Posted on 11/30/2010 7:31:44 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Gulf ruler agreed France's Rafale old technology
By Tim Hepher
PARIS | Tue Nov 30, 2010 4:53am EST
PARIS (Reuters) - France faces potential embarrassment over its Rafale warplane after a U.S. classified document published by the WikiLeaks website said a Gulf Arab leader agreed that it was "yesterday's technology."
The remark reportedly came in a November 1, 2009, conversation between Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa and General David Petraeus, who was then in charge of U.S. Central Command, according to a U.S. embassy cable published on the website.
Dassault Aviation, which manufactures the plane, said it had no immediate comment.
According to the document, King Hamad asked Petraeus for his help in encouraging U.S. aircraft manufacturers to participate in Bahrain's first air show scheduled for January 2010.
"He said that France was pushing the Rafale and would be there in force, although he agreed with Petraeus that the French fighter was yesterday's technology," according to an account filed by the U.S. ambassador in Bahrain's capital Manama.
The tiny island kingdom is one of several Gulf countries seeking to renew their fleets in a regional arms race prompted in part by tensions with Iran, according to military analysts.
Bahrain mainly buys weapons from the United States and is not considered to be the most promising market for the Rafale. But the comments are the latest in a series of setbacks for manufacturer Dassault Aviation as it tries to export the plane.
In 2007, France's then defense minister caused a domestic row for quite different reasons when he criticized the plane as "too sophisticated" for export.
The United Arab Emirates has pressed for the aircraft's engines to be upgraded with extra thrust, but industry sources say negotiations with France
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
A quick question:
What popular foreign fighter currently being used might be considered “second best” to ours?
I accede to your expertise.
Assange is now messing with France’s arms sales.
The Rafale was designed before the world knew what a F-117 was.
The Rafale was cutting edge for the 1980's....
Too hard to call!! The Eurofighter and Rafale are equally good with respect to electronics and air to air capability but rather expensive. The Russian SU-30 series is older but has good range and payload. If you want economy as well good performance, the Swedish Gripen is the way to go.
Another question: who has the next “big thing” coming up? and can any of our current projects leapfrog it in terms of generational capabilities?
It’s embarassing when the person making the statement is unlikely to ever get to buy an F-22. The only realistic options he has are older than the Rafale.
The Russians are working on a stealth fighter called the PAK FA which won’t be inducted at least until after 2015 or so.
US companies are already working on concepts for a ‘6th’ generation fighter to follow the F-22 by 2030.
Thanks for you answers. My academic training in aerial warfare is a little behind the times...
I still think Milch should have shelved the Me109 for full production of the Fw190!
/or not, considering whose side was his. Ha.
Nobody get's to buy F-22's any more. Of course he can't buy them. We can't even buy them.
The Rafele is a Super Hornet competitor, not anywhere near an F-22 in capability, anyway.
I bet we will sell him F-35's, however. That's a generation newer than the Rafale. It only takes money.
I’d go with the Eurofighter, but I suppose that’s up for debate.
Sure, it depends on what you want. I answered above in a vacuum, but for air superiority, I’d pick the Eurofighter as best behind the -22. The Gripen is also good. The Typhoon and Gripen are getting export sales whilemthe Rafale isn’t. That’s certainly telling.
Even if they cough up the money, they will need to wait close to decade to get an F-35 given the backlog for the US and partners. They can get an Rafale or Super Hornet within 2-3 years if they sign a contract today.
About the F-35 being a ‘generation ahead’ of the Rafale, well lots of people will argue with that. The Eurofighter and Rafale are arguably better in aerodynamics. These aircraft are not stealthy in the conventional sense but they have a lower RCS than most competitors and sensors to boot.
But since the financial crises, forcing some nations governments down on their knees, (just check the lates RAF budget!) future technical developments will properly not be done by the occidental countries.
In this case, the latest SU-50 looks quite interesting, though having a bit of YAK 50 about it.
Looking forward to the presentation in Paris.
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