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RAFALE'S MINI ENCYLOPEDIA FOR IT'S FANBOYZ

Laser guided Hammer air-to-ground weapon system qualified against moving targets at sea, on land

On December 12, 2012, French defense procurement agency DGA successfully carried out the last qualification firing test of the AASM modular air-to-ground missile developed and produced by Sagem (Safran), in its laser terminal guidance version (NATO designation: SBU-54 Hammer). This third and final test qualifies the laser guided version of AASM weapon system and provides the French Navy and Air Force with a new stand off anti-ship capability.
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The December 12th test took place on the DGA missile tests site of Biscarrosse. The target was an all-terrain vehicle. Remotely piloted, it was illuminated by the aircraft's Damocles pod during the final seconds of the AASM's flight. The vehicle was traveling at different speed, reaching 50 km/h at the time of impact, when it was more than 15 km from the Rafale. The weapon was launched from the aircraft at an extreme off-axis angle of 90° and hit the target at an oblique angle.
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For Harmattan operation, French side of NATO's Unified Protector operation in Libya as part of the UN's 1973 resolution, the French Air Force and Navy carried out 225 launches of AASM Hammer missiles from Rafale fighters (Defense Committee of the French National Assembly, report of October 4, 2011 – testimony of the Ministry of Defense), using the INS / GPS and INS / GPS / Infrared guidance versions.

Laser guided AASM Hammer air-to-ground weapon system qualified against moving targets at sea, on land
 
Guys, check out this well written, well researched and objective analysis of the MMRCA comp:

http://carnegieendowment.org/files/dogfight.pdf


It is pretty outdated (was written in early 2011 and the situation has clearly moved on since then) but still well worth a read.



Going by his analysis India/GoI has largely stuck to his recommendations ie buy the best, do not let political considerations get involved, do not split the order etc



Enjoy!
 
6gbu3mica.jpg
 
MMRCA project: Govt firm on HAL as lead integrator

The defence ministry has decided to remain firm on having Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) as the lead integrator for producing 108 medium multirole combat aircraft (MMRCA) in the country, virtually turning down French firm Dassault Aviation’s plea to play a bigger role in the multi-billion dollar project.

The ministry’s stand in this regard has come after French firm Dassault, which has bagged the IAF deal for supplying 126 MMRCA, asked it to define the role of HAL in the project.

As per the tender, first 18 of the 126 aircraft are to be supplied by Rafale from its facilities and the rest 108 are to be license produced and integrated by the HAL at its facilities here.

If any company other than HAL is designated as the integrator, it would be deviation from the tender issued for the project and as per the defence procurement procedure, it will have to be approved by the defence acquisition council, defence ministry sources said.

In view of this, the ministry has decided that it will stick to the clauses of the tender issued in 2007, they said.

The ministry is expected to convey its decision on the issue to the company during the negotiations on the deal beginning next week.

The French company had told the ministry that if it is given the overall responsibility for the project, it should be given the freedom to decide on the proportion of work to be done by HAL and private companies in the programme

If the government had given a major role to the French firm in producing the aircraft in the country, it would have assigned a major share of work to an Indian defence company.

Soon after Dassault was declared as the lowest bidder for the MMRCA deal piping EAD’s Eurofighter, it signed a MoU with a Reliance Industries Ltd. company for working together in the security sector.

It is currently negotiating the deal with the defence ministry and the IAF.
MMRCA project: Govt firm on HAL as lead integrator | idrw.org
 
Cannot get enough from these solo displays, I love her !!! :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:


 
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M88: a continuously upgraded military jet engine

...After being qualified in April 2012, the first M88-4E with the TCO pack was delivered in May. How would you describe its new performance capabilities?

The commissioning of the new TCO pack standard marks a major step forward in the ongoing upgrades of the M88 engine. Our aim, working with the French defense procurement agency DGA (Direction Générale de l'Armement) was to streamline maintenance operations and reduce costs for the Rafale fighter. Calling on our state-of-the-art design methods and manufacturing technologies, we modified certain critical parts in the hot section of the engine to extend their service lives. These parts operate in particularly harsh environments, and are traditionally demanding in terms of maintenance. By extending their lifespan, we naturally decrease the total cost of ownership for the engine. But the gains aren't solely financial: improvements to the high-pressure section, especially on the stator and rotor modules, enables us to streamline maintenance operations and reduce the number of times the plane is grounded for servicing, which in turn increases the engines' dispatch reliability. The latter is generally expressed in terms of tactical air cycles, or TAC, a NATO standard that measures the number of times pilots use the throttle between inspections. On the M88-4E, we have increased TAC from 2,500 cycles to 4,000 cycles! To date, 16 Rafales have had their M88 engines retrofitted to the 4E standard, by changing out their turbine blades. Plus, two new Rafales with M88-4E engines were delivered to the French air force in December 2012...


...What's the current status of the Indian contract for new fighter planes?

For the last few years we have been negotiating the sale of M88 engines within the scope of India's request for proposals (RFP) for their new medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), concerning 126 fighters for the country's air force. The Rafale was selected for exclusive negotiations, and we are now taking a close look at gradual production transfers and industrial offsets.

Snecmag - Snecma
 
French Prez coming in Feb; Rafale, N-deals top agenda

India and France are discussing some big-ticket deals to make the maiden visit of French President Francois Hollande to India next month a truly memorable one. Top officials of the two countries are busy holding diplomatic talks to explore the possibility of signing agreements for French Rafale fighter jets for India and French nuclear giant Areva building two nuclear power reactors at Jaitapur in Maharashtra.

Indian officials say it’s a visit that New Delhi has been keenly looking forward to. India has compiled a list of priority countries for it and France is at the forefront in Europe...

The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Main News
 

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