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Rafale in Combat: “War for Dummies” (Source: defense-aerospace.com; posted May 31, 2011) By Giovanni de Briganti Two French air force Rafales, a single-seater and a two-seater, refuel on their way to Libya. Both carry AASM guided bombs, MICA air-to-air missiles and drop tanks, while the single-seater also carries a Damoclès targeting pod on its centerline pylon. (French AF photo) RAFALETOWN, Corsica --- French air force Rafale combat aircraft deployed here as part of the UN-sanctioned Libyan No-Fly Zone are for the first time making full use of the aircraft’s “omnirole” capabilities, which allow a single aircraft to carry out the...

Rafale Ramps Up: In Squadrons and Capability Posted by Robert Wall at 5/26/2011 5:38 PM CDT The French navy next month expects to inaugurate its second operational unit, 11F, to be collocated with 12F at Landisvisiau near Brest. The move comes as the inventory of single-seat Dassault Aviation Rafale Ms is starting to grow. (credit: DGA) Meanwhile, combat operations continue to drive new efforts for the French military when it comes to Rafale. Soon to be launched is an upgrade of the Thales Damocles laser targeting pod to augment the infrared channel with a TV channel. The latter should improve...

Eurofighter, Rafale make Indian MMRCA shortlist? Our Bureau Has India downselected Eurofighter Typhoon and the Dassault Rafale for the $ 10 billion MMRCA fighter aircraft procurement project. Informed sources told defenseworld.net that two of the vendors, Eurofighter and Dassault have been invited to the Indian MoD for further discussions on their commercial bids on April 28. The commercial bids are to expire tomorrow. None of the other four bidding vendors have been invited so far for a discussion on the continuation of their bids, the sources said. Defenseworld.net reached two of the four vendors who confirmed that they have not...

France tries to tie Rafale with Mirage upgrade RAHUL BEDI New Delhi | 27th Mar Insidious French attempts to link the Indian Air Force's (IAFs) long-postponed and contentious Mirage 2000H fleet upgrade to the $10 billion acquisition of Dassault's Rafale fighters in support of the IAF's requirement of 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), have further delayed the pending retrofit. Ostensibly, the deal to upgrade the IAFs 51 Vajra (Thunderbolt) Mirage 2000Hs, widely expected to be confirmed by end-March with fighter manufacturers Dassault Aviation, official sources said, had been further deferred beyond the March 2011 deadline following unresolved price differences...

Kuwaiti MP links Rafale deal with performance against Gaddafi A Kuwaiti lawmaker has linked his parliamentary bloc's approval of a deal with French Rafale fighters with their performance, in efforts to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. By Habib Toumi, Bureau chief Published: 11:07 March 23, 2011 Manama: A Kuwaiti lawmaker has linked his parliamentary bloc's approval of a deal with French Rafale fighters with their performance in efforts to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Militant MPs have repeatedly warned the Kuwaiti government against purchasing the French-made Rafale warplanes, saying technical reports have recommended the rejection of the deal. "We warn...

Sarkozy promises Brazil fighter jet technology 5:12pm EST * Dassault, Boeing and Saab bid for contract * Rousseff appears to be leaning to Boeing SAO PAULO, March 12 (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy promised Brazil his government would support Dassault's proposed technology transfer of its new fighter jet as the company seeks an edge in its bid to win a multibillion-dollar Brazilian military contract. Brazil, which wants to rebuild and expand its dilapidated fleet of air force jets, has been considering offers from France's Dassault Aviation AVMC.PA, Boeing (BA.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Sweden's Saab (SAABb.ST: Quote,...

A proven fighter for the UAE Ivan Gale Last Updated: Feb 16, 2011 Dassault was the leading supplier of fighter jets to the UAE long before the major US defence companies began selling to the country. Regis Duvignau / Reuters France may be smaller than the US state of Texas but in the world of aerospace and defence it is a giant. It trails only the US in supplying arms to the Gulf, accounting for 35 per cent of purchases between 2005 and 2009 by the UAE, and 21 per cent of all defence sales in the region during the...

European fighters lead MMRCA race Ajai Shukla Yelahanka/ Bangalore February 10, 2011, It was a no-holds-barred duel at Aero India 2011 for a $10-billion (Rs 45,500 crore) prize. Turn by turn, four of the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft roared into the sky, keenly aware of the watching eyes of Indian ministry of defence (MoD) officials who would decide which of them was best suited for the Indian Air Force’s order of 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA). Their performances mirrored each fighter’s fortunes in the MMRCA race. In multiple interviews with MoD officials, IAF pilots and vendor representatives, Business...

France offering Mirage fighters to Iraq France has proposed to sell 18 Mirage fighters to Iraq, which is already negotiating a deal for US F-16s to protect its skies after US forces pull out at the end of this year, the French ambassador said on Thursday. "France has proposed to sell 18 Mirage F1 retrofitted aircraft that can be delivered from late 2011 and immediately operational because many Iraqi pilots were trained in the past on this type of plane," Boris Boillon told AFP. He said France was offering the multi-role planes for $1 billion (733 million euros). Baghdad has...

The French Fighter Jet That Nobody Wants The Rafale has cost $53 billion and is the key to France's defense economy, but it's not selling abroad By Carol Matlack The Rafale fighter, made by France's Dassault Aviation, is loaded with high-tech avionics, radar, and targeting systems. Now all it needs are customers. France has been peddling the supersonic jet since 2000 and hasn't sold a single one. In the latest setback, Brazil said on Jan. 17 that it would reopen bidding for a fighter contract worth up to $7 billion—a deal France had thought it was close to sealing last...

New Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has decided to delay awarding a multi-billion dollar Air Force jet contract and reevaluate the finalists' bids, in a move that could signal a realignment of Brazil's strategic and defense alliances, sources with knowledge of the decision told Reuters. The surprise decision is a blow to France's Dassault, which as recently as last month looked like a lock to quickly win the deal, and puts its U.S.-based rival Boeing back in with a chance. Rousseff's predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, had while in office repeatedly expressed his preference for Dassault's bid to build at...

Exclusive: Rousseff "starting over" in Brazil jets tender By Brian Winter BRASILIA (Reuters) - New Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has decided to delay awarding a multi-billion dollar Air Force jet contract and reevaluate the finalists' bids, in a move that could signal a realignment of Brazil's strategic and defense alliances, sources with knowledge of the decision told Reuters. The surprise decision is a blow to France's Dassault, which as recently as last month looked like a lock to quickly win the deal, and puts its U.S.-based rival Boeing back in with a chance. Rousseff's predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva,...

Close up of Rafale over Swiss Alps winner in Best of the Rest in cover competition By Will Horton on December 27, 2010 This stunningly up-close photograph of a Dassault Rafale at Sion Air Base in Switzerland earned a place in our cover competition's "best of the rest" category. Taken with a Canon EOS 500D by AirSpace photographer Niels_Boswinkel. Look out for details next November for 2011's cover competition. Until then you can upload your photos to AirSpace for a chance to have one featured as our Image of the Week, or to be printed in our publications.

A decision by Brazil to buy 36 modern fighter jets was to take a step closer Monday when president-elect Dilma Rousseff was to ask current Defense Minister Nelson Jobim to stay on in her team to see the deal through, media reported. They were to formalize an agreement made during Rousseff's campaigning ahead of elections October 31 that Jobim would remain in his job for at least the next two years, the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper said. Brazil's defense ministry did not immediately respond to AFP's requests for confirmation of the information. Rousseff takes over as president from her...

High cost of Indian Mirage 2000 fighter upgrade causing a rethink Our Bureau Fri, Dec 3, 2010 French President Nicholas Sarkozy may miss signing of the Mirage 2000 upgrade deal with the Indian Air Force (IAF) during his visit to India. While officially, “negotiations are still going on”, according India’s senior foreign ministry officials, the reason for the delay seems to be that the high cost of upgrading the fighters is causing a rethink, informed sources told defenseworld.net. The cost of upgrading the 51 fighters is working out to an average of Euro 45 million per piece which is well...

Flying the Eurofighter and France's Rafale FRANCE 24 journalist Apoorva Prasad takes flight in two of France's modern fighter planes in a cockpit comparison between the Eurofighter (pictured) and the Rafale, which recently came under fire from King Hamad of Bahrain. By Apoorva PRASAD (text) "There it is, on your HUD, your ground target!" A box encircled the nuclear power station, showing me the large cooling towers of the target. On the right hand colour display screen, a close up image of the plant appeared. The plane was in a shallow dive : I was flying closer and closer to...

Boeing proposes Embraer link in bid for Brazil contract (AFP) – 1 hour ago SAO PAULO — Boeing is offering to partner with Brazil's Embraer on a new fighter jet, in an effort to strengthen its bid for a multi-billion-dollar Brazilian defense contract, the US manufacturer said in a report Monday. Joseph McAndrew, Boeing's vice president for Europe, Israel and America, told business publication Valor that the firm proposed 10 partnership projects with Brazil's aviation leader, including building a new plant in the country to build parts for Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet. The jet is locked in a heated competition...

Brazil likely to chose Dassault's Rafale over Saab's Gripen, media says Posted on: Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:12:02 EST Symbols: BA, SAABF Nov 08, 2010 (NORDIC BUSINESS REPORT via COMTEX) -- 8 November 2010 - Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, will probably not award a deal for 36 fighter jets to Swedish group Saab AB (STO: SAAB B), but will prefer French Dassault Aviation (EPA: AM), Brazilian newspaper Valor Economico reported without naming any sources. Dassault's Rafale will reportedly be the president's first choice in the tender, beating Saab's Jas 39 Gripen, according to Valor Economico. US player...

Aviation companies decry F-35 purchase Dassault, Boeing claim they were shut out of lucrative military contract Last Updated: Friday, November 5, 2010 CBC News Two aviation companies have complained that the Canadian government never gave their planes a good look before selecting a competing jet — Lockheed Martin's F-35 — for a lucrative military contract. Representatives of Boeing and French airplane maker Dassault appeared before a parliamentary committee on Thursday to say their planes were overlooked despite being capable of fulfilling the required capabilities of a new fighter for the Canadian military. "To our knowledge, Canadian officials have not received...

France desperate for Rafale sales in Persian Gulf Published: Oct. 25, 2010 The French are driving hard to clinch orders for Dassault's multi-role Rafale fighter in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait to keep the jet's production line going. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has thrown his weight behind the drive to sell as many as 60 Rafales to the Emirates, which has a history of buying French combat aircraft, and 14-28 to Kuwait, which traditionally buys U.S. jets. But the omens aren't good for Rafale. Although the Emirates has a history of buying French combat jets, Dassault's failure to find...