudi/USN etc, Mig lines are empty.

DAssault CEO spoke about the possibility of incresating the rate of the RAfale production line for free to a certain degree and a real increase after some investment.
About the Typhoon, in case of, they can ask 4 production lines.

Inductionwise too the MiG 35 are likely to be the quickest since already a lot of the existing infrastructure in India will support it (such as the line for the RD 33.3 engines) and IAF’s previous experience with the bird will certainly come into play here.

And I reapeat, according to Mig statements, that’s more or less true.

this inherent proclivity along with the French/Euro reluctance to allow customization on the exhorbitantly priced rafale/typhoon

I don’t know what EADS/Bae has decided about the Typhoon but I can assure you that you couldn’t be more wrong about the Rafale, The Mirage 2000 MKI that we jsut talk about is only another proof of that.

That way they don’t have to convince congress for TOT on critical items, nor do the Indians have to fear sanctions and the cost of the birds comes down to very reasonable levels

1) I have a hard time to imagine an american F-16 or F-18 without important american system even if it’s still possible.
2) such modifications means years of test and a smaller serie than the “vanilla” concept, so, expensive.

Moreover, the current GOI is very “tight” with the GWB administration.

By reading Indian forums, it itsn’t that simple.

But this is not right, whats so sad about a Mig 35? If not anything I bet they can deliver them faster than any other birds.

Of all the aircraft in the MRCA, it’s the only one which isn’t ready, so I doubt that.