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A French defense contractor riding in a Dassault fighter learned the hard way that the grab bar next to his seat was actually the ejection handle. • A French defense-industry employee about to retire was gifted something he was extremely reluctant to accept: a ride in a Dassault fighter jet. • The 64-year-old was not correctly instructed, to say the least, in passenger etiquette, and to make a long story short, he self-ejected midflight. • He's okay, according to the government's incident report, but the chance of this gentleman ever repeating the stunt is definitely zero. Imagine: You work hard...

The United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s recent cancelation of its plan to buy 50 Lockheed F-35 fighter jets worth $23 billion from the United States showed that the close trading partnership between the UAE and China could be playing a role. The cancelation means that the UAE has chosen Huawei’s 5G technology over the F-35, which is used by the US as a “favor” to form military alliances with other countries. At the US request, the UAE previously agreed to halt the construction of a logistic port that is being built by China. But this time, strong US pressure has failed...

PARIS (Reuters) - French billionaire Olivier Dassault was killed on Sunday in a helicopter crash, a police source said, with President Emmanuel Macron paying tribute to the 69-year old conservative politician. Dassault was the eldest son of late French billionaire industrialist Serge Dassault, whose namesake Dassault Aviation, builds the Rafale war planes and owns Le Figaro newspaper. “Olivier Dassault loved France. Captain of industry, lawmaker, local elected official, reserve commander in the air force: during his life, he never ceased to serve our country, to value its assets. His sudden death is a great loss. Thoughts on his family and...

Indian media has been filled with glowing expert reviews of the Rafale jets compared to what China could bring to bear in any aerial conflict, including China's new J-20 stealth fighters. The Rafale is not a stealth jet, but it is touted for for having a low profile that is not easy to detect on radar. Flown by French forces, the Rafale has been used in operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Iraq and Syria... India officially accepted delivery of the first batch of jets at the French plant where they are manufactured last October. Indian pilots trained on the aircraft...

On Friday, the campaign by Congress party chief Rahul Gandhi to highlight alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter deal took a new turn as he accused Dassault Aviation of paying Rs 284 crore as “kickbacks” to a company owned by Anil Ambani. This is the first time a senior political figure is levelling direct allegations against Dassault over the Rafale deal. Dassault has been a prominent supplier of warplanes to the Indian Air Force, starting with the Ouragan fighters in 1953, through to the Mystere a few years later and finally the Mirage-2000 in the 1980s. Despite its renowned reputation...

PARIS --- In a major policy reversal, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel on Friday announced an abrupt change in the process to select a replacement for the Lockheed F-16s operated by the Belgian Air Force. At a press conference held after the Cabinet meeting, Michel said that Belgium will thoroughly evaluate the French offer based on the Dassault Rafale, as well as the possible upgrade of the F-16s. He also postponed the decision until mid-October. This is a complete disavowal of the position of Defense Minister Steven Vandeput, who insisted that upgrading the F-16 was clearly not realistic, and maintained...

U.S. and French fighter pilots have spent nearly two months training alongside each other, exchanging tactics and comparing notes on what their Dassault Rafale and Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet jets can accomplish. During training at Naval Air Station Oceana and aboard USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), the most note-worthing finding is how similar the two navies’ flight operations procedures aboard the carrier are, said both French and U.S. pilots. Still, each airframe comes with unique attributes, which made for some interesting mission training exercises. USNI News Graphic “The Rafale is a rocket,” Lt. Brandon Rodgers from the Golden Warriors of...

The French weekly financial newspaper La Tribune reported on Friday that a deal between Cairo and France over the sale of 12 Rafale jet fighters to Egypt has been blocked because the US is refusing to export a component of a cruise missile that is part of the plane. French sources quoted in the report asserted that the delay in the deal is due to the shortage of the American component of the scalp missiles and not a funding issue as in the past. La Tribune noted that Dassault Aviation and MBDA declined to confirm reports about the Scalp cruise...

Petty Officer 2nd Class Jon Dasb—U.S. Navy A number of Marine Nationale Rafale-M multi-role fighter jets and E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning and control aircraft, along with 350 support personnel and aircrew, will deploy aboard the USS George H.W. Bush this Spring. Not only will the multi-national operation work to give Rafale-M aircrews much needed carrier qualifications—France's only carrier has been undergoing a mid-life refit—but it also aims to expand the two countries' abilities to operate fighter aircraft cooperatively from the sea for prolonged periods of time. Captain Jean-Emmanuel Roux de Luze, the French Naval Attaché to the U.S. Navy,...

Qatar has taken up the option to buy 12 additional Dassault Rafale fighters announcing the deal at a event with the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani,from the Qatar Armed Forces As part of the French president's state visit to Doha, Qatar also ordered 50 A321neo narrowbodies. Qatar Airways already operated 39 Airbus A320s and has 11 more due for delivery before 2020 This new defence order follows on from the contract signed on 4 May 2015 between the State of Qatar and Dassault Aviation for the acquisition of 24 Rafale,...

New Delhi. The Government is likely to approve at least another 36 Rafale Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCAs) very soon. Details are not known but informed sources told India Strategic that although a decision was just about due, the possibility of more aircraft was also being considered in view of the Indian Navy’s requirement of 56 twin-engine shipboard fighters as also the Government’s Make in India programme. If only 36 Rafales are taken, then it would not be economical to set up their manufacturing infrastructure. IAF is looking for a mix of about 400 single and twin engine fighters...

In September this year, a new building will begin to take shape at the Indian Air Force’s frontline Ambala base in the northern state of Haryana, home to the country’s Jaguar fighter-bomber fleet. Within this new building will be equipment Indian pilots have only encountered before at air shows demonstrations and bilateral exercises with foreign forces. The equipment is a set of synthetic collective training simulators built by French firm Sogitec and is almost absurdly ahead of anything IAF crews have had the luxury of calling their own. If you’re wondering about the title of this report, we chose it...

Although its Falcon business jet unit is enduring something of an orders slump, Dassault Aviation’s defence arm is enjoying a bumper time with its Rafale multirole fighter, with production already assured through at least the middle of the next decade. Recent boosts to the programme include a French commitment to launch an F4 operating standard of the jet; confirmation of a long-planned Indian order; and numerous other prospects to add to its list of export buyers. Announced earlier this year under a deal with France's DGA defence procurement agency, the Rafale's F4 evolution will build on its so-called "omnirole" capabilities....

As part of the bilateral military co-operation between Egypt and France, Dassault Aviation, a multinational Rafale fighter manufacturing company named based in France, delivered three Rafale fighters to Egypt on Wednesday which represents the third batch of the total deal of 24 fighters, according to a statement released by the official army spokesperson on Facebook. This Egypt-France deal is the first of its kind. For France to sell Rafale fighters to any country, as was the case in February 2015, was unprecedented. The deal also includes training Egyptian fighter pilots in these imported Rafale fighters in France. The Egyptian pilots'...

Addressing the growing domestic and international demand for the French fighter aircraft, Dassault and the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) will soon begin a six-year development phase of the next-generation Rafale F4. The French Minister of Defense, Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian, authorized the start of development of the next generation variant of the Rafale. The aircraft will introduce new capacities empowered by the modern missile and engine technologies. The new variant will follow the Rafale F3-R currently in development and scheduled to complete the qualification testing next year. Dassault now produces Rafales to fulfill French orders for 180 aircraft, along...

HIGHLIGHTS * India may deploy Rafale fighter jets on China, Pakistan borders, a media reports said. * Rafale fighters in flyaway condition carry tactical nuclear warheads. * India is rapidly expanding its military capabilities. Caption - India is buying 36 Rafale fighter jets from France. BEIJING: China apprehends that India will deploy the 36 nuclear-capable Rafale fighter jets to be acquired from France in the border regions of China and Pakistan to enhance its deterrence capability, a media report here said. India will deploy the new French-made fighters in the disputed areas bordering Pakistan and China, state-run Global Times reported...

NEW DELHI: As India and France get set to sign a Euro 7.87 billion contract for 36 French Rafale fighters, details are emerging on a previously undisclosed part of the deal, which will see India acquiring the Meteor, arguably the world's most advanced air-to-air missile. Sources tracking the final negotiations have confirmed to NDTV that the IAF's Rafales will come equipped with the Meteor designed to knock out enemy aircraft and cruise missiles significantly more than 100 km away. The acquisition of this weapon is likely to be game changer in South Asia. Neither Pakistan nor China, India's traditional military...

A year after completing an order for the Dassault Rafale, Cairo has reportedly reentered negotiations with France regarding the procurement of additional fighter jets. On June 15, La Tribune reported that Egypt is in discussions with Dassault Aviation for the acquisition of 12 more Rafales. La Tribune reports that some sources believe it is possible a contract could be reached before the end of this year, while others are more cautious about the timeframe for completion. As of yet, no side has commented on the reports of ongoing negotiations. Egypt and France formally signed an agreement worth 5.2 billion euros...

New Delhi: India's Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, which was several years in the making, has now caught the attention of foreign buyers, with Sri Lanka and Egypt evincing interest in the indigenously built fighter jet. Sri Lanka had recently rejected Pakistan's JF-17 aircraft built with Chinese help, while Egypt had last year signed a contract for 24 French-made Rafale fighter jets. The two countries are interested in the current version of the Tejas and not the upgraded one which will be rolled out later. However, state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the manufacturer of Tejas, is focusing on delivering the aircraft...

Boeing Co. wants Prime Minister Narendra Modi to keep something in mind as he looks to turn India into a defense manufacturing powerhouse: Size matters. With Modi planning to spend $150 billion to modernize military equipment over the next decade, the world's largest aerospace company sees an opportunity to grow its presence in India. Boeing lost out in 2012 to smaller French rival Dassault Aviation in what was then the biggest fighter-jet deal on record. "If India wants to jump start an aerospace economy, do you want to do that with Dassault -- that's about a $5 billion company --...