Rafale DH/EH of Indian Air Force : News and Discussions

It seems to me that the English used speaks of this new missile in the present tense. After all the 1.7 billion ISE has to be spent on something.

Then we would have seen a contract for Meteor modernisation, since it's a major systems change, not a customisation. But if it is already part of ISE, then great, although I would take it with a pinch of salt.
 

Right now we are working on the SFDR, which will give birth to the Astra Mk3 in the next 2 years. So I don't expect the IAF to run a parallel project that will result in duplication of capabilties, especially since any Meteor modernisation will have to go through DRDO anyway.

I definitely see a future for Hammer modernisation though. We do not yet have a plan to motorise 500 and 1000Kg bombs at this time, although there is one meant for the SAAW. I definitely would like to see the Hammer NG integrated with the MKI.
 
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Most of the numbers aren't in the article though.


Whoever this guy is missed the news about Egypt buying 30 more.
HEIFARA and WAKEA are two separate mission then from the article above you have 250 hours of flight time for heifara and 90 hours ( intensive from a US point of view) for WAKEA. And that without the ferry from and return to France ...
From the article
From 21 June to 27 June 2021, the HEIFARA mission continued on the island of Tahiti, where the Airmen trained alongside the Armed Forces in French Polynesia (FAPF) such as air policing missions with the Marine Nationale (French Navy) Dauphin helicopter. HEIFARA ends with around forty missions carried out and nearly 250 hours of flight time. The CAPCO sent orders with new the link 16 JRE via the Phénix Command Post. These orders comprised the Rafale raiding Bora Bora atoll, and the A400M conducting sea rescue training with the French Navy patrol vessel "Manini" by dropping a rescue kit. During the week in Polynesia one of the Rafales experienced a pressurisation problem.

(..)
The French left Hawaii after an intense week of training with the US Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) accumulating more than 90 hours of flight time. The only downside to the exercise was that the American pilots could not receive fuel from the A330MRTT Phénix, as the Phénix is not (yet) certified for US fighter aircraft. On the other hand, the Airbus A400M Atlas crew was able to practice dropping simulations with their counterparts from the 535th Airlift Squadron operating the Boeing C-17A Globemaster III. According to some US media, it seems that USAF personnel was impressed by the capabilities of the European transporter.
 
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Walka Su-35 z Rafale. Wygrywa Rafale [KOMENTARZ]
Rafale VS SU-35
You've all seen an article on this already, but today a more detailed article has been released.
The training was conducted without the aid of the Egyptian Air Force's AWACS, and Rafale easily defeated the SU-35. This training result may have influenced Egypt's recent purchase of 30 additional Rafales. Russian industry also acknowledged that this result could affect future SU-35 exports.

Egypt-Rafale.jpg
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Walka Su-35 z Rafale. Wygrywa Rafale [KOMENTARZ]
Rafale VS SU-35
You've all seen an article on this already, but today a more detailed article has been released.
The training was conducted without the aid of the Egyptian Air Force's AWACS, and Rafale easily defeated the SU-35. This training result may have influenced Egypt's recent purchase of 30 additional Rafales. Russian industry also acknowledged that this result could affect future SU-35 exports.

View attachment 20374View attachment 20375
Fighting Su-35 with Rafale. Rafale wins [COMMENT]
July 29, 2021, 10:26

Egypt confirmed the opinion of Indian pilots of the value of Russian planes against Western ones. It turned out that during the training air combat, the Su-35 fighter lost to the French Rafale. Interestingly, the information about this air confrontation was publicized by the Russian industry media - but with appropriate commentary.

The Egyptians conducted an exercise in which the French Rafale fighter faced the Russian Su-35 fighter and "won" the fight against it. The confrontation was equal to the fact that two planes belonging to the same generation were pitted against each other, which were additionally completely new - so at least theoretically they should have the latest version of onboard equipment and updated software.

Twenty-four Su-35 planes were purchased by Egypt under the contract signed on March 19, 2018. The first five fighters in the "upgraded" version of the Su-35SE were handed over to the Egyptian Air Force on February 25, 2021, but photos of these aircraft were already published in July 2020. So Egypt had time to get to know and train Russian pilots according to the instructions of Russian instructors who were supposed to use the combat experience gained over Syria.

In front of the Su-35SE there was a Rafale - a multi-purpose plane manufactured by the French company Dassault Aviation . So far, it is not known what version of this fighter fought against the Russian Su-35SE. As part of the contract signed with Egypt on February 12, 2015 for the supply of twenty-four Rafale F3 series aircraft (equipped with, among others, radar with an active AESA class antenna), from 2015 to 2020, sixteen two-seater Rafale DM and eight single-seat Rafale EM were delivered from 2015 to 2020. What's more, a fighter built for the French Air Force could stand in front of the Russian fighter, because that's what the Egyptians received in 2015 in the first batch to speed up deliveries.

The "electronics" decided about the result of the clash of both planes. During the exercise, the Russian Su-35 played the role of the "aggressor" and he was to attack Rafale. However, the pilot of the French fighter quickly realized that he was irradiated with radar and, using the on-board electronic warfare system - Thales SPECTRA (Self-Protection Equipment to Counter Threats for Rafale Aircraft), drowned out the Su-35 radar without any problems. The Russian plane was not able to guide its weapons, while Rafale easily tracked the enemy with his radar and finally "shot him down".

The exercises in Egypt were important because earlier the superiority of Western planes over the Russian ones was explained only by the fact that Western pilots are guided by AWACS class early warning planes. Egypt also has such planes (E-2 Hawkeye), but they were not used in this exercise to the benefit of either side. In this way, it was clearly shown that even in a one-on-one match, the French fighter easily outpaces the opponent, who additionally was "straight from the factory", and the pilot immediately after training conducted by Russian instructors (and not Egyptian instructors previously trained in Russia).

In addition, the Russians are constantly boasting that the Su-35 is their most modern fighter (after the Su-57), which, like Rafale, is equipped with a radar with a longwall antenna (N035 "Irbis"), capable of detecting air objects with an effective reflection surface of 0, 01 m 2 (and therefore stealth aircraft) from a distance of up to 100 km. Additionally, at shorter distances, pilots have an optoelectronic observation and control system at their disposal

However, as it turns out, radar is not equal to radar. The Russians used the old technology and their longwall antenna is passive, and the electronically controlled radiating elements are powered from a single radar transmitter. The French RBE2-AA radar belongs to the AESA class, which means that its antenna consists of many of the same transmitting and receiving modules, which improves reliability (failure of one "transmitter" does not turn off the entire device), but most importantly: it allows " intelligent ”space scanning - with priority detection directions and tracking of more targets simultaneously.

Now the Russians themselves admit that the result of this training air combat may affect the export potential of the Su-35. Egypt is the second foreign user of these aircraft. In 2015, Russia signed a contract for the delivery of 24 Su-35 fighters to China. But many more countries were interested in this fighter as well, and this situation may change now.

Of course, there is always a price argument. The Egyptians paid about $ 2 billion for 24 Su-35 aircraft (most likely without weapons), and for the same number of Rafale planes about EUR 3.5 billion plus another EUR 700 million for weapons (including MICA air-to-air missiles ( EM) RF and MICAIR, AASM / Hammer guided bombs, Exocet AM39 anti-ship missiles and SCALP cruise missiles). So the Rafals cost more, but they turned out to be simply better.

And this is probably also why Egypt ordered another 30 such fighters, recognizing (and this assessment was also made in the Russian media) that it is the most "advanced" combat aircraft in the arsenal of an Arab country (and not the newer Su-35). Rafale was also bought by the Indian Air Force, and there, the possibilities of this design were also compared with Russian planes - but the Su-30MKI type, used in India since 2002. The winners of these duels were most often Raphael - the more that they encountered an older version of Sukhoi fighters. However, this does not change the fact that it is them (and even older Su-27s) that are currently massively used by the Russian air and space forces.

As it turns out, the Russian media quickly found a way out of this difficult image situation. They recall that on July 20, 2021, during the MAKS-2021 international aero-space exhibition, “Russia showed the whole world a new Checkmate fighter. This plane should make its first flight in 2023. Mass production is planned to start between 2026 and 2027. "

The Russians are now advertising that it is to be a fifth generation fighter, lighter than the American F-35 (up to 20 tons compared to 30 tons), with a shorter take-off and landing, high maneuverability and speed greater than Mach 2. And it is this plane that is to be offered to countries such as the United Arab Emirates, India, Vietnam and Argentina. This does not change the fact that until the production of Checkmate, even if the deadlines are met, it will be difficult to find buyers for Su-35 fighters - apart from, of course, the Russian armed forces.

And all because the Egyptians did not believe in "there are no analogues in the world" and said "I'm checking".
 

War-Time Deployment of Rafale Fighter Jets To Remain ‘Top Secret’, May Be Used In Any Sector – IAF Veteran


On the second squadron of Rafale being located in the Hasimara air base in West Bengal, he said, “The Air Force has its own basing plan to meet the threats. Mirage 2000 is such a potent aircraft, but it is based way back in Gwalior. It is not Hasimara, which is important, or Ambala which is important… it is how we deploy them.

So it does not mean that when the war comes, they will be deployed from Hasimara; they will be dispersed. Basing them in Hasimara, with one squadron there and another squadron in Ambala indicates that the potency of the Rafale will be used in both the sectors; will be utilized to their best advantage. Whether they fly off from Hasimara or from somewhere else we don’t know (yet).”
 

India Starts Paper Work for a 2nd Batch of 36 RAFALES

If true, then it appears the IAF will get a second tranche as well as MRFA. And this second tranche can squeeze in comfortably between the first tranche and the delivery of the first MRFA jet.

Next comes the date. A few years here or there would mean we end up with F4.1 or F4.2. Hopefully this deal is for the F4.2.
 
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Nothing special there.

"India cannot match the Chinese pace because of its budgetary constraints."

An emergency purchase of 2 squadrons of Su-57 Mk2 will solve that issue overnight. It's not going to be more expensive than the LCA Mk2.
57MK2 is not ready i fear, and F35 will not be offered to us due to s400, we now in a very terrible situation.
If true, then it appears the IAF will get a second tranche as well as MRFA. And this second tranche can squeeze in comfortably between the first tranche and the delivery of the first MRFA jet.

Next comes the date. A few years here or there would mean we end up with F4.1 or F4.2. Hopefully this deal is for the F4.2.
Fingers crossed for further orders 36-54 Rafales from france.
 

A Russian source:

Истребитель Rafale вывел из строя радар российского Су-35


Fighter Rafale disabled the radar of the Russian Su-35​

The radar of the Russian Su-35 was disabled by a powerful electronic warfare system.

The invulnerability of the Russian Su-35 fighter was called into question after it became known that in a training battle, the Egyptian Air Force Rafale fighter, as a result of the use of an electronic suppression complex, was able to disable the radar station of the Russian combat aircraft, in fact, blinding it. As a result, the training battle was lost by the Su-35 fighter.

“During the training battles, the Su-35 tried to attack the Rafale, playing the role of the“ aggressor ”. With the help of the Thales Spectra system of protection and prevention of enemy fire control (electronic warfare equipment - electronic warfare), the French fighter still managed to drown out the phased antenna array (PAR) of the Su-35 radar. After disabling it, the Russian fighter was unable to aim the weapon at the enemy and was easily knocked out by Rafal , ”the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper reports.

A little earlier, the news agency Avia.pro reported that, as part of a training battle, the Russian Su-35 fighter lost to the French Rafale fighter, although it was in the attack, which caused a number of doubts about the effectiveness of this combat aircraft.
Exactly how many series of training battles were fought between the Su-35 and Rafale fighters is still unknown.

Подробнее на: Российский Су-35 впервые проиграл в учебном бою французскому истребителю Rafale

Is it a message for China?
 
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