Hi Kinetic, buddy no offense, but many things you said about EF and Rafale are wrong!
2) Rafale is a good fighter no doubt but it has no taker. Technologically Eurofighter is newer, more advanced, combines technologies from four European countries and has more upgrade potentials. Yes, Rafale will be most less prone to sanction just after Mig-35, thats a good side.
EF and Rafale was developed pretty much at the same time, France was initially a member of the EF consortium, but quit after problems with UK.
Thales is the developer of both IRSTs, with the difference that at EF it was Thales UK and Thales France at Rafale. The Spectra EWS in combination with NG DDM is similar to avionics of F35, which are said to be 5. gen avionics.
Rafale has no export customer so far that's right, but France alone has already 180 Rafales on order, the plan is even to get close to 300 and unlike the EF members, France does not reduced their initial orders. So there is no problem for upgrade potential and they even started the research of a stealth upgrade for the future, while EF members have even a lot of trouble to fund the tranche 3 upgrade.
Indian navy already floated a tender for new naval fighter which includes naval Eurofighter.
Yes, but they only did some research about such a version, there is not even a prototype available and also no other customer for such fighters, so who will pay for the development of a small number of fighters, let alone their later upgrades?
Rafale on the other side is operational for a nearly a decade, which is a clear difference right?
Mate see, Rafale joined many competitions so far but could not win single one. If they get a deal from Brazil most probably political decision.
Yes, the same reason why Rafale lost in Singapore and South Korea, or EF won in Saudi Arabia. Most of these competitions are decided by politics (maybe even MMRCA), not by capabilities, but the fact that Rafale entered the final stage of the competition in South Korea, Singapore and Brazil, while EF always was rejected before, should say something too right?
The time when fighter like Rafale could rule the market was/is
1995-to-2012, that time is almost over and we know SU-30MK, F-15, F-16 and Eurofighter got almost all of it. After 2012 nations will think differently, here Eurofighter upgrades can challenge many fifth generation fighters like F-35, what it already started because as you know many of its technologies are of fifth generation.
Mate, EF just got 2 export customers, Austria for 15 fighter and Saudi Arabia, don't know where you see that they got them all?
Mate you know that Tranche-3 will get all the multi-role capabilities that Rafale have plus better A-to-A. It will not take time, they offered it to India and if India go for EFT, it will be inducted in time. See the weapons combination of EFT, its not less compared to Rafale as far as omni-role or multi-role or A-to-G is concerned...
Don't get confused by pictures, most of these weapons are not integrated yet! In A2G it only have Paveway II and III PGMs so far, Paveway IV in integration and possibly Brimstone ready by tranche 3A which IAF would get. Cruise missiles like Storm Shadow, Taurus, JDAM, or anti-ship missiles will only come if a foreign customer like us pays for the integration, just like Hope, or Hosbo glide bombs, which development is not even concluded.
Rafale in comparison has Paveway LGBs, AASM (European JDAM), Scalp cruise missile, Exocet anti ship missiles and now even ASMP (nuclear missile), although we won't get it integrated.
EF fully 4.5 capable with all techs and weapons is only expected by the same time F35 starts production, so around 2016, but only if the member countries will keep their orders and fund upgrades. The problem is with the financial and EURO crisis, this is more than doubtful, because all members cleared major cuts in their military budgets. That is also the reason why they are so desperatly offering us EF , ToT, partnership in production (not equal partnership), because they need export customers that has money.
Imo EF
would be an exellent fighter,
if the whole development wouldn't be so delayed and if the members had the money for further upgrades and developments. But sadly that's not the reality right now and that's why the EF is suffering so much. It lost most of the competitons although superior A2A performance, but because more than limited A2G capabilities.
Rafale is much closer (if we take the results of the latest exercises to account even clearly superior) to EF in A2A, than EF might come to Rafale in A2G.
I know this is in LCA thread now and I'm sorry to go OT, but the actual facts about EF are simply totally different form what you believe.
