Know Your 'Rafale'

[BON PLAN]

Wrong...

HAL quoted 2.7 time manhours to build the jet.

MKI built in India are expensive than Russian by 15-20 percent as we use several imported systems which are being replaced now.

The difference between Indian and French manhours is due to the high level of automation in process by French . Infact I guess more than the Americans.

HAL has almost completely indeginized the MKI perhaps that is one reason a private company is kind of reluctant to work with them. Many reason could be made but at the end it is what it is.

Indeed, it's the manhours and not the cost that was 2,7 x higher.

The last lock for MMRCA 1 was that India strictly required Dassault to give a warranty on the Rafale jet produce by HAL but without the possibility for Dassault to look and to correct the HAL production !

 

[BON PLAN]

hhmm so giving nuclear strike capability to Naval jets here ?
i wonder if we would buy french ASMP-A tactical nuke missile,

It's absolutely not possible. Politically too sensible.
But we can help to integrate an indian weapon.

 

[Abdus Salem killed]

i wonder if we would buy french ASMP-A tactical nuke missile

You don't buy nukes
Even tactical nukes are not part of our first use policy why do you think Pakistan has tactical nukes

 

[abingdonboy]

hhmm so giving nuclear strike capability to Naval jets here ?
i wonder if we would buy french ASMP-A tactical nuke missile, or going ahead with putting Brahmos Air Force Variant under it something like this
View attachment 189182
also, is it even possible i mean Brahmos Air Force variant is already 2500 some KG and i wonder Rafale centreline pylon could be this sturdy to load it...

Who is even asking for it? The aerial component of the SFC hasn’t had foreign delivery mechanisms until now, they have their own tools

 

[Flying Dagger]

hhmm so giving nuclear strike capability to Naval jets here ?
i wonder if we would buy french ASMP-A tactical nuke missile, or going ahead with putting Brahmos Air Force Variant under it something like this
View attachment 189182
also, is it even possible i mean Brahmos Air Force variant is already 2500 some KG and i wonder Rafale centreline pylon could be this sturdy to load it...

The new Brahmos NG variant will be much lighter. Let's see in a few years we will have a clearer picture.

And rest is No .

We have Sukhoi for the role from land based airbases and later AMCA or Teddy.

 

[Wisemarko]

Dassault and Airbus break FCAS impasse and sign Phase 1B agreement

Dassault and Airbus have finally signed off on the next phase of the next-generation fighter they are developing on behalf of France, Germany and Spain, but first flight will now not be before 2029.

www.flightglobal.com

Finally good to see Europe admitting the need to replace obsolescence of 4th generation Rafale and EF.

Once FCAS project takes off with first flight around 2030, there won’t be much focus on future upgrade for Rafale.

One can argue that this sounds very similar to Mirage-2000 story where a promising fighter was left without further upgrades forcing its current operators to buy more expensive Rafale and retiring/selling Mirage prematurely.

From the article:
“FCAS is intended as a successor to the Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale for service entry in 2040.”

 

[Fonck83]

And an obsolete 4gen aircraft, the M-2000, could have locked a stealthy J-20.

中共「殲20」成空軍最高假想敵 台版Top Gun臂章透露玄機 - 政治 - 自由時報電子報

總統蔡英文今赴空軍第二聯隊視導；二聯隊第42作戰隊在去年「天龍操演」，由幻象2000的飛官莊惟博中校、張護薳上尉分別獲得「空戰王」、「箭靶王」殊榮，今天現場也展示空軍司令劉任遠頒發給莊、張二人的優勝臂章與名牌，名牌繡上「Top Gun」，臂章圖案是描畫紅星背景的「殲20」戰機已被空軍戰機的抬頭顯示器鎖定。蔡總統今天赴空軍新竹基地，聽取空軍第二聯隊第42作戰隊111年天龍操演簡報；空軍今天在新竹基地展示空軍司令劉任遠上將所頒發給二聯隊在去年天龍操演「空對空競賽」第一名的獎盤、獎盃，以及頒發給「空戰王」莊惟博中校、「箭靶王」張護薳上尉的優勝臂章與名牌，兩人的優勝臂章、名牌均以「Top...

news.ltn.com.tw

The J-20 would have been 'locked' several times by Mirage 2000 fighters at high altitude in the Taiwan Strait.

China's " J 20" become air force's top imaginary enemy, Taiwan's Top Gun armband reveals mystery

2023/01/13 17:42
The 42nd Fighter Group of the Second Wing was awarded the "Air Battle King" and "Archery King" by Mirage 2000 pilot Lieutenant Colonel Chuang Wei-Bo and Captain Chang Wu-Wei respectively in last year's "Tianlong Exercise". The armbands depict a red star in the background and the " J 20" fighter jet is locked in place by the head-up display of the Air Force fighter jet.

President Tsai went to the Air Force's Hsinchu base today to receive a briefing from the Air Force's 2nd Wing's 42nd Combat Team on the 111th Annual Sky Dragon Exercise. The armbands and nameplates are both called "Top Gun", and the pattern of the armbands is in the form of a blue circle with a red star on a white background.

The armband features the aircraft's head-up display as a backdrop, with the aircraft inside the red star, and the outline of the aircraft with twin tailpipes and front wings.

Military sources pointed out that since the "J 20" is the most advanced aircraft in the Communist Air Force, it is only natural that the Air Force would use the most advanced aircraft as its imaginary enemy, and it makes sense for it to be part of the emblem to show that the Air Force has never been afraid of its enemies.

In the past, the Air Force Tactical Training Centre's 46th Squadron (the imaginary enemy squadron) at Chihang Base in Taitung was famous for its emblem featuring a red Star MiG.

The Air Force's annual Tactical Mastery Exercise is the code name for the Air Force's annual major training exercise. The planned awards include the Air Combat King, the Archery King, and the Bombing King (all awarded with the Airman's Medal) for the aircrew, and the Marksman and Rifle for the ground troops. Other awards include Anti-Submarine, Interceptor, Missile and Air Defence, with medals and prizes awarded to encourage the troops and participants.

It seems to be a response to that event. There's a legitimate doubt and Chineses don't like doubt.
[/URL]

 

[Wisemarko]

And an obsolete 4gen aircraft, the M-2000, could have locked a stealthy J-20.

中共「殲20」成空軍最高假想敵 台版Top Gun臂章透露玄機 - 政治 - 自由時報電子報

總統蔡英文今赴空軍第二聯隊視導；二聯隊第42作戰隊在去年「天龍操演」，由幻象2000的飛官莊惟博中校、張護薳上尉分別獲得「空戰王」、「箭靶王」殊榮，今天現場也展示空軍司令劉任遠頒發給莊、張二人的優勝臂章與名牌，名牌繡上「Top Gun」，臂章圖案是描畫紅星背景的「殲20」戰機已被空軍戰機的抬頭顯示器鎖定。蔡總統今天赴空軍新竹基地，聽取空軍第二聯隊第42作戰隊111年天龍操演簡報；空軍今天在新竹基地展示空軍司令劉任遠上將所頒發給二聯隊在去年天龍操演「空對空競賽」第一名的獎盤、獎盃，以及頒發給「空戰王」莊惟博中校、「箭靶王」張護薳上尉的優勝臂章與名牌，兩人的優勝臂章、名牌均以「Top...

news.ltn.com.tw

The J-20 would have been 'locked' several times by Mirage 2000 fighters at high altitude in the Taiwan Strait.

China's " J 20" become air force's top imaginary enemy, Taiwan's Top Gun armband reveals mystery

2023/01/13 17:42
The 42nd Fighter Group of the Second Wing was awarded the "Air Battle King" and "Archery King" by Mirage 2000 pilot Lieutenant Colonel Chuang Wei-Bo and Captain Chang Wu-Wei respectively in last year's "Tianlong Exercise". The armbands depict a red star in the background and the " J 20" fighter jet is locked in place by the head-up display of the Air Force fighter jet.

President Tsai went to the Air Force's Hsinchu base today to receive a briefing from the Air Force's 2nd Wing's 42nd Combat Team on the 111th Annual Sky Dragon Exercise. The armbands and nameplates are both called "Top Gun", and the pattern of the armbands is in the form of a blue circle with a red star on a white background.

The armband features the aircraft's head-up display as a backdrop, with the aircraft inside the red star, and the outline of the aircraft with twin tailpipes and front wings.

Military sources pointed out that since the "J 20" is the most advanced aircraft in the Communist Air Force, it is only natural that the Air Force would use the most advanced aircraft as its imaginary enemy, and it makes sense for it to be part of the emblem to show that the Air Force has never been afraid of its enemies.

In the past, the Air Force Tactical Training Centre's 46th Squadron (the imaginary enemy squadron) at Chihang Base in Taitung was famous for its emblem featuring a red Star MiG.

The Air Force's annual Tactical Mastery Exercise is the code name for the Air Force's annual major training exercise. The planned awards include the Air Combat King, the Archery King, and the Bombing King (all awarded with the Airman's Medal) for the aircrew, and the Marksman and Rifle for the ground troops. Other awards include Anti-Submarine, Interceptor, Missile and Air Defence, with medals and prizes awarded to encourage the troops and participants.

It seems to be a response to that event. There's a legitimate doubt and Chineses don't like doubt.
[/URL]

In peacetime, even F-35 would be picked up by almost all radars because no sane airforce would fly their stealth aircraft without large reflecting devices such as Luneburg lens.

Retractable Luneburg lens on J-20

 

[Fonck83]

In peacetime, even F-35 would be picked up by almost all radars because no sane airforce would fly stealth aircraft without large reflecting devices such as Luneburg lens.

Then Taiwanese have never announced the discovery of a J-20 made to be discover ? Try to be more precise and don't take Taiwanese forces for fools.
Second question isn't the J-20 a highly maneuvrable superiority fighter ?

 

[Fonck83]

Alkis Stefanis :
The Turkish F 16's encirclement by radar unknown to them was by Rafale.

 

[BON PLAN]

The Rafale of the future, or the future of the Rafale


1/ (3:00) Summary of the F3R standard

Since February 2022, all Rafale of the AAE (French Air Force) and the Navy have been equipped with the F3R standard. Compared to the previous standard, the latter includes additional capabilities and software improvements:

• (3:10) Integration of the BVRAAM METEOR missile. The Rafale can carry two. A "game changer" thanks to its range of 200km and its ramjet which allows it to conserve energy until the end of its trajectory
• (4:10) integration of the GBU-16 Paveway II
• (4:28) Integration of the new generation TALIOS targeting pod (and ISR)
• (5:15) An overview of the TALIOS' capabilities. Watch the Thales Group video:
• (6:55) integration of the latest generation IFF mod.V (NATO compatible), encrypted. And mod.S for insertion into civilian traffic
• (7:30) integration of the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (AGCAS): the aircraft automatically initiates a recovery if it detects that it will impact the ground
• (8:00) Software improvements have also been made to the RBE2 radar and the SPECTRA suite.

2/ (8:30) The F4.1 standard

• (8:35) Full qualification is awaited in early 2023, with deliveries to the AAE and the French Navy operational evaluation centres expected shortly afterwards. All in-service Rafales will be upgraded to F4.1, and eventually to F4.2. The goal is to avoid a multiplicity of configurations. The main exception is the RBE2 radar, two variants of which are in service with two types of antennas: PESA (Passive Active Electronically Scanned Array) and AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array).
• (9:05) The AESA radar significantly improves detection and range. However, the switch to an all AESA inventory has not been approved due to financial constraints.
• (9:30) The main revolution that the F4 standard will bring is about networked, i.e. collaborative warfare [i.e. location and targeting by third parties].:
• (9:45) Thanks to the fusion of numerous sensors (L16, SPECTRA, Radar, OSF...) the Rafale will be able to locate with greater precision an air or ground target, in 3D. This multiple aircraft 3D localisation, a kind of collaborative triangulation, will permit an air-to-air and air-to-surface tactical picture to be built automatically, with SPECTRA passively detecting all radar emitters in the area (air or ground). This improvement will allow direct targeting of ground-to-air radars, either by jamming or by firing a munition at specific coordinates from a distance.
• (10:30) another new feature: a new FMDL (Fighter to Missile Data Link) mode used for third party target designation. The firing Rafale will be able to disengage immediately after the shot, thus remaining at a safe distance, while a less exposed wingman standing further back from the threat will use its own FMDL for targeting.
• (11:30) New uses and tactics can also be envisaged. For example, a Rafale could be used as a decoy while another one slips in behind the enemy aircraft. The latter would fire its missiles without even turning on its radar and would then clear away. The first Rafale would guide the missiles while remaining at a distance. The enemy would then only realise that missiles had been fired at them when they turned on their radar. Thus, too late to escape. These collaborative combat techniques bring a new way of thinking about air combat.
• (12:10) The RBE2 (AESA) radar will be equipped with a GMTI (Ground Moving Target Indicator) mode for the detection of targets on the move
• (12:22) Improvements to the SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) used for the creation of high-resolution radar maps.
• (12:35) integration of the Thales Scorpion helmet-mounted display
• (13:54) [here, the author makes a little mistake claiming that the TV channel had been removed from de Frontal Sector Optronics, for cost reasons. In fact it was the IR channel].
• (15:00) Integration of a new Infra-Red Search and Track (IRST) sensor within the Front Sector Optronics (FSO) suite. It will give the Rafale improved IR detection capabilities. Useful to bypass the radar stealth of an aircraft like the J-20/F-35..., which cannot hide its heat signature.
• (15:47) In the cockpit: Increased processor power, new digital displays of larger dimensions (6.25 x 6.25ins) and higher resolution to display the TALIOS images. The central screen and the HUD give full satisfaction to the crews and therefore do not change.
• (16:24) New iboard tablet, connected to the aircraft.
• (16:37) Weapons. Introduction of the 1000kg AASM (aka "Hammer"). The system is purely French (means ITAR free). A choice of three interchangeable seeker types, inertial/GPS, inertial/infrared and inertial/laser, will be available depending on the tactical situation and the level of precision required. Unlike the American Paveway, the Hammer can be equipped with a propulsion kit allowing the aircraft to remain at a safe distance from the target. https://www.defence-point.gr/news/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ASSM-Hammer-philosophy.jpg
• (19:15) The SCALP stealth missile has recently been modernised to increase the resistance of its GPS receiver to jamming that could affect the terminal accuracy of the missile.

3/ (19:45) The F4.2 standard

Must further extend Rafale connectivity

• (19:48) integration of the CONTACT system (Communications numériques tactiques et de théâtre, theatre and tactical digital communications) software radios; a communication server; and an Inmarsat satellite link.
• (20:00) a new data-link: FO3D (Forme d’Onde 3 Dimensions, or 3D waveform) that will come in addition to the current Link 16.
• These systems will guarantee various levels of confidentiality, including NATO secret and France secret.
• (20:20) integration of a digital jamming system. Big evolution of SPECTRA. Currently, Spectra has a radar warning receiver (RWR to detect the threats and a jammer to neutralise them. With the entry into service of the autonomous digital jammer, the jammer itself will also become capable of detecting hostile emitters in addition to the RWR. Spectra will become more reactive and more efficient. It will also be able to neutralise a larger number of threats simultaneously.
• (21:00) development of the Leurres Électroniques Actifs (LEA, active electronic decoys), ejected from modified Spirale chaff dispensers. They are a sort of small jammers conceived to seduce missiles away from the Rafale
• (21:35) Mica-NG (2027). Externally, the missile will be identical to the current Mica, as well as in weight and balance. A dual impulse rocket motor will significantly increase the missile’s range. In the final phase of the interception, the second stage of the motor will give some energy back to the missile, leaving no room for the target to evade. The two interchangeable radar and infrared seekers will rely on the latest technologies, AESA for the former and dual band for the latter. They will be more resistant to jamming and decoys. The Mica NG will also be optimised to reduce the pressure on the support infrastructure thanks to a low logistics footprint. Thanks to the opening of the external wing carriage point, the Rafale can carry up to 6 Mica + 2 Meteor
• (23:12) For the Rafale Marine, integration of a Carrier landing aid, providing guidance clues on the head-up display (this system is very close to the system developed by the Americans for the F/A-18E/F)

3/ (23:35) The F5 standard

For the time being, the F5 standard has not been defined. These are preliminary studies to see what needs to be improved to keep the Rafale up to date until 2060. A few avenues are known:

• (23:50) The ASN-4G. [4th generation air-to-surface nuclear] will be at the heart of the F5 Standard to guarantee the long term operational credibility of the airborne component of the French nuclear deterrence force.
• (24:05) Against the most advanced air defence systems (S-500), electronic warfare and SEAD/DEAD mission capabilities will have to be improved.
• (24:50) CFT (they already exist and have been tested)
• (25:08) ongoing studies to improve the RBE2 radar* (read bellow) as part of its MLU
• (25:30) Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology for the future antenna modules* means a more powerful radar, increased detection range, but will also be able to detect stealth fighters at longer distances, and will offer increased resistance to jamming (which is already very effective)
• (26:40) Studies underway to further reduce the Rafale’s Radar cross-section: for example, stealth pods for certain weapons.
• (27:10) Reflections underway for the replacement of the SCALP and AM-39 Exocet missiles
• (27:18) Studies underway with the UK for a new hypersonic or subsonic manoeuvring missile
• (27:27) METEOR: modernisation…

CONCLUSION:
The Rafale will not stop evolving, unlike some of its competitors. This is one of the reasons why the aircraft is so attractive on the export market. It is also interesting to see how the success of the export market has made it possible to finance certain improvements

 

[lcafanboy]

Netra mk3 for INS VIKRANT...

 

[lcafanboy]

 

[jai jaganath]

That's what serpentine intake is made for

 

[Fonck83]

At the end of 2022, the @DGA announced the qualification of the AASM 1000 GS ammunition and its support system. This new version of the AASM is developed by @SafranElecDef as part of an 85 million euro contract awarded by the DGA in 2017.

 

[BON PLAN]

 

[BON PLAN]

That's what serpentine intake is made for

S shaped air conduct is more made to hide the compressor blades from radar.

The 2 IR pics may have been made in differents scenario : during high speed trial for Mig29 (so quite hot) and low speed for Rafale ....
So be careful

 

[BON PLAN]

At the end of 2022, the @DGA announced the qualification of the AASM 1000 GS ammunition and its support system. This new version of the AASM is developed by @SafranElecDef as part of an 85 million euro contract awarded by the DGA in 2017.

Standard F 4.1 of Rafale is nearly to be officially completed.

 

[bubzy]

This prove absolutely nothing.

The angles of view are completely different. Even without any special shape you'll never see anything on the picture of the Rafale

A simple proof with this picture taken on the same day by the same camera

We can observe the IR emission of the engine in the plane placed at the center, and not for those on the side.
And their not new version of stealthy super Sukhoi...

 

[DumbPilot]

Detection by IRST on the basis of intake heat is useless to ponder. You should be focusing more on the exhaust heat..

Airplane manufacturers change intake due to radar. Due to computer processing capability it is possible to identify or detect an aircraft based by its radar return of the engine intake compressor fans.

The MiG-29 severely lacks in that department. The Rafale doesn't