Thanks, Kovy. Interesting. And perfectly logical IMO 🙂

OK for recce with Reco-NG (pictures). I still don’t believe SPECTRA is that magic it may have been that useful for Elec OrBat assessment (if so, why bother to keep ASTRAC?).

Even if SPECTRA can’t replace ASTRAC, it still makes sense to send Rafales to test SPECTRA’s capabilities in the ELINT/SIGINT field prior to the attack, so you know what to expect when you actually go in, and what SPECTRA can and cannot do compared to ASTRAC. It doesn’t mean you should not use your best assets as well.

Nic

If they did, then the AdlA are not the highly professional and sensible force that I thought they were. You’d use dedicated Elint platforms to gather that kind of information, since the data gleaned would be of higher fidelity.

BS.

It would have made sense if only to test SPECTRA against the Libyan air defenses.

Nic

In Libya, it was apparently able to target SAM sites for destruction by tracing their emissions. That’s enough for it to be declared capable of performing ELINT operations.

No, what was said in articles about the typhoon was that DASS allowed it to detect SAM sites that had been repaired in order to enable to strike them later. It wasn’t said whether the Typhoons did said strikes, and it is very likely that they were performed by Tornados or Rafales.

There was never any mention of a Typhoon striking a SAM site.

Nic

The development of the F35 has cost more than the total programme cost of the Rafale. Talk about affordable 😮

Or read DSI.

Nic

Edit: swerve said it much better than I did.

I wonder how you guys can still buy food with such levels of inflation in the US.

Nic

Yep, here is latest estimate !

IN OTHER WORDS &134.5 MILLION A PIECE in 2012 DOLLAR
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/29/lockheed-fighter-idINDEE82S03820120329

I love how they removed the cost of the engine to try not to scare people too much
I love how they calculate inflation. I think Ben Bernanke should ask LM their forecasts about inflation. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Nic