I think any limited chances for Rafale have just decreased:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000102&sid=a_W1kUNS1VnY&refer=uk

There is a chance the US will call us on the bluff. In which case the politicians will either fold or call Paris – not even the CIA would be able to predict that one!!!.

Absolutely. That’s why I think there is a small chance that the UK will end up with Rafale. I think the tech issue is very important to MoD/BAe/Whitehall, so they are stepping up the pressure and are imo prepared to go Rafale/or Typhoon N if the US stays convinced that this is a bluff and won’t give the UK tech transfer.

An Ej-200 in a Rafale would not improve the performances but just give a bigger ass, a lower range and give a black smoke each time he would make a move.

Huh? And I was under the impression that EJ200 had 20% more thrust in Normal and in after burner mode. 😉

Licence production is the best way to see the costs skyrocket, but if you’re prepared to pay more for the same thing, why not.
Source codes are not a problem either. Singapore was supposed to get them all.

Licence production is no problem if done correctly. For examples see Jaguar for India or Hawk for India. I think it could be done and probably poses less of a risk than integrating EJ200 into Rafale.

Hint at the deal coming ? how proud will the british be with a French fighter in service with their ‘historically France defeating ‘ navy ?

I don’t think they’d feel bad because they know that they beat them so often. :diablo:

Also – the JSF F-35 has turned out to be unacceptable because the US have refused to share its technology and software source codes with the British … will the French be prepared to hand over 100% of the Rafale’s technology to the British?? … how would the guys at BAe feel ? would this transfered tech of the Rafale be used on the Typhoon and could this prove a major disadvantage to the Rafale in future tenders where it is pitted against the Typhoon ??

I think any such deal would include massive offsets with BAe perhaps even producing most Rafales in the UK. [licence prodcution]. If the French don’t give us source codes etc… then the UK might as well buy JSF, so I think full tech transfer would be a given in any such deal.

IMHO the possibility of this deal coming through is close to 0. IMHO its plain propoganda used bargain with the yanks to push them to accept British terms on to the F-35’s tech transfer and the RR partnered engine for the same.

Probably, but perhaps the Americans will feel too sure of this being a trick and then the UK would go for Rafale. You see perhaps the tech transfer issue is really an absolute NO GO sign for UK government and sovereign modifications on aircraft is extremyl important to them.

Well BAe’s stealth UAVs are very advanced they have stealth, size and autonomy. The Dassault UAVs don’t have autonomy and are IIRC smaller. [assuming Raven has a wingspan a bit shorter than the 10 Metres quoted for corax] Filur has stealth and autonomy but it’s very small.

P.S. You forgot BAe Kestrel, the predecessor to Raven. 😀