The most clever solution at every level: operationnal, financial, industrial, cost, interoperability, possibility to make a common task force to remake a Suez (:D), etc, etc, would be:

-1/ France buy on the shelve her PA2 to the UK
-2/ the UK buy about 60 Rafales for her carrier(s)
-3) and possibly: we make a common offer to Brazil or whoever and we take this opportunity to design the packaging.

I just can’t understand it’s not obvious to everybody. If weapons as well as defense budget were only for defense with efficientcy in mind it would for sure. Unfortuntelly some prefer to waste time, budgets, opportunities and all logic because of little political rivalry, jealousy, well: petite sentiment.

Our budgets are still too comfortable and the international situation still too peacefull and quiet probably…

The wake up will be harsh… and too late I fear.

Procurement budget is 11.5b Euro and R&D 1.85b Euro. it is about the same size as India.
11 Rafale is pretty low number. Only 10% of procurement budget at most. They will be better if they buy Rafale at 30 a year to decrease the price and retire older jets. This will also decrease the prices for export.

Well, there are other material to order and if they could order less Rafale for now, they would. At the moment helicoteres, the fleet, drones, antibalistic missiles, recco statellites, munissions, tankers and strategical lift are a priority and rightly so.

With now 100 Rafales in line as well as the M2000-5 and the 2000D, more Rafales are wellcome but not as urgent as the rest.

The tankers and the A400M will be in the 2013 budget I guess.

For now it is:

– “Dassaulted” Heron TP UAVs
– 42 NH90 (8 recieved and 34 more ordered), 6 Tiger helicopteres,
– 2nd batch of M51 nuke missile,
– 3rd Mistral class
– 1 FREMM
– optical and IR sattelites,
– 2 SAMP-T AA and anti-balistic missile set
– 228 AASM, 61 Aster-15/30, 16 Exocet MM40, FTL (Future heavy torpedo),
– MDCN (Scalp Naval)
– 100 VBCI
– ….
– 11 Rafale
– etc…

Plus other programs on the way that still need funds: Meteor missile, Barraccuda SSN, TNO (new nuclear war head), ESSAIM ELINT statellites, R&D, etc…

For a 2012 procurement budget of 11.76b€ instead of 11.85b€ planed before the “trim” (not really a bloodbath for a “cut”)

No but Captor-E is a Captor-M with a new AESA front end. The ease of putting such an array onto the existing back end was conclusively demonstrated in the CAESAR programme. The planned array, with repositioner, is already flying as part of Bright Adder, and (in effect) on Gripen NG as well.

This is pretty low risk stuff.

You mean like the integration of the Taurus is “clearly demonstrated”, and “very low risk stuff”?

It’s even more “finished” here, ready to take off, everything is clear… since 2003!

The AESA Captor not flying now is another shame and pretending it’ll be ready by the Indian time frame is clearly a fraud. No more, nor less.

‘Fraud’ is the optimistic case. Because on another hand: to believe truely that something is archieved once you’ve talked about it has a name: mythomania. And it’s a pathology.

The first Rafale AESA (DRAA) flown in 2003 first and since then they work on the ‘stuff’ and the first operational one is delivered this year.

Because of this but also many other indications, I believe the whole Eurofighter program is a risk in fact.
A badly born plane which drove to discouragement among its fathers who now want to get rid of it and sell them as new/used kits. Most of them – those who pretend to have a air force – have already switched to the F35. The page is turned except for the show for the Indians, as long as they are there anyway, after….

Only Cassidan try desesperately to get some pocket money back selling it using spin, sometime corruption and now the profit made with Airbus to dump TOT and deals.

Jackonicko link is interesting anyway. There is a video about French helo’ operations I didn’t knew

http://www.necn.com/searchNECN/search/v/40970439/helicopters-key-in-keeping-pressure-on-khadafy.htm

The magic of fast food journalism…. 😡

AFP did a terrible job reporting the interview of Longuet. They interpreted what the Defense Minister said so as to get a sensational headline and this misleading headline was copied/pasted by every one, even in some specialized international media (which is a shame)

bogus Interpretation of AFP : Longuet Says Rafale Production Will Stop If No Export Orders
What the Minister actually said during the interview: “If I remember correctly, the Rafale production will run until 2018 at least on French need only”
Ministry note the next day to clarify everything : “The Rafale production will run beyond 2020 on French need only”. Period.

AFP = Agence France Presse is actually a major international press agency side by side with Reuter. That’s quite an archievement for a French news agency. Congrat’

… but to archieve so they feel compusory to be more “english” than the anglo-saxons themselve and they go their natural way they find very classy anyway: self-bashing!
… but it fits perfectly well with normal anglo-saxon way thus: their international success!
Everything is easy to understand 😉

Nothing new with the French way of doing journalism: “Radio Paris ment, radio Paris est Allemand”

J-20, I’ve been a little bit ironical with the navy picture but I agree: the Typhoon can look pretty good under certain profiles and I’m not as severe as some 😉

I do like the Typhoon a lot sleek and from the profile (the single seat vesion though)
The Rafale it’s the contrary IMO. It doesn’t look very good sleek and profile but armed and 3/4 front: yeah!

Your last picture is great indeed.

My favorite. Beeaaautifullll!!! 🙂

More good news for EF’s bid:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&newspaperUserId=27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a63c4c89f-7980-4d05-a532-4b84c5704aa9&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest

Seconding Quad:

http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/wire-news/india-to-wrapmmrca-dealfour-weeks-iaf-chief_620205.html

And where is the Thyphoon flying with a Taurus???
Or any cruise missile while we are at it?

I saw the picture previous page. The Typhoon with two Taurus on the runway ready to take off. Problem is that it’s still on the runway and never took off…. since 2003!

You’re like the Eurofighter comunication department: a troll.