Free Republic

Dubai 09: UAE hosts first mock dogfights for F-22, Typhoon, Rafale By Stephen Trimble The United Arab Emirates not only attracted the Lockheed Martin F-22 to the Dubai air show, but also staged perhaps the first mock dogfights between F-22s, Dassault Rafales and Eurofighter Typhoons. In parallel with the air show, the advanced tactical leadership course at Al Dhafra air base near Abu Dhabi hosted a five-nation fighter exercise, says the UK Royal Air Force. France, the UK and the USA each sent six of their top-line fighters to the exercise, and those were joined by jets from the UAE...

FLIGHT TEST: Dassault Rafale - Rampant Rafale By Peter Collins Most advanced Allied air forces now have operational fleets of fourth-generation fighters (defined by attributes such as being fly-by-wire, highly unstable, highly agile, net-centric, multi-weapon and multi-role assets). These Western types include the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen NG. The Boeing F-15E and Lockheed Martin F-16 have an older heritage, but their latest upgrades give them similar multi-role mission capabilities. Of the above group, only the Super Hornet and Rafale M are capable of aircraft-carrier operations. As these fourth-generation fighters' weapons, sensor systems and...

Kuwait hoping for French jet deal Kuwait is hoping for a deal to buy Rafale fighter jets from France, the Gulf state's defence minister said on Wednesday. Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said his country would be "proud" to have the supersonic jet in its armed forces. "We hope to see an offer (from France) on the matter soon," he told journalists in Paris after signing a new defence accord with his French counterpart Herve Morin. Any deal would be studied carefully by the Kuwaiti air force, he added. "We hope to get the Rafale for our air force," he...

How Obama Tried to Kill the Brazil-France Military Deal Written by José Wilson Miranda Thursday, 17 September 2009 Les Echos, a French daily, has shown a little of what they say happened backstage during the negotiations between Brazil and France to buy the French military jet Rafale. Trying to upstage his French colleague, American president Barack Obama called Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva twice, says the Paris newspaper. Les Echos revealed up-to-now unknown information on the Obama administration's efforts to make sure the Brazilian government would choose the F-18 manufactured by Boeing, instead of the French fighter. The...

U.S. to transfer fighter jet technology to Brazil for purchase deal www.chinaview.cn 2009-09-10 10:51:56 P RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. administration has agreed to transfer the F-18 Super Hornet fighter jets' technology to Brazil if the Brazilian government chooses to purchase U.S. jets. The U.S. embassy in Brazil made the announcement on Wednesday, two days after the Brazilian government said it is in negotiations with France for the purchase of 36 fighter jets to renovate the Brazilian fleet. The main argument for choosing the French planes was the French government agrees to transfer the jet's technology....

Brazil says negotiating for French fighter jets Associated Press|Sep. 7, 2009, 12:52 PM| PrintBRASILIA (AP) — Brazil's president says his country is negotiating with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale jet fighters. An announcement released by the office of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says negotiations have begun with Dassault SA because France has offered to transfer technology as well as selling the jets. Sweden's Saab AB and Boeing Co. of the U.S. also have been competing for the Brazilian contract, which is expected to be worth about $2.2 to $2.5 billion. The announcement comes as French President...

French Aircraft Carrier Sails Without Nukes The French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle with air wing on deck. By Hans M. Kristensen France no longer deploys nuclear weapons on its aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle under normal circumstances but stores the weapons on land, according to French officials. President Nicolas Sarkozy declared in March 2008 that France “could and should be more transparent with respect to its nuclear arsenal than anyone ever has been.” But while the other nuclear powers declared long ago that their naval weapons were offloaded or scrapped after the Cold War ended, a similar announcement...

First Rafale Export Sale Advances as UAE Detail Specifications (Updated) (Source: defense-aerospace.com; published June 19, updated June 20, 2009) PARIS --- Negotiations for the sale to the United Arab Emirates of 60 Dassault Aviation Rafale combat aircraft passed a major milestone today, as the U.A.E. government submitted its specifications to France. This will allow detailed contract negotiations to begin on prices and delivery dates, possibly leading to contract signature by year-end. This government-to-government deal is valued at 6 to 8 billion euros, depending on the exact content of the weapons, support and spares package included in the contract. Long-running talks...

Rafale: Combat Veteran Set For Upgrades Jun 8, 2009 Robert Wall/Paris wall@aviationweek.com Michael A. Taverna/Paris mike_taverna@aviationweek.com It has taken France some time to get the Rafale fighter's multi-role capabilities into the field, but with that task now winding up, attention is starting to shift to introduce a far-reaching round of upgrades. Developers are targeting the so-called F3 Plus standard for fielding around 2012. The emphasis is not so much on doing anything new, but on doing everything better. Upgrades are planned for the radar, targeting pod, optical sight system, and electronic warfare suite. The engine, also, is due for improvement,...

Kuwait says Rafale worth "serious consideration" Tue Jun 2, 2009 1:18pm EDT KUWAIT, June 2 (Reuters) - Kuwait's defence minister said on Tuesday that buying Rafale fighter aircraft was worth "serious consideration", the official Kuwait News Agency reported. "On a Rafale French military aircraft deal, Sheikh Jaber al-Hamad al-Sabah said the issue will be looked at, noting that the French aircraft's high quality and advanced technology demands serious consideration with regard to buying them," the agency said. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in February that Paris and Kuwait were in talks on a possible sale of warships and 14-28 Rafale...

France could sell 60 Rafale jets to UAE May 23, 2009 at 05:56 France is finalising the sale of 60 Rafale combat jets made by France's Dassault Aviation to the United Arab Emirates in a deal worth 6 billion to 8 billion euros ($8 billion to $11 billion), a newspaper reported on Saturday. France has so far failed to find a foreign buyer for the Rafale jet. Newspaper Le Parisien said President Nicolas Sarkozy would personally push the talks in a visit to Abu Dhabi on Monday and Tuesday. "An enormous contract, concerning the sale of 60 planes for a...

French Rafale out of race for IAF fighters New Delhi: The French Rafale twin-engine multi-role fighter has been knocked off a $10-billion contract for 126 combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force. One of six contenders, Rafale was officially rejected by the Ministry of Defence for what an official called the failure to meet qualitative requirements of the contract. The IAF has been maintaining that all six contenders — American F-18 and F-16, Eurofighter Typhoon, Russian MiG-35, Swedish Gripen NG and the Rafale — for the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contract have met technical requirements. But a senior...

The Rafale - "A truly omnirole fighter" Story of a fighter aircraft 15:46 GMT, January 27, 2009 Taken from www.defense-aerospace.com ----- In 2008, the Rafale was qualified in its full omnirole version (Standard F3) and fulfilled the claim that it is a truly omnirole fighter, an aircraft capable of conducting in the same time both air-to-air and air-to-surface tasks during the mission. Already an extremely effective new-generation multi-role tactical fighter, development work is continuing apace to exploit more and more of the aircraft’s capabilities, and to add new ones (sensors, weapons). As a result, the Rafale looks set to become...

080722-N-7571S-001 ATLANTIC OCEAN (July 22, 2008) A French F-2 Rafale launches from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) during the first integrated U.S. and French carrier qualifications aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier. The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group is participating in Joint Task Force Exercise "Operation Brimstone" off the Atlantic coast. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Snyder/Released) 080721-N-7241L-009 ATLANTIC OCEAN (July 21, 2008) A French Rafale M prepares to land aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) during combined French and American carrier qualifications. This event marks the first...

Middle East Buyers Target French Fighter Jet Lionel Laurent, LONDON - It's been 23 years, but finally the French "Rafale" fighter jet is close to getting a foreign buyer. The French government is currently negotiating orders of up to 100 Rafales with interested buyers from abroad, according to a radio interview with President Nicolas Sarkozy's chief-of-staff on Wednesday. The twin-engine, multi-purpose aircraft, which is manufactured by Dassault Aviation, has not had a single export order during its 23-year lifespan. Dassault would not comment on the discussions, but a source familiar with the matter confirmed that the United Arab Emirates and...

UAE eyes France's Rafale fighter ABU DHABI (AFP) — The United Arab Emirates said on Thursday it was mulling replacing its fleet of French Mirage 2000 combat planes with the multi-role Rafale, which has yet to find an export market. "The UAE is seriously considering replacing its fleet of Mirage 2000 combat planes with the French new generation Rafale fighter starting in 2013," an official was quoted by the state WAM news agency as saying. "Discussions on this issue are under way between the UAE government and France," he said. The official did not give more details but the oil-rich...

ILA 2008: Indian bids add spice With India prominently labelled as the show’s ‘official partner country’, the importance of the Indian market, and the growing power of India’s aerospace industry is being underlined and highlighted at Schoenefeld. Jon Lake reports With the recent, long awaited release of a $10 billion request for proposals (RFP), India’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition is hotting up, and the main contenders are all present at Berlin, doubtless hoping to impress and persuade India that theirs is the best choice as India’s next fighter. Originally launched as the Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) requirement, the...

U.S. trying to thwart Rafale sales -French minister Thu Feb 14, 2008 11:13am EST PARIS, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The United States is seeking to undermine France's efforts to sell its Rafale advanced fighter jet, French Defence Minister Herve Morin said on Thursday. The Rafale is a next-generation, multirole combat aircraft, and has been a flagship programme for France's arms industry, but has yet to find an export buyer. Morin last year criticised the Rafale, saying its sophisticated hardware was hard to sell against cheaper Lockheed (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) F-16s, but on Thursday he sang its praises and said...

The Big Engine That Couldn't Joshua Levine 02.25.08, 12:00 AM ET France's Dassault has a great new fighter jet-- that no one wants to buy. Hervé Morin, France's new defense minister, has an easy smile, but he didn't have an easy time keeping it during the press conference he gave in mid-December. Morin was outlining a new program to cut through the bureaucratic logjam that was hampering French weapons exports. Weapons mean almost as much to the French economy as wine. The nation sells three times as many dollars' worth of fighter planes, frigates and tanks as it does champagne--$9...

France offers to supply 40 Rafale fighters to IAF New Delhi (PTI): As President Nicolas Sarkozy began talks with Indian leaders to boost Indo-French ties, a French company on Friday offered to sell 40 of its new generation Rafale fighters to New Delhi on a fast track basis to help IAF maintain its combat edge. The offer was made by Charles Edelstennie, scion of the Dassult family, the makers of the Rafale and Mirage fighters. "We know Indian Air Force, with which we have a decade-long close association, is facing force depletion. So we are ready to supply 40 Rafales,...

Excerpt - Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi arrives in Paris Monday for a high-profile visit set to usher in multi-billion-euro nuclear and aviation contracts, even as critics lashed President Nicolas Sarkozy for welcoming the former pariah. Staying in a heated Bedouin tent pitched near the Elysee presidential palace, Kadhafi is expected during the five-day visit to approve the purchase of three billion euros (4.4 billion dollars) of Airbus planes, a nuclear reactor and possibly Rafale fighter jets. ~ snip ~

France to sell Libya up to 14 fighter jets - report Wed Dec 5, 2007 PARIS, Dec 5 (Reuters) - France could sell between 10 and 14 "Rafale" combat aircraft to Libya during a state visit to Paris by Muammar Gaddafi, La Tribune newspaper reported on Wednesday. Dassault Aviation (AVMD.PA: Quote, Profile, Research), which builds the Rafale, declined to comment on the report. The office of French President Nicolas Sarkozy also declined to comment. Gaddafi is due to visit France for five days from Dec. 10, La Tribune said. It will be his first visit in more than 30 years....

French launch post-mortem on Morocco jet deal Tue 23 Oct 2007, 20:09 GMT By Tim Hepher and Elisabeth Pineau PARIS, Oct 23 (Reuters) - France trumpeted business successes during a trip by President Nicolas Sarkozy to Morocco on Tuesday, but a post mortem has already begun into how Paris was snubbed over a major fighter order, defence analysts said. In a surprise blow to France's standing in the region, industry sources said Morocco had cancelled interest in French Rafale combat jets and opted for cheaper F-16s from the United States, casting a pall over Sarkozy's first visit as president. After...

AFX News Limited French defence minister criticises Rafale costs 09.19.07, 9:16 AM ET PARIS (Thomson Financial) - France's defence minister Herve Morin has criticised the development costs of Dassault Aviation's Rafale fighter jet. Morin also questioned the use of 'hypertechnology' in the defence industry, saying that some industry experts estimate the top 5 pct of technology in a programme could add as much as 20 or 25 pct to the cost. 'Hypertechnology is also a barrier to exports for a certain number of countries because they don't need equipment for high intensity combat,' Morin said. Morin stressed that he thinks...

Rafales go to Afghanistan as French commitment grows By Helen Massy-Beresford Air force and navy to deploy six aircraft to Tajikistan in support of ISAF mission France is in the process of sending six Dassault Rafale C/M fighters to support ground troops serving as part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. Three air force and three navy F2 software-standard aircraft were scheduled to leave for the region on 10 March as part of France's Operation Serpentaire. Their deployment follows the recent completion of ground and flight tests and crew training activities at the air force's CEAM test...

FRANCE is seeking to usurp Britain as favourite to win air defence contracts with Saudi Arabia worth up to £40bn (€59bn, $72bn) to British defence contractor, BAE Systems. President Jacques Chirac has had face to face meetings with King Abdullah and was the first foreign dignitary to visit the desert kingdom after the funeral of King Fahd in August, The Business has learned. Saudi Arabia is looking to upgrade some of its ageing 96 Tornados, supplied by BAE Systems, but also to buy new fighter jets in a bid to bolster its air power. The UK is offering the Eurofighter...

Eurofighter faces new challenger Putin to lead business delegation Russia will pitch its new combat jet for a $9 billion (£4.5 billion) Indian defence contract, adding to fierce competition among European companies for one of the largest orders by any air force. Sergei Ivanov, the Defence Minister, said that Russia would submit the MiG-35, an advanced version of the MiG-29, to the tender for 126 light fighter aircraft as the Indian Air Force seeks to upgrade its ageing fleet of Russian-made MiG-21s and British Jaguars. India’s military, the world’s third-largest with 1.3 million active personnel, plans to buy new fighters...

Rafale Strike Version Enters Operation With French Air Force By Michael A. Taverna 07/02/2006 11:22:38 PM SHOWTIME The Dassault Rafale F2 strike aircraft is poised to enter the French air force inventory, augmenting Europe's force-projection capability and opening a new chapter in the battle with rival U.S. and European manufacturers for lucrative foreign military sales contracts. The first F2 squadron stood up at the St. Dizier air base in eastern France last week, in the presence of a host of dignitaries led by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin. The high-profile event underscored not only the operational and industrial importance of...

FEBRUARY 2006 India’s quest for fighter could cost losers dearly By Reuben F. Johnson / Asian Aerospace February 2006 The Indian Air Force’s (IAF) medium multirole combat aircraft (M-MRCA) tender is beginning to resemble a free-for-all that shows no signs of abating and will continue for several years. What makes this tender an unusual one, however, is that the type of radar and onboard systems which will be included in the deal, the co-production arrangements to provide work for local Indian industry and geopolitical considerations are going to carry far more weight in the decision process than the actual choice...

Anglo-US defence deals in jeopardy Tom McGhie and Jack Gee, Mail on Sunday 26 February 2006 BRITAIN may consider buying up to 150 French fighter jets for two new-generation aircraft carriers scheduled to go into service with the Royal Navy in 2013. If the Government went ahead with the £5bn deal, it would mean cancelling existing US contracts to supply aircraft for the carriers and could cause a major crisis in Anglo-American relations. The unexpected verbal offer to buy the Rafale Marine jets came on January 24 when Defence Secretary John Reid met his opposite number, Michele Alliot-Marie, for crucial...

France may offer Rafale for Mirage SHIV AROOR Posted online: Thursday, February 16, 2006 at 0455 hours IST NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 15: When French President Jacques Chirac arrives in New Delhi on February 19, he will make it a point to tell Indian authorities about the formal withdrawal of the Mirage-2000-5 fighter from the bid for 126 combat aircraft that the IAF is looking at. In its place, he will formally offer the Rafale multirole fighter. In what has taken the IAF completely by surprise, considering it has unofficially been gunning for the Mirage, the French government has conveyed its...

UK lobbying for selling Eurofighter to IAF A delegation of cross-party MPs and businessmen from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce are currently on a visit to London. FROM SHYAM BHATIA DH NEWS SERVICE, LONDON: The British government is “pushing hard” for India to purchase the Eurofighter for the IAF, a visiting Indian MP has revealed. Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is co-chair of a delegation of cross-party MPs and businessmen from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) currently visiting London, told Deccan Herald that the issue of selling the Eurofighter, developed jointly by the...