Kunsan air base
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Impressive indeed. What’s the story behind the pic?

I beg to differ

http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/sites/sciences/img/9111_rafale-super-nounou%5B1%5D.jpg

In case you’re wondering it’s 6500L + internal fuel.

You won’t have me believe that you can’t top up at least two 2000L tanks with that.

Nic

That’s good (and exists on other planes like the F-22/35 where it’s called “middleware”) but requires rewriting and integrating the middleware any time hardware changes. It is also limited to replacing existing systems (1 for 1 replacements).

Not in case of the processors. Say you have 500 old processors PC740 with 64 Mo RAM with 5 per rafale for your 100 Rafales. And you order another 50 rafales with 250 new PC750 with 256 Mo. You don’t have to purchase 500 PC750 to standardize your fleet, you just remove some of the PC740 & replace by the pC750 in your existing fleet, & use the older in your new Rafales in a mix with old + new hardware. There you improved the fleet considerably by adding power to the Rafale standard, even without adding modules in the free slots.

Same with the AESA, DDM & stuff. You plug and play any system and it will work from the go long as it’s supported in the latest software.

Nic

Hornets could operate from the Foch & Clem at the cost of small modifications (on the deflectors & catapults). It was estimated at the time the cost of the modifications would equal the cost of about 1 hornet.

Nic

Maybe they didn’t want to lose the know how about carrier ops, and used that as a stop gap before they could field their own carriers with Rafale or some other plane on them. I guess they didn’t plan the price of the whole affair to skyrocket to such levels.

Nic

That is a bit of a non statement. Almost every countries circumstances are unique. I would argue certainly the Royal Navy and US Navy have many more challenges are probably operate in more varied envoironment and threat levels then India.
I guess my point is that if you needed an aircraft of the capability of the Rafale M (which incidentally can do everything a NLCA or MIG-29K can), then long term you would have not put so much effort and resource into the other planes and carriers. Essentially building a fleet where planes cannot even cross deck seems insane. Especially in a world where French Rafales and UK F-35Bs will be able to operate off US Carriers and Assault Ships. Indian planes will not be able to land on some of their own carriers. So you end up only having a partial capability. Whenever the Rafale M carrier is in dock you lose that capability and pilots sitting idle, as the planes cannot land on the MIG aircraft carrier which may be at sea……

Well I don’t know how it would be inefficient to purchase a fighter built upgraded & maintained in India, which would enable the IN to share pilot training with the IAF, but that’s just me.

Nic

Have you any idea what “parameters” Osley was talking about?

There are too many to list here! 😀

Or that may be my english.

Nic