Dassault Rafale, tender | News & Discussions

[Shastra]

I hope SAAB GRIPEN wins the tender..it might not be at par with its twin engined competitors but it certainly fits the bill (financially & technically)

 

[SpArK]

Ministry of Defence | Defence News | Military Operations | Typhoon joins Tornado in Libya ground attack operations

 

[SpArK]

RAF Typhoon FGR4 aircraft departs Gioia del Colle air base in southern Italy on a mission over Libya (stock image)
[Picture: Corporal Babs Robinson RAF, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

 

[SpArK]

An RAF armourer walks away from a Typhoon FGR4 aircraft at Gioia del Colle air base after having removed the weapons' final arming pins (stock image)
[Picture: Corporal Babs Robinson RAF, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

RAF Typhoon aircraft await their next sortie at Gioia del Colle air base in southern Italy (stock image)
[Picture: Senior Aircraftman Neil Chapman, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

 

[SpArK]

Typhoon pilot describes first air to ground strike
​

The Royal Air Force pilot who carried out the first operational Typhoon aircraft strike on a ground target has been describing the mission.

The first strike was made against a Libyan regime main battle tank during a mission on Tuesday, 12 April.

The pilot said: “I left Gioia Del Colle in a mixed pair with a Tornado GR4.

“We’d been tasked to Misratah in the West of Libya, which is pretty much a city under siege, with significant numbers of attacks against the civilian population from pro-regime forces. We were looking along one of the main supply routes in Misratah when we came across a compound with around 10 – 15 main battle tanks in.

“We reported our findings to the command and control assets we work with and shortly thereafter, were cleared to engage.
“At that point, we generated coordinates for the targets and dropped weapons. Each time we assessed the likely weapon effect and whether there would be any collateral damage implications.

“It was a precision attack from a significant altitude.

“To be honest, I was a little bit nervous but you just revert to the training you’ve done before. I’ve dropped a significant number of weapons from the Typhoon in training. It felt no different from that, only this time I was even more relieved to see the bomb go exactly where it should have done, in the Litening III image displayed in my cockpit.”

“We have proven that the jet can carry weapons a long distance, drop them accurately, land and get pumped full of fuel, reloaded with weapons and go and do it again, day in day out. That makes this capability enduring, and while it may seem like a milestone to some, it’s just a hurdle that had to be overcome at some point. It has been done, and we will drop more over the life of the aircraft. I think people are just pleased we’ve got the first one out of the way.”

Typhoon pilot describes first air to ground strike | British Forces News

 

[SpArK]

The Eurofighter's 'Ground' Realities​

It's a thumping irony. On the one hand, you have this overwhelming sense -- yoked along by literally unanimous Indian press leaks -- that the Eurofighter Typhoon leads the pack in India's $12-billion MMRCA fighter aircraft competition. On the other hand -- and you couldn't have missed them -- reports in the British press mercilessly pillorying the airplane programme. A brilliant headline in The Register goes "RAF Eurofighters Make Devastating Attack - on Parliament".

I don't think it is remotely far-fetched or cynical to suggest that the application of the Eurofighter over Libya (or for that matter, the Rafale), and the carefully calculated release of information about its achievements, has as much, if not more, to do with proving a point to its customers, both current and potential, as it does supporting operational alliance commitments (it was only last week that the Typhoon, previously confined to air-to-air operations over Libya, joined RAF Tornados for air interdiction duties).

The Typhoon programme, rather like the Tejas programme here in India, is and has been a deeply polarizing programme, buffeted for years in equal measure by staunch supporters and ruthless detractors. Operations in Libya only happened to cast into stark relief the findings of two reports, one by the British Parliamentary Accounts Committee, and an earlier one by the National Audit Office. Supporters call it a modern, multirole jet that's easy to maintain, has a low logistics footprint, and is one bad- in the sky. Critics say it's an expensive, hard to support air superiority fighter with manoeuverability that nobody needs in a BVR paradigm anyway.


Eurofighter hates the "ground attack" debate. And why not? It remembers how Singapore, which had shown healthy interest in the Typhoon in 2005, bailed and ordered Boeing Super Hornets instead. All because of questions that swirled incessantly around the Typhoon's efficacy as a strike platform. In 2008, the RAF got one of its Typhoons to light up a tent full of British defence journalists with its laser pod in a decidedly dramatic PR exercise to reassure the press about the aircraft's precision strike abilities.

But that apart, here's what reports, especially the recent ones, suggest: despite all the increments, the Eurofighter does not have mature ground attack capabilities. It's current strike ability is via a LITENING laser designator pod, and its last capability increment was the addition of EGBU-16 bomb avionic release capability. Finally, it will only truly emerge as a full-blown fighter-bomber at some future point this decade. That's the drift.

As far as the Indian fighter competition is concerned, the Eurofighter was put through weapons trials both in Germany and the UK. While EADS obviously won't discuss the details of the trials, Eurofighter boss Bernhard Gerwert says, "Eurofighter Typhoons delivered to the IAF will be the latest Tranche 3 aircraft with state-of-the-art electronic warfare sensors and communication systems. With its proven multi-role combat capability, this aircraft will provide the IAF with unrivalled air superiority and with sophisticated ground attack capabilities."

So where do things stand? What did the Eurofighter demonstrate to the Indian FET team? Did strike trials meet requirements? Obviously, these questions are strictly in the context of what we've been hearing in the last few weeks. I'll update this post once I hear from the folks at EF. As always, let me know what you think.

Photo ©RAF / By Corporal Babs Robinson

Livefist: The Eurofighter's 'Ground' Realities

 

[SpArK]

Typhoons In Libya For Op Unified Protector​

Eurofighter Typhoon began combat missions in Libya on 21st March 2011 as part of operation Odyssey Dawn decided by the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1970 & 1973.

The mission marked the first time the Typhoons have been deployed in enemy combat and the debut as a swing-role platform. After having flown only no-fly zone enforcement missions with both the RAF and ItAF, on 12th April the RAF Typhoons started air-to-ground missions, hitting targets with Paveway II guided bombs.

Eurofighter Cassidian

 

[SpArK]

Electronic Warfare System on SwAF Gripen: INFO-sheet aimed at a bit wider audience.

 

[SpArK]

Dassault's futuristic stealth bomber​

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2011/04/laad11-latin-americas-biggest.html

 

[SpArK]

An Italian Typhoon taxiing at Trapani AB. The Italian Typhoons started the operation to
enforce the no-fly zone over Libya on 28th March 2011. Eurofighter Typhoons from the
Italian Air Force’s 4th Stormo based at Grosseto AB have been redeployed to Trapani AB
for the operation. (photo Aeronautica Militare - Troupe Azzurra)

 

[SpArK]

 

[SpArK]

---------- Post added at 02:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:38 PM ----------

 

[sancho]

EF in strike role with 2 x fuel tanks, 1 x Litening targeting pod, 2 x 1000lb Paveway 2 LGBs and 2 x SR missiles (interestingly no MR missiles).

 

[sancho]

Interesting!

Interest Grows In Dual-Mode Brimstone

The operational success the U.K. Royal Air Force has had with MBDA’s dual-mode Brimstone is driving U.S. and French interest in the munition, says the RAF’s assistant chief of the air staff, Air Vice Marshal Baz North.

The dual-mode weapon has been among the main munitions the RAF Tornado GR4 has been relying on during Libya operations.

The initial discussions with the French have begun, although they are at an early stage.

Still unclear is which French and U.S. platforms might launch the weapons. Dual-mode Brimstone is a Hellfire-class weapon, which should ease integration on new aircraft.

The dual-mode Brimstone has been used so heavily that inventory has become a concern—the weapon is modified out of a large existing stock of regular Brimstones. However, a senior NATO official notes that no missions have been scrapped owing to munitions shortages.

Although the dual-mode Brimstone has been well received, the U.K. for now has no plans to accelerate its fielding on the other U.K. fighter, the Eurofighter Typhoon. So far, the defense ministry has yet to award an integration contract for that weapon.

Interest Grows In Dual-Mode Brimstone | AVIATION WEEK

There were rumors about integrating Brimstone to Rafale as well (personally I hoped for Helina missiles), which would be an interesting addition. I have some doubts that the US will integrate them, because they will integrate the JAGM anyway, but it's interesting that the UK don't want to integrate the Brimstones to EF soon. That means that the A2G capabilities will remain limited for longer, if they will integrate it on the EF at all, or if they will do it on the F35, which seems to be more logical. Brimstone on EF would be limited to the air force only, but on F35 it could be used on the F35s of their carriers as well.

 

[jha]

Interesting!



Interest Grows In Dual-Mode Brimstone | AVIATION WEEK

There were rumors about integrating Brimstone to Rafale as well (personally I hoped for Helina missiles), which would be an interesting addition. I have some doubts that the US will integrate them, because they will integrate the JAGM anyway, but it's interesting that the UK don't want to integrate the Brimstones to EF soon. That means that the A2G capabilities will remain limited for longer, if they will integrate it on the EF at all, or if they will do it on the F35, which seems to be more logical. Brimstone on EF would be limited to the air force only, but on F35 it could be used on the F35s of their carriers as well.

I dont think we even need BRIMSTONE..HELINA is the way to go..
As days are passing I am having doubts with EF..No need to get fancy aircrafts with not fully developed envelope..
Get F-16/F-18 and stop this Drama..