Agree, grey is just a coating/paint. Some manufacturers finally put a traditional primer coat all over the entire airframe without distinction between metal or composite (LCA, for example). Unpainted/coated CFRP colour (brown/black) probably depends to a large extent on the matrix material used.

I don’t think that the color as some importance here. Grey is just the resine or additive color.

What imports, and this was the object of y earlier remark, is that some (exposed) components have that grey color suggesting that the RCS treatment is in the material (mass treated) when other part of the airframe benefits from the surface coating applied thought those brown strip.

The fact that part of the aircraft was sanded down suggests more a modification with the removal of panel to access the underlying structure for a modification. You sand down to locate the fixations.

It’s not done so far. In fact, It seems that only a price agreement was reached:

“The negotiations are in the final stages but nothing has been concluded so far,” an Indian defense official said.

I suspect that the room provided to lower the price must have been done to the detriment of some:

Both the French defense ministry declined to comment on the matter.

Source:
DefenseNews.com from today

I wonder if I should put more material?

F-35’s International Debut Will Be in the Netherlands

At least one Dutch F-35A will appear at the Leeuwarden Air Show in the Netherlands in June, according to Lt. Col. Sidney Plankman, chief of public affairs for the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF). The aircraft will be on static display at the show, and the RNLAF is looking into doing a flight demonstration of the plane along with the Dutch F-16s during the show as well, he said.

Source:
DefenseNews.com

100% agree. What separates the men from the boys in air warfare are the support assets like the AOC, weaponeering and intel, common operating pictures, AAR, naval cruise missile support etc.

Yep. I do +1. One thing that ppl need to keep in mind is that at 6 time the price of an F35A, the air force is certainly expecting more than only 3 time the load out.

For visibility forward & downward during landing?

Although in the end result the Rafale is landing slower than many of its competitors, the delta configuration force to a high AoA during trap landing. Hence the emphasis put on a small nose and raised cockpit.
Radar wave transparency and the complexity of designing an ogival nose cone and the related knowledge imparts for the rest. If radar size had been prioritized, the shape will be different.

As Hallow as said, the lack of moving part lower the level of complexity and improve the reliability of a design tasked with long range strike where supports are not always available.

Thank you for sharing this first hand experience. Interestingly, the level of available mobility with the suit inflated was praised in the ’50’s 😉

For the Concord flying at 80000 ft Hampden98, please see wiki extract below:

18,300 metres

Concorde had a maximum cruise altitude of 18,300 metres (60,039 ft) and an average cruise speed of Mach 2.02, about 1155 knots (2140 km/h or 1334 mph), more than twice the speed of conventional aircraft.