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To: ravager; sukhoi-30mki
RBE-2’s range is nothing like the Euroradar CAPTOR. In fact (I have heard and I am not sure if it is correct) the RBE-2’s range is even less then the Pakistani F-16’s AGP-68 not to mention AGP-80. Also the Rafale does not supercruise like the Eurofighter. Eurofighter’s service ceiling is at 65,000 ft, nearly 10,000 ft more then Rafale. These two factors will make it difficult for Rafale to escape enemy fighters or surface to air missiles. Against most modern fighters Eurofighters would totally dominate the air warfare. Rafale is a damn good plane no doubt, but it wouldn't be dominating the airspace. Rafale would have a tough time against the latest block of UAE F-16E/Fs (with AGP-80) or even Chinese Sukhois. Rafale is a VERY EXPENSIVE plane that does not give any massive advantage to justify its enormously exorbitant cost.

The choice of the Rafale was the best choice for India considering what the nation wanted (more on that later), and it should also be noted that not only was it the L1 of the two airplanes, but that it was also the preferred choice by the Indian Airforce.

Before I go into why the Rafale was a better choice for India than the Typhoon, please also consider all the competitions where the Rafale has been pitted against the Eurofighter Typhoon. There is India (where the Rafale won). There is Switzerland where the Rafale scored the highest in technical parameters against the Gripen, the F-18E/F, and (yes) the Eurofighter Typhoon (the Gripen won due to cost, but the Swiss airforce rated the Rafale the best – there was a post I made a couple of months ago when the decision was made where I linked that analysis). Also please look at which aircraft won the Singapore and the South Korea decisions - when it comes to technical evaluation – between the Rafale and the Eurofighter (both losing out to the F-15SG and F-15K respectively due to political and other reasons).

18 posted on 02/03/2012 5:29:31 AM PST by spetznaz (Nuclear-tipped Ballistic Missiles: The Ultimate Phallic Symbol)
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To: ravager; sukhoi-30mki
I have attached a chart below showing how the Rafale performed against the Eurofighter and the Gripen …and please note, in air-to-air. I have said before that the Rafale and the Eurofighter are most definitely ‘twins’ (they were even born out of the same program), but it seems that the Eurofighter has a far better PR team. Even in Libya, where the Rafale’s performance was definitely better, the Eurofighter-affiliated magazine tried to make it like it was the opposite.

Apparently in the Swiss evaluations the Rafale scored 7/1 against the Eurofighter in BVR and 8/0 in WVR.

19 posted on 02/03/2012 5:30:20 AM PST by spetznaz (Nuclear-tipped Ballistic Missiles: The Ultimate Phallic Symbol)
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