Dassault’s Rafale Back in Indian Fighter Race

he Times of India reported on May 22 that the Dassault Rafale is back in the race for an Indian government contract to build 126 new medium multirole combat aircraft for the country's Air Force. The paper said that the Rafale had been booted out of the competition to supply the jets by the Indian Defence Ministry after Dassault failed to respond properly in its technical bid toward the GSQRs (general staff qualitative requirements) drawn up by the IAF. The paper then quoted an unnamed Defense Ministry official stating that Dassault had since supplied missing information and that the Rafale would now participate in IAF field trials of the competitors.
There will be two sets of field trials, according to The Times. The first set is scheduled for July and August and the second in the winter of 2009-2010. The aircraft will be flown in the mountainous region of Leh, the hot Rajasthan desert, and the humid region around Bangalore.
After field trials the field of six fighters- the Rafale, the Lockheed Martin F-16, the Boeing F/A-18, Saab's Gripen, the RAC MiG MiG-35, and the Eurofighter Typhoon - will be winnowed down to a short list of three aircraft. Commercial bids by the three remaining candidates will then be opened and evaluated. The IAF would like the aircraft to be delivered by 2012-2013, but the evaluation and bidding process is expected to take a minimum of two years. Under the circumstances, a contract cannot be expected before 2011.
UAE Considering Rafale Jet Fighters
ABU DHABI, UAEs --- According to UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan, discussions between the UAE and France about the possible Emirati purchase of the new generation French Rafale jet fighter are moving ahead. Officials from the UAE made hints in 2008 that the tiny Gulf state was considering the acquisition of Rafale fighters as a solution for the replacement of its 60 French-built Mirage combat aircraft. Such a deal is believed to be valued between EUR6-8 billion ($8-11 billion).
France, along with the U.S., is one of the UAE's key arms suppliers. One snag in the potential sale of the Rafale to the UAE for the French is that any deal is likely to be precluded by the demand that France either take back theMirage 2000-9 jets or find a suitable buyer on the global market. France, still seeking an export market for its Dassault Aviation aircraft, might settle for buying back the surplus Mirages in order to achieve the sale.

Comments

Pakistani JF-17 A Thunder OR A Blunder

Pakistan has witnessed new defense acquisitions in this decade than any other, and in the center of it all is the new fighter which was designed by China with partial funding from Pakistan. It is formally known as JF-17 Thunder. When the fighter was in development, Pakistani online communities were jumping with excitement comparing it with its arch rival India’s modern combatants Su-30MKI, Mig-29S & Mirage-2000H. There were claims of it featuring western Radars and long range missiles, & Chinese ordering some due to its superior capabilities. But the reality is far from it. China having spent significant amount of money into a fighter which it is never going to use, most probably forced Pakistan to accept its avionics to offset some its development costs. Chinese who are known for their self reliance first and quality next, are further downgrading JF-17s capabilities with their poorly copy-pirated avionics. Along with their dubious weapons, any chance of JF

Pakistani F-16s Shoot Down RAF Eurofighter Typhoons During Air Combat Exercises In Turkey

Pakistani pilots flying modernised versions of the 1970s-vintage F-16 Falcon fighter have beaten the RAF's brand-new Eurofighter Typhoon superfighters during air combat exercises in Turkey, according to a Pakistani officer. Analysis: The RAF Typhoon, formerly known as the Eurofighter, should nonetheless have been vastly superior in air-to-air combat whether BVR or close in within visual range (WVR). The cripplingly expensive, long-delayed Eurofighter was specifically designed to address the defects of its predecessor the Tornado F3 – famously almost useless in close-in, dogfighting-style air combat. The Typhoon was meant to see off such deadly in-close threats as Soviet "Fulcrums" and "Flankers" using short-range missiles fired using helmet-mounted sight systems: such planes were thought well able to beat not just Tornados but F-16s in close fighting, and this expectation was borne out after the Cold War when the Luftwaffe inherite

India Planned Attack On Pak Navy Mehran Base To Kill Chinese Engineers

The terrorist attack on Karachi's Mehran Naval Station on May 22 was conceived and launched by India with the primary objective of killing the Chinese engineers present there, a Pakistani newspaper has claimed, citing 'informed sources'. Four to six Taliban terrorists had entered PNS Mehran on May 22, destroying two maritime surveillance aircraft and killing ten military personnel during their 17-hour siege of the naval air base. "India is the only country in the region that feels troubled by the Pakistan Navy, which had awfully beaten the Indian Navy in Operation Dwarka of 1965. Since then, it has been an earnest desire of India to harm the Pakistan Navy but it was perhaps not possible on the battle front, hence it struck the PNS Mehran," The News quoted sources as saying.

ASIAN DEFENCE

Search This Blog