Posted on 02/12/2015 5:51:45 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
BRUSSELS—French President François Hollande said Thursday Egypt will buy 24 of Dassault Aviation SA ’s Rafale in a contract worth around EUR5 billion ($5.7 billion), the first foreign order for the combat jet.
Egypt will buy 24 Rafale and an accompanying frigate, Mr. Hollande said at a news conference after a European summit in Brussels.
The French-made Rafale, which exists in land-based and carrier-based versions, has been in service with the French military for more than a decade, but repeatedly lost out to foreign competition and never been sold for export.
The jet has seen action in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, and most recently in Iraq.
The French president said the contract is a triumph for French industrial policy and the action of the state, which has intervened to guarantee part of the financing of the deal.
“We’ve missed out on contracts several times over the last 10 years, probably because there wasn’t the will to accompany the talks, to finance and conclude a deal,” Mr. Hollande said.
The contract will also have benefits for French public finances as the government had committed to buying Rafale aircraft if they were never sold for export.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
Or maybe its a triumph for French bribery policy....you never know.
Considering that Obama supported the Muslim Brotherhood takeover of Egypt, who are the mortal enemy of the present government, Lockheed probably didn’t have much of a chance.
What’s that thing on the rudder?
Chaff or flare dispenser?
The paper clip that holds it together.
A selfie camera?
French plane. Maybe it’s part of the pilot’s bidet system.
Probably beat the snot out of the bloated, slow, short ranged, poor turning big assed mistake aka F-35.
It’s the radar warning antenna.
Too Funny!
Maybe the new “Peace Accord” with Putin’s Russia will permit the French to sell the Mistra Carrier to the Russian Navy? Don’t worry—Russia will get its rewards for their new Egyptian-Russian treaty. Maybe Putin will let the Egyptians take Lybia—bring order to that land—after they hang a bunch of Terrorists.
It is probably a basic no-frills fighter that gets the job done. Exactly what the Israeli AF needs. Our F-35 appears to be a high priced turkey.
Part of the ECM gear.
I read somewhere that on Indian Air Force Jaguars, similar looking things were the Laser Rangefinders.
It’s not exactly no-frills since it’s the only manned fighter the French are buying/building so it is to be capable of being “Omnirole”: air superiority, interdiction, long-strike strike, nuclear strike, carrier-capability.
Second, since its a strictly French-built product, the cost of development and individual subsystems has been far higher than a US product or one involving US systems (like the Swedish Gripen or South Korean T-50/Indian LCA).
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