Source:
The Aviationist

The turret is probably apparent just like that. You can see that the lower part is destined to be bolted on a swash plate with the swiveling head emerging above.
Then the canted line and extensive thickness of composite material should do it well.

Well, loss of the “market of the century” to early F-16 somehow killed F-1. The proposed version received M53 engine and was scheduled to receive fly by wire. But european countries trusted Lockeed when they said F-16 avionics would be upgraded but not Dassault about fly by wire (said an old DA engineer). Second doom for F-1 was the give up of Super Mirage (more or less Mirage 4000) in favour of Mirage 2000 due to budget constraints by former PR Giscard d’Estaing.

Not quite right IMoHO.
The 2k was entirely a Dassault project. FrAF were attempting to budget heavier models like the 4k. When 4k ran into nothing (no customer and no Fr budget), Dassault (father) did the right thing and revealed his single engine card that was more in-line with the budget for a Fr only project.
This is why, for years, the Fr AF ran after a twin engine/bigger range/ heavier load fighter that they did get ultimately with the Rafale (aka a mini-modernized F15 that could pass for a F18 placebo).
Then the rest is history but this explain rather well why the Raf face difficulties on the export, both vis à vis of the heavies and light fighter.

This is the way to go.
I am only guessing the RAF lacks all the C17 support it would need in such a big theatre. Why not pool in the way it is done in Eu?

There is no such thing as a “good range”, there is a range with an usefull payload at a given acquisition cost.

New upgraded A129 Mangusta for Italy

For 487 million euros, the armed forces plan to get a prototype, three pre-series aircraft and one initial operating capability-level aircraft,

as well as the later upgrade of the three pre-series versions to IOC level, all by 2025.

Source:
Defense News.com

And then we go down the slums:

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said at a cabinet meeting that he deplored Poland’s “unacceptable manner,” which called into question an agreement that had been signed with the Caracal helicopter, government spokesman Stéphane Le Foll said Wednesday. President François Hollande canceled his Oct. 13 trip to Poland in response to Warsaw’s reversal on the helicopter deal.

Facepalm.
Poland is a strategic partner. Pole are certainly pleased to learn that France does not rate their partnership past the loss of a couple of corporate Billions €. What comes next and In which name do they do that? That is totally irrational for an entire gov to burst like that; and that’s what is freaky.