... while only 8 jets get delivered to Qatar & Egypt combined in 2 years.
Huh, not exactly Rick mate or at least consider why :
The Qatari jets are not pushed until their standard is defined;
the first one delivered is meant for IOC for testing and use in
Qatar in order to refine that very standard. 2018 for the rest.
Your number is then that of partial count since by year's end,
6 and 3 will have come out for Egypt and France. That's two
lesser than a regular year because the line has begun its a-
daptation. It is in 2017 that the output will really suffer with as
little as 4 planes coming out.
Then you get to 2018 which Trappier described as the Year of the Rafale.
At that point, the line will have widened and what was needed
to plan output was the very Indian deal which just passed and
will be completed soon.
True, there will be Egyptian ACs left & the Qataris will be getting
their planes then and the former may activate their option as
soon as they get their last regular one.
* But we don't know the
exact rate the line will then support. As you surely know and as
our colleague rightfully pointed out above, the choice is not bet-
ween 2 and 3 Rafales per month, it needs not be an integer.
I also wish to point out that the deal will only be valid once both
the offsets and provisional check have come through and that
the 36 months should begin once they are only.
But if we remember MII is already being prepared, those 6 months
to a year may be shortened and or subtracted.
Last but not least, that was a "side interview" of Manohar Parrikar,
an infamous practice of his in my view as most know. He once again
tried to play media darling by outing something new out of context.
And he only said that the first jets might be there sooner than 36 months.
So, Sept/Oct 2016 + 6 months = March 2017 ( our elections 
).
March 2017 + 36 months = March 2020.
Take out the 6 months for formalities thanks to MII and get end of 2019.
As you were however answering RandomR's quote of a source he trusts,
I'll let him defend it further as I doubt its veracity too. 24 months from now
for Indian planes is not credible if the engines are uprated for instance
because Thales has offered that development but not completed it. How
fast could they make one? Dassault will likely have time for trials if it comes
next week but if it takes 20 months, forget IOC in less than 24 months, much
less max output line rate. But they are great at crash programs so who knows?
At Parik,
down right at the right bottom an altimeter with degrees of direction as well...
Artificial horizon would be a better name, would it not?
As for range, noting first that your pic seems to be taken over the sea,
apply this quote by a Thales spokesperson about it to the PESA RBE2 :
"In terms of performance, detection range is increased by considerably more than 50% and the radar can look in many directions at the same time offering significantly enhanced tracking capabilities."
Practical estimate from me to you : 180km detection and TWS of 40 targets.
But related to your MKI Bars question, do understand the importance of LPI
and multi beams to get why it may be so.
And great early ( it's pre-dawn here ) day all, Tay.
* That honestly stems from their having signed first ...
