I appreciate the Rafales contributions - but I am yet to see any conclusive results about how good it was in A2A combat over Libya - did it encounter any enemy air-defense fighters? What were those? What was the kill ratio? How did the rafales BVRAAM perform there?
Can anyone give any answers?
They performed just like all other allied fighters in A2A, because there were no air combats! They only flew air defence missions and escort roles in the begining, but Libyan air force had no chance against the attacks of the NATO forces and even if, they would have flown attacks against the NATO fighters, it would be an easy catch for because those old Migs and Mirage wasn't really competetive to F15, 16, 18, Gripen, EF, or Rafale.
So the only performance comparison in A2A you can get, is through exercises against NATO, or other friendly forces and the Rafale did more than well in them. It won dogfights against several different F16 and F18 version, won against the EF and Gripens and achieved at least 4 draws against the F22, which was the most impressive result. In BVR it is said to get kills against the Super Hornet and the EF T2, both possibly due to longer range visual identification, or SPECTRA capabilities, because it had inferior radar and missile range in both cases. And even engaged our MKIs during Garuda 2010, but the outcome was not stated openly.
So even today, there should be no doubt about Rafales A2A capabilities, let alone for the version that is offered in MMRCA, with AESA, upgraded FSO, SPECTRA and METEOR missile.
Otherwise it seems like an assymetric warfare where Rafale did great - but so did the other fighters. IAF will never face such assymetric warfare - PAF will come with F-16 Block 60s and Block 30s and JF-17s armed with BVRAAMs. PLAAF will come with J-10s, J-11s and J-20s armed with AMRAAMs.
PAF has F16 Block 52s, not 60s with AESA and the Block 30 will be upgraded to Block 50 level, but as I said, Rafale did well against them in dogfights and has clear advantages in BVR, especially with the F3+ upgrades. The only Chinese fighter that give me reasons to think about is J10B, because it gets latest techs and capabilities as well and will come in high numbers, while J20 is a long shot and will be deployed in the east at first, where the US already has F22 flying around. Anything else will not be a match, especially not if we can combine the passive capabilities of Rafale, with the active of upgraded MKI!
Hehe good 'ol Sancho the French brown noser
The campaign began early March are you not being deliberately disingenuous when you claim the data represents just the first few weeks?
Not really, NATO attacks started on the 20th (only the French started earlier) and as mentioned, by then the carrier groups of the French wasn't deployed, which is why they aren't in your graphic. It is taking hardly 6 weeks tio account, while the campain goes on now for
6 months! So who is really leaving the important data out? Not that I'm surprised dear, I caught you faking things in several forums right?
The Europeans could not get their act together in a convincing way, even over a comparatively small operation against a weak and crazy opponent.
Are we talking about the same weak and crazy opponent that had to be striked by B2 bombers and numerous Tomahawk cruise missiles, before an single US fighter was allowed to enter Libyan air space?
Just for comparison, French Rafale were flying recon, air defence and even strike missions over Libya, when their airforce and air defence was fully active and capable and they rejected US help in SEAD attacks, because SPECTRA is more than capable enough to protect them and detect targets.
