English Translation (GPT 5.0):
Sole problem : the customer is India, and the indian time is something very unpredicable.English Translation (GPT 5.0):
The Indian defense and economic specialized media have been on repeat for 24 hours about the issue. All their sources are announcing a victory for the Dassault Aviation Rafale F4 under the MRFA program aimed at supplying 114 combat aircraft. The last hesitations around a partial assembly of the fleet in India would therefore have been lifted by France. An official announcement is expected next month, on the occasion of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
So forget the eighty examples ordered at the end of 2021 by the United Arab Emirates, the Saint-Cloud aircraft manufacturer is preparing to strike much harder. Here it is a question of one hundred and fourteen Rafale F4 combat aircraft destined for the Indian Air Force. The Indians are seeking to accelerate the contract by going through a G2G agreement, that is to say between governments. Emmanuel Macron and Narendra Modi would thus themselves be negotiating the signatures, speeding up the procedures.
The MRFA program, for Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft, provides for the replacement of the Dassault Aviation Mirage 2000, Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrum, and SEPECAT Jaguar of the Indian Air Force frontline units. Several international competitors were in the running but between the total refusal of the F-35A Lightning II and the blacklisting of the other American fighters everything has sped up very quickly over the last few days. Russia for a time believed it could reverse the trend by proposing a mixed Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E and Su-57 Felon contract without the Indians there again being won over. Nothing to be done against the Dassault Aviation Rafale, overwhelming favorite for 11 months. With the Indians one must always arm oneself with patience even if the indicators have been green since last spring, and notably the (poorly put together) air operation against Pakistan. The fact that an Indian single-seat Rafale hit by a Pakistani air-to-air missile (of Chinese make) managed to make it back safely and save the life of its pilot finished convincing the Indian Air Force of its desire to order a hundred Rafales.
Henceforth it is a question of a “make in India” construction covering between 75 and 80% of the examples ordered under the MRFA. The rest will be in France, at Dassault Aviation. The fact also that the Rafale F4 is guaranteed ITAR free is a real plus for an India now clearly in a commercial and economic war with the United States.
India should become after this order the major user of the Rafale in the world that many had been hoping for for several years. And all that right under the noses of the American and Russian aircraft manufacturers far too sure of themselves on this program.
English Translation (GPT 5.0):
The Indian defense and economic specialized media have been on repeat for 24 hours about the issue. All their sources are announcing a victory for the Dassault Aviation Rafale F4 under the MRFA program aimed at supplying 114 combat aircraft. The last hesitations around a partial assembly of the fleet in India would therefore have been lifted by France. An official announcement is expected next month, on the occasion of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
So forget the eighty examples ordered at the end of 2021 by the United Arab Emirates, the Saint-Cloud aircraft manufacturer is preparing to strike much harder. Here it is a question of one hundred and fourteen Rafale F4 combat aircraft destined for the Indian Air Force. The Indians are seeking to accelerate the contract by going through a G2G agreement, that is to say between governments. Emmanuel Macron and Narendra Modi would thus themselves be negotiating the signatures, speeding up the procedures.
The MRFA program, for Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft, provides for the replacement of the Dassault Aviation Mirage 2000, Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrum, and SEPECAT Jaguar of the Indian Air Force frontline units. Several international competitors were in the running but between the total refusal of the F-35A Lightning II and the blacklisting of the other American fighters everything has sped up very quickly over the last few days. Russia for a time believed it could reverse the trend by proposing a mixed Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E and Su-57 Felon contract without the Indians there again being won over. Nothing to be done against the Dassault Aviation Rafale, overwhelming favorite for 11 months. With the Indians one must always arm oneself with patience even if the indicators have been green since last spring, and notably the (poorly put together) air operation against Pakistan. The fact that an Indian single-seat Rafale hit by a Pakistani air-to-air missile (of Chinese make) managed to make it back safely and save the life of its pilot finished convincing the Indian Air Force of its desire to order a hundred Rafales.
Henceforth it is a question of a “make in India” construction covering between 75 and 80% of the examples ordered under the MRFA. The rest will be in France, at Dassault Aviation. The fact also that the Rafale F4 is guaranteed ITAR free is a real plus for an India now clearly in a commercial and economic war with the United States.
India should become after this order the major user of the Rafale in the world that many had been hoping for for several years. And all that right under the noses of the American and Russian aircraft manufacturers far too sure of themselves on this program.
When I stated it, no one in the forum believed it. I very clearly stated that no Rafale was shot down. But 2 of them did have splinter hits. One was restored to flight Ops the very next day. Now the world is relaying what I had told. Lot of people believed the lies of PAF and the deep fake generated by Chinese. Please understand, in a war deception and narrative makes a lot of difference. The tactical mistake done by IAF on early morning of 7th May was to use Hammers instead of Scalp for hitting targets close to the border. This put Rafales in the harms way and they got attacked by nearly every fighter airborne at that time of PAF. They did a good job in evading the incoming missiles but lack of Metoer as an offensive weapon plus the mistake of using Hammer to strike targets, caused this. Max number of PL-15s were fired on Rafale formations. IAF then learnt the lessons and used Rafale for deep strike missions using scalp which delivered unprecendented accuracy. Kirana was hit by a Scalp.
Whats the politics, rationale behind it? And its impact on further investmentNow Dassault Aviation can independently Make RAFALE jets in INDIA
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Dassault Aviation takes majority control in JV with Reliance Aerostructure
French aerospace major Dassault Aviation will become the majority stakeholder in the Indian joint venture, Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL), following the acquisition of a 2 per cent stake from Reliance Aerostructure Ltd (RAL)www.thehindubusinessline.com
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Until the Rafale gets its new radar, This is like putting a new shirt on an old man, The Rafale really needs the modes and improvements of the new radar, The current radar is lacking, GaN is good tech and it's good to see
What's the use of posting this in the generic Rafale updates thread? Go to the relevant Sindoor or IAF thread and post it there to stir up waves. Unnecessary thread clean up for the mods/admins. This is not a .pk forum.Has IAF started practicing how to fire Meteor missiles from Rafales?
Because they couldn't fire any in May 2025 war.
That will be interesting if next time they do.
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Taiwan Eyes Dassault Rafale Fighters as China Tensions Escalate – Dassault CEO Confirms Interest - Defence Security Asia
Dassault CEO confirms Taiwan’s interest in Rafale jets as tensions with China escalate, raising geopolitical stakes and testing France’s diplomatic resolve.defencesecurityasia.com
Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier has revealed Taiwan’s keen interest in acquiring Rafale multirole fighter jets to replace its aging Mirage 2000-5 fleet, a move that could reshape the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait and heighten tensions with China.
TW would be less interested in purchasing Indian defence equipment as it tends to align itself more with NATO for its defence needs. U.S has been a reliable supplier for them and they are unlikely to change gears for now. I saw the HIMARS has also made its way over recently. If I were to talk of network centric warfare and weapons system integration, the Mk1A will finding itself lacking (you can check the FAs in service right now).India should invite Taiwan for air exercise..maybe showcase Tejas Mk1A capabilities..
Short range air defence fighter will be viewed as defensive fighter.. India can hedge it against sale of J35 to Pakistan.
However it may not be enough for Taiwan..
If I were Taiwanese i would like to import South Korea s stealth fighter..