Could you blame them ?

Even if we use 150 Million $ lyaway cost (the current MY contract includes spares and other support equipment so not fully indictive of fly away cost) we get the cost at roughly 60% greater then those costs of the EF and rafale . However we must consider the added STEALTH coupled with LOW no of procurment (185 raptors compared to how many EF’s?) , No procured has an effect on Fly away aswell because streamlining of production cannot be done to an extent desired (because it costs $$) and also the vendors are looking to recover cost over a small order . Was the 2004 batch purchased the last for the EF ?

Nothing to blame, I just explain why the “Euros are even more expensive than the Raptor” is not true. People see these stats and start to speculate around… IMO such things has to be cleared up before they escalate.
BTW there’re just 120 Rafales on order right now.

The keypoint is that engine on Tejas and Gripen are actually same, but why I didn’t see those I circled on Gripen? Does that mean that techniques Tejas adapted to is inferior than Gripen?

They don’t use the same engine but different variants of the same type. The Gripens RM-12 is based on the F-404, but it was heavily modified by Volvo/Flygmotor. The one used on Tejas is entirely american and has also a different designation.

Sintra is correct. The 112.5 mln figure comes close to what Germany pays as total program costs (~21 bln €) that divided throught the number of aircraft is ~117 mln € per airframe which includes complete R&D, procurement of aircraft and supporting stuff. ~117 mln € = 175 mln $ (1.5:1 ratio). Compare that to the ~360 mln $ the US is paying per airframe including R&D etc.!

Notice how the Rafale easily dodge the 20mm shells from the F-35.

Conclusion: Rafale rulezzz

😀

25 mm to be correctly, but not that important as the F-35’s gun in is the wrong side:diablo:

TVC engines were not the only difference. Modified FCS, inclined seat, cockpit layout with 4 MFDs by Sextant and side stick instead of conventional one are the ones I can think of at the moment.

Well the FCS wasn’t modified at the time when the AL-31FU were fitted, this happened after they have been removed. The Hud was also from Sextant and the throttles were pressure reactive. Avionics which were additionaly tested included some sort of ELINT/SIGINT equipment, SATCOM and GPS (at least according to some older sources in the 90s). The foreign equipment was eventually removed and replaced by russian made components (as far as available) and the aircraft was reengined and used for new integrated FCS testing from summer 2000. From that time the designation Su-37 wasn’t anymore used by Sukhoi at all.

This site suggests that the RAF will be get the first 6 Tranche 2 Typhoons and not the Saudis. Is this correct?

http://www.targetlock.org.uk/typhoon/production_uk.html

Could be correct as deliveries of first tranche 2 examples will begin in summer 2008, Saudi Arabia will not receive its first aircraft before 2009.

Still login issues. And new registrations fail.

Same for me and in addition some of the topics seem to be broken as well, might need some time until it is up and running correctly.

Some news:

Final Tranche 1 Eurofighter Typhoon delivered to the Core Programme
25 March 2008

Hallbergmoos – With the handover of GT015, a German Twin-Seater aircraft, the final aircraft out of Tranche 1 destined for the four partner Air Forces of Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom in the core programme has been delivered on March 20, 2008.

Aloysius Rauen, Chief Executive Officer Eurofighter GmbH, comments: “This delivery represents a major milestone in the core programme. With 144 series production delivered (including five to Austria), the Air Forces are rapidly accumulating flying hours and gathering experience with the system. The nations already operate Eurofighter Typhoon in the air defence role. The Royal Air Force is preparing for the first multi-role task of Eurofighter Typhoon, deploying the system over long distances and training the air and ground crews for combat. And Austria, the first export customer, is planning to start operational air surveillance tasks with the upcoming European Soccer Championship. This is outstanding proof for the maturity of the system.”

First deliveries to the four Air Forces had begun in Summer 2003. Eurofighter Typhoon officially entered into service with the Air Forces in Spring 2004. Italy was the first nation to operate Eurofighter Typhoon in the air defence role, beginning in 2005. Today, ten units at six air bases fly the aircraft, and the fleet has surpassed the 34,000 flying hour mark in March 2008.

Aloysius Rauen continues: “2008 is set to be a landmark year for the Eurofighter programme. 38 aircraft of Tranche 2 are in final assembly with deliveries to start early summer. Later this year, the work based on the Main Development Contract will be concluded, and the contract signature for Tranche 3 is envisaged between the nations and industry.”

In the Test & Evaluation Programme, an AMRAAM firing from Instrumented Production Aircraft Two (IPA2) on 27 February represents the conclusion of weapon testing for the Main Development Contract. The successful test flight, conducted by Alenia Aeronautica at Decimomannu Air Base, Sardinia, means that all required weapons for operation with Tranche 1 are now cleared, including AIM-9L, ASRAAM, AMRAAM and Iris-T for air-to-air combat, and Paveway II, Enhanced Paveway II, GBU-10 and GBU-16 for air-to-ground tasks.

Meanwhile, the EADS Military Air Systems-operated IPA3 has, on 28 February in Manching, completed the flight testing of the Tranche 1 Flight Control System software. Furthermore, ISPA1 (BT005 of the Royal Air Force) has, on 03 March at BAE Systems’ Warton site, concluded the integration work on the Laser Designator Pod for the so-called “Austere capability” for Royal Air Force Tranche 1 aircraft.

http://www.eurofighter.com/news/20080325_lastTR1.asp