RAFALE'S MINI ENCYLOPEDIA FOR IT'S FANBOYZ

[sudhir007]

 

[Abingdonboy]

 

[sudhir007]

Ajai Shukla: Rafale’s July take-off | idrw.org

Will Aero India 2013, the aeronautical jamboree that kicks off in Bangalore on Wednesday, be relatively subdued? Since 2005, zing has been imparted to successive versions of this biennial air show by the Indian Air Force’s riveting, multi-billion dollar quest for a medium multi-role combat aircraft ( MMRCA) to help meet our two-front security challenges. Every alternate year, the world’s foremost military aircraft vendors – including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Dassault, Eurofighter,Gripen International and MiG – would converge on Bangalore along with myriad sub-vendors, pitching for their products and vetting prospective Indian partners for the offset obligations that would accrue from the world’s biggest international fighter deal. And each time one of the contending fighters would scream into the skies for an aerobatics display, the pilot would push it to the limits knowing that key decision makers were watching the performance.

But now, with Dassault’s Rafale fighter having won that six-way contest, has the fizz gone out of Aero India? With none of the Rafale’s erstwhile rivals coming to Bangalore, what will the spectators and aerobatics buffs crane their necks upwards at? Other than the Rafale, the only foreign fighters performing aerobatics will be The Russian Knights, a Moscow-based team that flies the Sukhoi-27. Is this a metaphor for a larger strategic truth: that after everyone has come and gone, there still remain the Russians?

Actually, any reports of the demise of Aero India would be exaggerated, given India’s dubious status as the world’s biggest buyer of weaponry. Besides, New Delhi is also the world’s most unpredictable arms buyer; and some fighter manufacturers believe that the last word has not yet been said on the MMRCA purchase. Even as New Delhi and Dassault continue to negotiate, the runner-up in the MMRCA contest, Eurofighter GmbH, maintains a major presence in New Delhi. It will be there in Bangalore even if the Eurofighter itself will not fly displays.



Few know better than EADS, one of Eurofighter GmbH’s parent companies, how quickly apparently done deals collapse in the Indian procurement environment. In 2007, New Delhi reversed its decision to buy 197 light helicopters from Eurocopter after allegations of corruption emerged. In 2010, New Delhi cancelled its tender for Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aerial refuelling aircraft, which Airbus seemed poised to win, and reissued the tender (last month, Airbus finally won the contract).

“It’s not over till the fat lady sings,” says an EADS official. With general elections due in the first half of 2014, there is speculation that negotiations with Dassault could run into a new government in New Delhi. Another aspect that EADS and Eurofighter regard as a potential deal-breaker is Dassault’s (perceived) inability to deliver the Rafale to the IAF at the price that Dassault quoted in its commercial bid. According to this argument, Dassault had counted on winning the Brazilian order for 36 Rafale fighters, and a UAE order for up to 60 Rafales, bringing down production costs. But with only the Indian tender for 126 fighters having been won, Dassault’s cost of production could be significantly higher than quoted. If so, political uncertainty would be compounded by financial unviability.

So how far is the ministry of defence (MoD) from actually signing a deal with Dassault? In my understanding there is a better-than-even chance that this could happen in June/July. People who should know insist that there is no looming deal-breaker in terms of cost; and that ongoing negotiations are not about cost but about the modalities of production in India.

Dassault’s major concern is that New Delhi’s Request for Proposals (as the tender document is called) mandates that the Rafale be assembled in Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), with Dassault responsible for timely delivery. The French vendor argues that it can take responsibility for the first 18 Rafale fighters, which will be built in France and delivered to the IAF in flyaway condition. But the next 118 aircraft, which must be assembled in HAL, would be clouded by uncertainty, given HAL’s poor production ethos and track record. Recent delays in HAL’s production of the BAE Systems trainer, the Hawk, support Dassault’s contention.

Dassault is arguing for doing much of the production and integration at a facility that it will set up in partnership with Reliance, which it partnered a year ago. Negotiations continue, with Dassault contending that it cannot be responsible for delivery if the aircraft were to be manufactured on a HAL line; while the MoD insists that the Dassault-Reliance venture can build components, sub-systems and systems, but the integration must be done at HAL.

Meanwhile, the Rafale will entertain the crowds at Aero India, unencumbered by the presence of a crop of rivals. And, as long as India retains its dubious status as the world’s biggest buyer of weaponry (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates that India imported $3.58 billion, or Rs 19,000 crore, worth of conventional arms in 2011), Aero India 2013 will be bigger than ever.

Tailpiece: also flying aerobatics displays will be the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), an Indian-designed and -built fighter that is a major aeronautical triumph but has never got the funding or attention that it deserves. The Tejas, at an advanced stage of flight testing, will perform vertical loops, barrel rolls and display its low-speed handling capabilities. Keep an eye out for it.

 

[Paan Singh]

While the Bangalore Airshow opens its doors on Wednesday and a few days visit of François Hollande, that hopefully France in India in 2013? With good karma, this may be the year of France in India, which was the first country client French armament industry in 2011. Numerous marketing campaigns and negotiations could be favorable this year for groups lights.
And if karma was favorable in 2013 to French arms manufacturers in India. Starting with Dassault Aviation , in pole position to clinch the deal of the century in India, MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft), called by the Indians "the mother of all cases" ("mother of all deals"). A contract valued at 18 billion euros. Since January 2012, the manufacturer tricolor is in exclusive talks with New Delhi for the sale of a first tranche of 126 Rafale, of which 108 will be assembled locally by Indian manufacturers.

New Delhi has a real pressing need to renew its fleet with modern aircraft to counter the rise in Air China and Pakistan. Especially as the Army Air India loses many devices, including Russian aircraft . The Indian Air Force lost 50 aircraft, including 33 fighter jets between 2008 and March 2012. In addition, India must deal with regular violations of its airspace. Besides the infiltration of Pakistani Kashmir valley by. The Indian government has complained regularly of these provocations. Recently, in early January, the Ministry of Defence denounced in a statement: "The Indian government considers the incident as a provocation and we condemn it. (...) We expect Islamabad to honor the agreement cease-fire strictly. "

Gust: everything goes well

"Everything is going well," says a source close to the case even if there is little chance that this contract is signed, despite the willingness of the Air Force and the Indian authorities before the end of the fiscal year, which ends in late March. The visit of François Hollande, the travel dates (February 14 and 15) were revealed by Challenges , will not the opportunity to sign this mégacontrat. Dassault Aviation expects rather a contract this summer or year-end, according to our information. Just because the elections are scheduled in India in May 2014. Three months before the election date, no contract of this magnitude will be signed. In December, the Ministry of Defence of India had publicly and plainly stated that "the MMRCA contract has not been finalized so far because the negotiations are ongoing."

The challenge for Dassault Aviation is to organize the vast transfer of technologies required by New Delhi in good conditions for Indians and in conditions of reasonable safety for Team Rafale (Dassault Aviation, Thales and Safran ). This is far from simple. For Indian suppliers to find such a contract is a big challenge ... and time consuming. So, Dassault Aviation discusses step by step financial guarantees in case of failure of local suppliers.

EADS has two contracts in 2013

In India, there is not the Rafale. EADS is the signing of two contracts this year: Maitri missile and aircraft refueling. Its subsidiary MBDA (37.5%) has been waiting for a beautiful year contract worth approximately $ 1.8 billion to co-develop a missile surface to air next generation in partnership with India. "The negotiations were completed in December 2011 and the program is past the defense council in December 2012, says it in The Tribune. Suddenly, there are too many more steps to go." Maitri program is based on the work done by the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) and a technology transfer from MBDA to fill gaps in the Indian industry. Eventually, it is planned to produce about 2,000 missiles by Bharat Dynamics Limited Maitri. This system of air defense meet the needs of the Air Force, Navy and Army.

The European Group also expects the signing of tanker contract, A330 MRTT. selected India in January Airbus Military for the supply of six A330 MRTT tanker aircraft to equip its Air Force. Subsidiary of EADS entered into exclusive negotiations with New Delhi ... two years after first seeing a similar contract canceled by the Indian government. A sale that could exceed one billion dollars if it was concluded at the end of exclusive negotiations.

Eurocopter track three programs

India is a paradise for helicopter. Currently, there are several commercial campaigns representing approximately € 10 billion, of which two were won by Boeing in December (15-47F Chinook Ch 22 and AH-64D Apache Block-III) for a total of two billion euros . In turn, has three Eurocopter renewal programs of the Indian fleet. Subsidiary of EADS, who responded in 2008 to an international tender, desperately waiting since 2010 ... the opening of business envelopes from New Delhi to see if it is selected again by the Indian Air Force to renew the fleet of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters. Involved, 197 Fennec, the military version of the Squirrel. A contract worth 400 million euros can reach up to $ 1.5 billion with a total purchase of 600 aircraft. It also seeks the renewal of Navy helicopters and Coast Guard. Eurocopter NH-90 respectively 16 and 56 AS565 MB Panther, which will also be showcased in Bangalore.

DCNS dives for a new tender for six submarines

Finally, DCNS will participate in the new tender of New Delhi, who wants contruire six new submarines, four of which will be manufactured stalled in the framework of Project-75i. New Delhi has launched a tender in early December. These submarines are equipped with an AIP system for longer dives, will be equipped with cruise missiles. Finally, the contractor will partner with local groups to the manufacture of these underwater image of what had already DCNS, which has already sold six Scorpene submarines to New Delhi in 2005 in cooperation with the shipyard Mazagon Dock, located in the port of Bombay.

 

[DrSomnath999]

FROM AIR & COSMOS MAGAZINE FEB 2013

Rafale would have outperformed F15 & F18 in qatar

Au cours d'une trentaine de missions d' èvaluations qui se sont
déroulées à doha à l'été , le Rafale a pu montrer son potentiel aux aviateurs qatariens en conditions "temps chauds" . Tant et si
bien que ,de source gouvernementale ,il aurait tout simplement
surclassé la concurrence américaine (F15 strike eagle et F/A 18E/F Super Hornet ) ,également évaluée par le qatar ,qui envisage toujours de remplacer ses Mirage 2005

translate:
Over thirty missions assessments that are
held in Doha in the summer, the Rafale was able to show its potential in terms Qatari airmen "hot weather". So much so
although government sources, it would simply
outperformed the U.S. competition (F15 strike eagle and F / A 18E / F Super Hornet), also assessed by Qatar, who still plans to replace its Mirage 2005


IN MALI :

- 6 Rafale, 500 flight hours, 80 sorties.
- 4 sorties per day on average.
- Missions last between six and eight hours.
- No limitations due to high temperature.
- Possible accelerated implementation of laser guided AASM, the most effective weapon to destroy fast moving targets.
- Recce mission with Aeros reco NG pod: 30,000 feet, 2 Rafale, 1 with oblique angle and 1 with vertical angle.

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[DrSomnath999]

Rafale now certified for refueling with the A310MRTT.
German source:

Technically, everything is clear for German air refueling in Mali use

Plans to support the French intervention in Mali, the Bundeswehr has at least taken the technical hurdle was for the fuel supply by a flying tanker the Air Force become a fighter of the French armed forces, certified, a Defense Ministry spokesman said in Berlin straight eyes . Thus the army is able to refuel with an Airbus A310 MRTT (Multi Role Transport Tanker) to French aircraft on the way to an assignment in Mali or on the way back - once for a mandate from the Bundestag present.
Officially, the ministry said not which fighter meets the technical / legal requirements now. According to information of eyes straight! are the (the?) Rafale , the most advanced fighter aircraft in France (and, for example, in international tenders, a competitor of the Euro Fighters).
The air refueling to the French had asked in Berlin, will be on Tuesday of next week by the Cabinet and passed by Parliament in late February. It is still unclear whether this application together with the planned German participation in the EU Training Mission (EUTM) for Mali's armed forces in a mandate is connected or whether the government of the Bundestag two mandates will submit. For the EU mission, the use of some 40 trainers, especially Pioneren and a rescue center with doctors, paramedics and support staff is provided. EUTM for Mali are still lacking, however, rescue helicopter - so far no member country has offered the posting of medevac helicopters.

Technisch alles klar für deutsche Luftbetankung im Mali-Einsatz : Augen geradeaus

 

[DrSomnath999]

Rafale: DGA launches standard F3-R

This is the chief representative of weapons Laurent Collet-Billon himself announced this morning at the annual press conference of the DGA in the last days of December 2012, a contract undetermined amount was awarded to Dassault Aviation for studies raising the risk of new development software Rafale F3-R called.

Previously, well repeatedly questioned on the subject, the DGA had refused to confirm signing such a contract end of 2012, perhaps in an effort to keep ads for the press conference delegate. The manufacturer, in turn, was also kept quiet about it.

Dassault Aviation In these preliminary studies will allow us to maintain a bit of office work load of studies on the Rafale, lack of significant developments requested by the export. Recall that F3-S standard, more evolved, was envisaged for the French customer in case of signing a contract with the United Arab Emirates.

more "realistic" in the current economic context, the standard F3-R should in particular allow the integration of future PDL NG pod and Meteor missile. Further improvements are also considered: capacity IFF Mode 5 / S, new ways to Link-16 system improvements Spectra, etc.. All equipment delivered must take advantage of this trend by retrofit software.

Theoretically, this new standard F3-R forces should be delivered to 2018, when the first Meteor missiles and aerial PDL NG should theoretically be delivered.

Rafale : la DGA lance le standard F3-R - Air&Cosmos

 

[DrSomnath999]

FROM AIR FORCE MONTHLY 2013

Page 72-75, Vampirex 2012:

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[DrSomnath999]

Airforces Monthly, March 2013:

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[DrSomnath999]

Aviation Week, Feb 23:

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[brahmastra]

 

[DrSomnath999]

BRAHMOS MAY BE DEPLOYED IN RAFALE IN FUTURE
Aviation Week , March 2013:

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[DrSomnath999]

AASM zeroes in on moving targets and is proven on Rafale -

Sagem is ready to begin delivery of the AASM SBU-54 laser terminal guidance version of the Hammer weapon to the French Air Force pending administrative clearance by the DGA. Clearance is expected within a matter of weeks and will pave the way for the weapon to enter operational service later this year.

Final qualification firing of the air-to-ground missile was carried out by the DGA in December 2012. The test firing was conducted by a Rafale fighter - still a contender for the UAE fighter - at the DGA’s missile range in Biscarrosse, and has been declared a complete success.
The target for the test firing was a remotely piloted all-terrain vehicle that travelled at varying speeds before reaching a speed of 50km/h at the time of impact approximately 15km 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, the vehicle was illuminated by the aircraft’s Damocles pod during the final seconds of the AASM’s flight. The weapon struck the target with an accuracy of less than one metre.
Speaking at Sagem’s Montluçon facility in January 2013, Jean-Christophe Mugler, marketing and sales director, deputy, Sagem Avionics Division, said the firing was reflective of the weapon’s extreme agility, manoeuvrability and accuracy, adding that the SBU-54 brings extended capabilities to the Hammer family.
Two previous versions of the weapon are already qualified on Rafale – the INS/GPS (SBU-38) and INS/GPS/ infrared (SBU-64), with the latest SBU-54 guidance kit featuring a laser seeker in place of the infrared imager of the SBU-64, with tracking algorithms which are activated during the terminal phase, allowing the weapon to engage agile, moving land or naval targets illuminated by a ground or airborne laser designator.
‘With INS GPS, the SBU-38 can be used when the target coordinates are very well known,’ Mugler said. ‘However in the case of target location error, GPS unavailability or jamming, the SBU-64 is a better choice, as this weapon will be guided toward rough coordinates and then use scene-matching tracking algorithms during the terminal phase to find the target within the scene and hit the target.’
With a simplified model of the scene around the target first being uploaded to the SBU-64, the infrared imager allows the AASM to recalculate its trajectory during the last few seconds prior to impact, using image recognition algorithms. This allows the AASM to hit its target with the highest possible accuracy, even if GPS coordinates are incorrect, or the GPS signal is unavailable. The SBU-54 adds to this, using powerful algorithms for detection and flightpath slaving to a laser pointer to strike mobile targets.
‘Now, the SBU-54 brings a mobile target capability to the family,’ Mugler said. ‘If the laser spot is locked on a mobile target, such as a moving vehicle, the weapon uses powerful algorithms for detection and flightpath slaving to that laser point to hit that target - thanks to the high manoeuvrability of its double-canard configuration.’

Arabian Aerospace - AASM zeroes in on moving targets and is proven on Rafale

 

[DrSomnath999]

Vayu Aerospace & Defence Review (India); I/2013:

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[DrSomnath999]

Meteor Missile On Target for Delivery This Year

MBDA has confirmed that production rounds of the Meteor long-range air-to-air missile are scheduled for delivery before year-end. However, MBDA managing director Steve Wadey would not disclose which air force will be the first to get the new missile, which MBDA UK claims represents a “step change in the air-to-air world.” AIN reported last year that French Rafale and Swedish Gripen fighters would be flying operational Meteors ahead of the four Eurofighter nations.


At the end of last year the Meteor program completed its initial development test and customer countermeasures campaigns, clearing the way for the transition to production status and final integration work. The lead customer for this work is the UK Ministry of Defence.

The Meteor is also slated for deployment aboard the F-35, but there is no clear integration path yet, Wadey said. “We see 2013 as a critical year in the F-35 program to give clarity on the route and timing [of Meteor integration],” he added.

Meanwhile, MBDA is awaiting a go-ahead from France for the joint Anglo-French FASGW-H/ANL program. British requirements for a future anti-surface guided weapon (heavy) were merged with the French Anti-Navire Légère (ANL) requirement for a 100-kilogram anti-ship missile. While the UK has signaled its commitment to continued development, Paris has yet to follow suit. ANL has fallen foul of an edict by incoming President Hollande’s government that all development programs should be placed on hold until the publication of a defense white paper. That document could be published in a matter of days or weeks, but could also be delayed beyond year-end. MBDA is hopeful that a positive outcome is achieved soon so that funded development work can proceed.

MBDA is well advanced in the assessment phase for the UK’s Spear (selective precision engagement at range) Capability 3 program. The company predicts that the weapon will begin air-launched flight-tests next year, following extensive lab- and ground-based trials. Spear 3 builds on the successes MBDA has enjoyed with the dual-mode Brimstone weapon and aims to deliver a 220-pound warhead over a range of approximately 75 miles. Intended to provide the kind of precision capability offered by Brimstone but at much greater ranges, Spear 3 is sized for the F-35 to carry internally. MBDA predicts that Spear 3 will provide a game-changing increase in air-to-ground capability. “What other system will give BVR [beyond visual range] capability against fast-moving, difficult targets with low collateral?” commented Wadey.

Meteor Missile On Target for Delivery This Year | Aviation International News

Meteor Missile On Target for Delivery This Year

MBDA has confirmed that production rounds of the Meteor long-range air-to-air missile are scheduled for delivery before year-end. However, MBDA managing director Steve Wadey would not disclose which air force will be the first to get the new missile, which MBDA UK claims represents a “step change in the air-to-air world.” AIN reported last year that French Rafale and Swedish Gripen fighters would be flying operational Meteors ahead of the four Eurofighter nations.


At the end of last year the Meteor program completed its initial development test and customer countermeasures campaigns, clearing the way for the transition to production status and final integration work. The lead customer for this work is the UK Ministry of Defence.

The Meteor is also slated for deployment aboard the F-35, but there is no clear integration path yet, Wadey said. “We see 2013 as a critical year in the F-35 program to give clarity on the route and timing [of Meteor integration],” he added.

Meanwhile, MBDA is awaiting a go-ahead from France for the joint Anglo-French FASGW-H/ANL program. British requirements for a future anti-surface guided weapon (heavy) were merged with the French Anti-Navire Légère (ANL) requirement for a 100-kilogram anti-ship missile. While the UK has signaled its commitment to continued development, Paris has yet to follow suit. ANL has fallen foul of an edict by incoming President Hollande’s government that all development programs should be placed on hold until the publication of a defense white paper. That document could be published in a matter of days or weeks, but could also be delayed beyond year-end. MBDA is hopeful that a positive outcome is achieved soon so that funded development work can proceed.

MBDA is well advanced in the assessment phase for the UK’s Spear (selective precision engagement at range) Capability 3 program. The company predicts that the weapon will begin air-launched flight-tests next year, following extensive lab- and ground-based trials. Spear 3 builds on the successes MBDA has enjoyed with the dual-mode Brimstone weapon and aims to deliver a 220-pound warhead over a range of approximately 75 miles. Intended to provide the kind of precision capability offered by Brimstone but at much greater ranges, Spear 3 is sized for the F-35 to carry internally. MBDA predicts that Spear 3 will provide a game-changing increase in air-to-ground capability. “What other system will give BVR [beyond visual range] capability against fast-moving, difficult targets with low collateral?” commented Wadey.

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ain-defense-perspective/2013-03-22/meteor-missile-target-delivery-year