India selects Typhoon & Rafale for MMRCA shortlist - Part 2

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 11 Jun 2011 04:37

arthuro,

In your opinion, how much of this is really for the FrAF? How much for UAE and/or for IAF/BrAF?

In other words, as an example, if the IAF were to select the EF, how much of all this MAY die a natural death?

Just curious.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 11 Jun 2011 05:47

We should also look at from what is needed in terms of the weapons configuration., that should be more interesting to baseline off to see which of these two deltas gives more bang for the buck (cause: l1).

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 11 Jun 2011 06:10

i'm not convinced that iaf needs small pgm's - these are a response to the taxi-rank air strike model that usaf/nato increasingly uses in its operations. the iaf is going to be fighting all out against large military forces - 1000 and 500 lb'ers (paveway) are more likely to be what works for us plus guided missiles for specific missions

due to increased accuracy, its no longer needed to carry a huge warhead for most missions. for bunker busting yes, for run of the mill exposed targets / vehicles not so...a 100lb (40kg) warhead delivered accurately will kill any vehicle...a sensor fused bomblet shower off a wind corrected munition dispenser launched from 30,000ft is better than a bunch of Mig21s making a low level run at 0 AGL and releasing clusters.... a loitering CAS a.c that has say 16 brimston/scalpel to throw at any targets of opportunity has imo better effectiveness than a typical strike a/c with 4 x 1000lb bomb.

the earlier model called for army to call up IAF for air support which would prepare and arrive in a few hours...or there could be pre-planned strikes on infra. the model is shifting to 1-800 dialup services where someone is always onsite and can respond much more quickly (and this includes armed drones and UCAVs too in future)

as always, khan is the paradigm leader and driving change. but some of his paradigm also has utility for us.

nachiket · Post by **nachiket** » 11 Jun 2011 06:17

Cain Marko wrote: ...The AL-31s are renowned for efficiency and not the other way around. IIRC, the SFC on this engine at mil power is super low (0.67 kgps or something) - even lower than the EJ200, F414, M88.

CM

Are you sure about this CM? The M-88, EJ-200 and F414 are newer engines. Completely agree on the M53 part though. That's one of the most inefficient engines around. The only real disadvantage of an otherwise wonderful aircraft. M2k with the AL-31 would be a monster.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 11 Jun 2011 06:30

GD, An small LGBs are god for precision strike on mountain tops etc.

May be the Sudarshan kit can be strapped on the 125 kg small and see how it works. Recall the Mig 21 rocket strike in Dacca Governor's house which convinced them to sign the surrender?

Juggi G · Post by **Juggi G** » 11 Jun 2011 06:32

Industry Fronts Money for Typhoon Radar R&D

kmc_chacko · Post by **kmc_chacko** » 11 Jun 2011 06:48

^^^
So, EF partners are yet to approve for AESA radar development, very strange.

Now MRCA Tender favours towards Rafael

Viv S · Post by **Viv S** » 11 Jun 2011 08:21

kmc_chacko wrote:^^^
So, EF partners are yet to approve for AESA radar development, very strange.

Now MRCA Tender favours towards Rafael

It says the 'Letter of Intent' binding the Eurofighter consortium towards financing the development is due to be signed later this month.

Cain Marko · Post by **Cain Marko** » 11 Jun 2011 10:18

nachiket wrote: Are you sure about this CM? The M-88, EJ-200 and F414 are newer engines. Completely agree on the M53 part though. That's one of the most inefficient engines around. The only real disadvantage of an otherwise wonderful aircraft. M2k with the AL-31 would be a monster.

http://www.jet-engine.net/miltfspec.html

Nate Meier's is a rather exhaustive list on jet engines Nachiket, I have crosschecked his numbers randomly and he was spot on. At least for mil power, the AL-31s are excellent (SFC lb/lbf p. h).

Engine| Mil | AB
M88 - 0.77 | 2.0/1.7
EJ-200 - 0.78 | 1.66
AL-31 - 0.65 | 1.92 (AB figure is from Wiki)
F404 - 0.85 l 1.85
M53 - 0.85 | 2.05
PW 229 - 0.72 | 2.0
RD 33 - 0.74 | 2.0

The F414 improves upon the F404 by 7% (iirc). Rather economical engine - sheds some light upon why Tejas drivers have been so enamored with the little bird's range.

This also explains why the M2k has a range of about 1800km on internal fuel. The F-16A did about 2000km+ and the MiG-29 (despite two engines) managed 1500km. The worst of it was that in a turning game, the Mirage had to resort more often to ABs vis a vis the MiG/F-16 thanks to its rather poor TWR resulting in low endurance. The article by AM Masand was a nice read in this regard.

CM

arthuro · Post by **arthuro** » 11 Jun 2011 12:47

Nrao,

Except the specific upgrades for the UAE, the upgrades listed above are for french needs it is thus independent of other competitions.

Remember that the rafale will be the unique type in the French air force in the future and that there will be no F35. For these reasons it must be constantly upgraded to remain relevant. Each batch brings an increase in capability.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 11 Jun 2011 15:22

Singha-ji, i appreciate the logic of small warheads, however the ability to loiter and line up a strike may not be available to us. atleast on the chinese side we should expect the air to be highly contested. we may have to do more fast in and outs against large ground formations - where taking out 5 trucks with a 1000lb'er may be more effective

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 11 Jun 2011 16:50

F414 boasts so many advancements including fadec, blisk, SCB, NG materials & coatings for cooling, including fracture resistent materials, etc. what is impressive is the fan, compressor, combustor being separate so we can think about upgrades in terms of these sections.

--

^for NE air congestion, wonder if there is any weapon to deliver sharpnels or normally unbreakable materials over wide area, so that A/c s get choked of such injections. Now, I have no clue if this would be effective.. of course, the bulk target must be in range and in close formation, and the delivery must be stealthy enough to rain in from angled top. ps: not sure, if we can use banned chemicals since we signed up for its ban./OT

Dogfights are for sure against the chips, 'cause few BVRs would disperse and change formations, and re-engage with different parameters. So, the best OLS or IRST range, sensor fused with FCR is ideal against them.

pragnya · Post by **pragnya** » 11 Jun 2011 18:35

indranilroy wrote:
Viv S wrote: He also noted that the Rafale was able to keep control at lower speeds — due to the ‘automatic’ pull-out and recovery system that the Eurofighter is equipped with and which takes control away from the pilot if it thinks a departure or stall is imminent.[/i]
This is the first time that I have heard this for the EF. However I have read similar things about the F-16 (Block-30 onwards).

ALRS was tested back in 2004 and validated. i guess while this gives care free handling without pilot attention, it can be both a boon and a burden in different situations.

FCS is also an important prerequisite for the Eurofighter’s unique carefreehandling qualities, enabling the pilot to concentrate on his mission rather than on basic airwork. With the first flights of GS002, the first flown production single-seater for the German Air Force, a new and important feature of the overall carefree handling functionalities was flight-tested at the EADS Military Aircraft Flight Test Center at Manching in late October 2004: the Automatic Low-Speed Recovery system (ALSR). ALSR prevents the Eurofighter aircraft from departing from controlled flight at very low speeds and high angles of attack. To achieve this, the ALSR, being an element of the overall FCS system, is able to detect a developing low-speed situation and to raise an audible and visual low-speed warning. Thus, the pilot will have sufficient time to react and to recover the aircraft manually. If the pilot doesn´t react or ignores the warning, the ALSR will actively take control of the aircraft, select maximum dry power for the engines and return the aircraft to a safe flight condition depending on the attitude by either using an ALSR “push”, “pull” or a “knife-over” manoeuvre.

The first pilot ever who fully exploited the ALSR capabilities in flight, doing this on Eurofighter production aircraft GS002, was EADS test pilot Karl-Heinz Mai, who described his experience with the new system: “It worked tremendously well – ALSR is a real confidence-maker in the low-speed area of the carefree handling envelope. I’m convinced this is one of the most impressive features of this aircraft !“

“After making a cautious approach to a few low-speed recovery corner points, I’ve gained confidence in the system so rapidly that I was able to enter the extreme low-speed recovery set-up with 70 degrees nose-up attitude and power idle without any hesitation”, said Mai. “The system then worked as described - without any pilot action. Impressive !” Mai congratulated in particular the FCS engineers, who work in an area where EADS has overall design responsibility. He also praised both the ground- and flight test teams as well as the qualification and certification staff, who had made the ALSR and its proof of functionality for the production flight acceptance test of the single-seater aircraft such an overwhelming success.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ ... eads02.htm

more on ALSR -

http://www.ukintpress-conferences.com/c ... oelgen.pdf

a good account of EF development (touches on ALSR too) details -

http://www.targetlock.org.uk/typhoon/development.html

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 11 Jun 2011 22:21

arthuro wrote:Nrao,

Except the specific upgrades for the UAE, the upgrades listed above are for french needs it is thus independent of other competitions.

Remember that the rafale will be the unique type in the French air force in the future and that there will be no F35. For these reasons it must be constantly upgraded to remain relevant. Each batch brings an increase in capability.

Thanks.

On "remain relevant", relevant to what? And, perhaps even more important, why? What purpose would it serve France to be "relevant"?

I can understand relevancy in terms of selling it to some nation/AF. What I am trying to grasp is why would France need such relevancy. On a related matter, what is the funding situation in France (for the French Rafale, etc)? 25%/50%/75%/100% support - (ball park figure should do)?

Thanks in advance.

On another note, the data point about EF and AESA, is a point I have been trying to make for eons.

eklavya · Post by **eklavya** » 11 Jun 2011 22:43

NRao wrote:
arthuro wrote:Nrao,

Except the specific upgrades for the UAE, the upgrades listed above are for french needs it is thus independent of other competitions.

Remember that the rafale will be the unique type in the French air force in the future and that there will be no F35. For these reasons it must be constantly upgraded to remain relevant. Each batch brings an increase in capability.
Thanks.

On "remain relevant", relevant to what? And, perhaps even more important, why? What purpose would it serve France to be "relevant"?

I can understand relevancy in terms of selling it to some nation/AF. What I am trying to grasp is why would France need such relevancy. On a related matter, what is the funding situation in France (for the French Rafale, etc)? 25%/50%/75%/100% support - (ball park figure should do)?

Thanks in advance.

On another note, the data point about EF and AESA, is a point I have been trying to make for eons.

NRao,

Why would Canada, The Netherlands and Norway need the capabilities of the F-35? Why would Canada, The Netherlands and Norway need such relevancy?

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 11 Jun 2011 23:01

^relevancy for some countires are purely money factor and to aid help the program, and entirely dependent on the mother nation's threat perceptions and level indicators.

support the program, get the defense umbrella coverage.. a benefit from being a poodle.

eklavya · Post by **eklavya** » 12 Jun 2011 00:16

SaiK wrote:^relevancy for some countires are purely money factor and to aid help the program, and entirely dependent on the mother nation's threat perceptions and level indicators.

support the program, get the defense umbrella coverage.. a benefit from being a poodle.

Who is about to invade the Netherlands? German football fans ... not sure F-35 or being a US poodle will help.

Today France is fighting a Gadaffi, a dictator with a zero Air Force. Tomorrow they may be fighting a "Gadaffi" with the latest Su-30 or PAK-FA or some such system from China. The US armed forces aren't the only ones that have to prepare for "contingencies". So to question why France needs to continuously improve the capabilities of her air force is not relevant I think.

devesh · Post by **devesh** » 12 Jun 2011 00:22

for some countries, it is purely geopolitics. whatever helps them secure their interests, they'll do it. for Norway, Canada, etc it is the security of US defense umbrella and also broader participation with US interests. this is done to provide a picture of multilateralism.

arthuro · Post by **arthuro** » 12 Jun 2011 00:43

Nrao,

Rafale has to remain a relevant asset for the french air force for the several obvious reasons but to name one : it is one of the vector of the nuclear deterrence in france. As such it is a strategic asset and the level of funding is somewhat "immune" to short term arbitrages at least for survivability concerns.

As such it needs to remain able to penetrate sophisticated defense and to tackle new threats. To do so it must evolves constantly. For this reason each batch feature new improvements.

"Relevant" means being able to cope with new threats and in offering some type of technological asymmetrical edge. As the rafale is not a VLO aircraft although discrete to radar, the focus is more on "active" protection/stealth mixed with other passive stealth improvements as shown in the new ambitious roadmap called DEDIRA. (the spectra part of the project is currently being developed).

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 12 Jun 2011 05:29

arthuro,

Thanks. Appreciate your response. You have added to my knowledge base.

If you have any more such thoughts, however irrelevant, I would appreciate them all.

One more question, for the time being, how open - do you feel/think - is France to share the guts of these technologies? NOT transfer of any type of knowledge, just plain simple sharing (technologies and tactics). And a related one: with China specifically. Is there an underlying current in France to part with very, very sophisticated technologies to China, given a chance?

Again, thanks in advance.

BTW, any thoughts on "Kaveri & aero-engine discussion" thread?

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 12 Jun 2011 08:15

France's Rafale fighter proves its 'omnirole' skills
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/20 ... kills.html

According to the French air force, a two-ship formation of Rafales can provide NATO with the same payload and situational awareness as a flight of four Mirage 2000Ds and two Mirage 2000-5s.

The AESA integration was validated on a Rafale in February, and Thales says flight tests so far have demonstrated that "all aspects of the radar's performance comply with the technical specifications of the contract". Any future export sale of the Rafale to nations such as Brazil or India would contain the new sensor configuration.

Propulsion system supplier Snecma, meanwhile, will deliver its first enhanced examples of the M88 engine to Dassault's Merignac final assembly site in November, after completing the last test activities on the -4E version this month. Drawing on the activities of Snecma's ECO development programme of 2004-07, the new standard will reduce ownership costs and maintenance demands, and will also have the growth potential to increase available power from a current maximum of 17,000lb (75kN) to roughly 19,800lb.

Air and Cosmos insight on the future Rafale
http://rafalenews.blogspot.com/2011/06/ ... ht-on.html

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 12 Jun 2011 09:01

posting the air and cosmos article in full here:
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Air and Cosmos insight on the future Rafale
This week issue of Air and Cosmos magazine brings some additional information regarding the future development path of the Rafale.

First, the radar : the current RBE-2 AESA provides 10° more azimut coverage compared to the PESA version (70° vs 60°) and an increased range of more than 40%
In order to meet the UAE requirement, the power output will be increased from 9.6 kW to 14 kW by changing the cooling pomp. This should provide an additional 10% range bonus.

About the Engine : The M88-4E which is replacing the M88-2, consists in a new high pressure turbine and compressor to give an impressive 40 to 50% better life span compared to its predecessor. First bench-tested in September 2009, the M88-4E made its first flight on March 22nd 2010. 70 inflight tests were planed for 2010 and the new engine development is now almost complete. A progressive upgrade of all the M88-2 in service in the French Air Force and Navy in planned as the M88-4E production will ramp up

M88-4E on the test bench - ©SAFRAN/SNECMA
The UAE derivative of the M88-4E, called M88-9, will reach 9 tonnes of thrust by increasing the entering airflow from 65 kg/s to 72 kg/s as well as the compression rate from 24.5 to 27. As already said, this engine requires the air intake to be enlarged which is (was ?) a major blocking point in the negotiations with the UAE : Such a structural modification is not cheap and the costs will most probably have to be shared between the two countries.

As far as the weapon system is concerned, Air and Cosmos reveals several new interresting key points :

The first meteor separation trials will be conducted in 2012 to get the missile available for export customers in 2016. (French Air Force entry into service is still planned for 2018)

Regarding IR missiles, the French and British MoD would have started discussions around a common Mica-IR and ASRAAM replacement. It is worth noting that, last year, a French deputy raised the question of the Mica replacement stating that it had to be initiated with no more delays for the missile to remain competitive compared to the last versions of the US made AIM-120.
This new Franco-British IR missile could have 2 meanings :
a- The French are switching for a short range IR missile, cheaper than the Mica-IR and the Mica EM still need to be replaced in the next 10 years.
b- The British are adopting the mica-IR concept of a medium range BVR missile, agile enough to be used as a dogfighting missile to replace the ASRAAM and possibly the AMRAAM.

The IR version of the AASM smart bomb will get enhanced long range multi-targeting algorithms in order to be more effective against tanks.
At the same time, the Reco-NG pod will receive a new function enabling in flight GPS coordinates extraction of detected targets.
Combined with the above AASM-IR improved long range multi-targeting capability against tanks, one can imagine how deadly a flight of Rafale will be in the near future : The time between detection, decision and strike being very short.

Regarding the contained effect weapon already discussed here, the French DGA is also considering the Lockheed-Martin scalpel bomb (small contained-area precision energetic load) which is a weaponised version of the ELGTR training GBU especially developed for low collateral damage strikes in urban zones.

More details about the RCS reduction program, now officialy named DEDIRA (Descreet Rafale Demonstrator), are also revealed by Air and Cosmos : in addition to the INCAS program to improved the SPECTRA suite, the air intake shape could be modified and conformal weapon containers could be used to hide weapons. New RAM technology is also considered. All in all, this looks very much like the "silent Hornet" pack developed by Boeing for the F/A-18E and presented as an operational less expensive alternative to the F-35 full stealth approach.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 12 Jun 2011 09:17

good to see AESA radar support from both these finalists, one demonstrating, while the other emphasizing with funds.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 12 Jun 2011 09:27

we need a small stealthy turbofan powered low flying 600km range ALCM to detect and knock out the S-400 category big radar complexes using a mix of passive RWR/DF/"HARM targeting pod" and passive IIR/GLONASS for the final approach when the radars might shut off to protect themselves.....

and each MKI/MRCA should be able to launch 6 of these puppies down any threat axis...a squad of 4 such planes should be able to target each such system with 24 missiles ...so its got to be cheap enough too.

a modified nirbhay has to be it (import the seekers if needed), since nobody will sell us such missiles.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 12 Jun 2011 09:38

we can ask python to spew its anti-radiation parts

, perhaps siva can help too.

Cain Marko · Post by **Cain Marko** » 12 Jun 2011 13:24

Singha wrote:we need a small stealthy turbofan powered low flying 600km range ALCM to detect and knock out the S-400 category big radar complexes using a mix of passive RWR/DF/"HARM targeting pod" and passive IIR/GLONASS for the final approach when the radars might shut off to protect themselves.....

and each MKI/MRCA should be able to launch 6 of these puppies down any threat axis...a squad of 4 such planes should be able to target each such system with 24 missiles ...so its got to be cheap enough too.

a modified nirbhay has to be it (import the seekers if needed), since nobody will sell us such missiles.

6 X nirbhay seems like a rather long shot. My guess is that we'll have to settle for a combo of 2 X Scalp/Taurus (Rafale/EF) + 1 X Brahmos (MKI) per bird. Still, these should be more than enough in the near term. A flight of 3 Rafales + 3 MKIs would mean a combo of 6 Scalps (rcs enhanced) and 3-9 superfast Brahmos all fired with different profiles. Current S300 type does not have a missile with a range in excess of 150km iirc, which means the birds could get in somewhat close before firing. Rather daunting task for HQ 9/Tor battery imho, any degradation (via bomblets etc) would make kill rate higher for attacking missiles.

Expensive perhaps, but the S300 batteries aren't cheap either - a few 100 mill $s iirc, and then tactical advantage gained might be priceless.

In the near future Nirbhay/Brahmos - hypersonic should do the trick.

CM

eklavya · Post by **eklavya** » 12 Jun 2011 18:27

NRao wrote:Is there an underlying current in France to part with very, very sophisticated technologies to China, given a chance?

It is well known that France is in favour of lifting the EU arms embargo on China. Fortunately, for China's potential adversaries such as India, Japan and Taiwan, all 27 EU member nations would have to agree to the policy change, and many EU member nations (i) have no weapons they wish to sell to China, and (ii) will not risk seriously annoying the US on this subject.

France is not alone in wishing to make a buck or two by selling arms to China. Israel would have sold the PHALCON system to China, but for US pressure. Russia has sold all kinds of systems and technologies to the Chinese armed forces. And the US gave Block 52 F-16s with AMRAAM and Harpoon anti-ship missiles to Pakistan. No point singling out one nation: all our suppliers also trade with our enemies.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 12 Jun 2011 19:05

It would be good to add pressure on Fr and Eu or America to prevent fallout to china, but there is nothing stopping them building their own or copying and stealing technologies., in addition to any of these nations willing to deliver against our wishes. This is a bad strategy to chase after. We must focus on what we want and advance faster than the enemy. That is the only long term solution.

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 14 Jun 2011 21:29

Thales RBE-2 AESA mystery
http://rafalenews.blogspot.com/2011/06/ ... stery.html

For about a year, several official pictures of this radar have been published showing an antenna with less than 850 modules whereas Thales advertises more than 1000 modules. Interestingly, the antenna presented on this new picture has been blurried to prevent any counting.

Click on the link above to read the rest of the article and also to see the blurred image of the RBE-2 AESA radar.

Indrajit · Post by **Indrajit** » 14 Jun 2011 21:34

This will clear that.

http://attach.high-g.net/attachments/so ... tr_922.jpg

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 14 Jun 2011 21:36

Indrajit: The link does not work.

bhavin · Post by **bhavin** » 14 Jun 2011 22:32

Rakesh wrote:Indrajit: The link does not work.

Copy and paste the link instead of clicking on it. That worked for me.

Indrajit · Post by **Indrajit** » 14 Jun 2011 23:31

Yep copy pasta on the address bar.

Hitesh · Post by **Hitesh** » 15 Jun 2011 00:56

perhaps they have figured out a way to make the modules smaller and thus fit more of them into the radar suite without compromising the power output.

MarcH · Post by **MarcH** » 15 Jun 2011 02:51

http://www.ainonline.com/news/single-ne ... ent-30003/

From the above article:

The UK MoD funding will lead to the first flight of a Captor-E prototype in 2013. But it will feature only limited radar modes, and the array will consist of Gallium Arsenide (Ga) transmit-receive modules that were developed by British company Filtronic, now part of Teledyne. The ultimate array planned for Captor-E will use more advanced Gallium Nitride modules developed for the Euroradar consortium by EADS Cassidian.

If that is true then Eurofighter jumps directly from the best m-scan radar to the first operational GaN radar in military aviation.

GeorgeWelch · Post by **GeorgeWelch** » 15 Jun 2011 02:59

MarcH wrote:
The UK MoD funding will lead to the first flight of a Captor-E prototype in 2013. But it will feature only limited radar modes, and the array will consist of Gallium Arsenide (Ga) transmit-receive modules that were developed by British company Filtronic, now part of Teledyne. The ultimate array planned for Captor-E will use more advanced Gallium Nitride modules developed for the Euroradar consortium by EADS Cassidian.
If that is true then Eurofighter jumps directly from the best m-scan radar to the first operational GaN radar in military aviation.

You're misreading the article.

The only current plan is GaAs.

GaN is what we call 'wishful thinking' as in 'Yeah, ultimately, it would be nice to have.'

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 15 Jun 2011 12:48

we wont be seeing GaN in EF before 2020, looking at the snails pace of the funding and lack of interest by members.

the EU strategy for strike has only one name - JSF. retire the tornadoes & av8/vanilla harriers and get JSF is the agenda...hope to ride on american coat tails for the spooky a2g sensor and weapon stuff on the cheap.

MarcH · Post by **MarcH** » 15 Jun 2011 13:21

Well, I don't pretent to have a crystal ball. I'll just wait for Le Bourget. One thing I know is, that GaN MMIC's are already in production for civil telecom applications. Don't know how much of this tech can be carried over to building AESA antennas.

But yay to wihsful thinting. Just as much wishful thinking as the 2 big Eurocanards beeing in the MMRCA finals.

arthuro · Post by **arthuro** » 15 Jun 2011 14:11

Rafale report from Combat Aircraft magazine :

Striking Lybia From The Sea

Combat Aircraft magazine , June 2011, page 59

[...]
Rafale success

For the French navy, the Lybian operation, the 1st significant engagement of the Rafale in a major conflict has proved an unconditional success: "The Rafale is a brilliant fighter capable of performing the whole spectrum of tactical missions" says 'Harry'. "For instance we have carried out strike missions and recce missions without any dedicated escort, our RBE2 radar , our Link 16 and our Spectra electronic warfare suite helping us maintain a very good all-round situational awareness. if intercepted, we could have engaged and destroyed any airborne threat with our MICA's during the very same missions. The Rafale's sensor and armament suite have also proved extremely effective and remarkably flexible. I will take one example: the Rafale's weapons system has not been specifically designed for the destruction of ennemy air defenses (DEAD) role. With all our sensors - the high-resolution radar mode, the Spectra suite, the Damocles and the FSO optronics system- we were nevertheless fully capable of detecting, localizing and engaging enemy surface-to-air missile sites, and we destroyed SA-3 and SA-6 SAM systems with the AASM including some mobile systems. This was a significant achievement. I would like to stress the fact that Flotille 12F is one of the very few units in the world which can carry such a large array of missions from a carrier deck, from reconnaissance to nuclear deterrence, from DEAD to anti-ships attacks, from close air support to air defense".

Operation Harmattan has demonstrated once again, that naval power and air power from the sea are decisive tools in modern warfare.
[...]

jimmy_moh · Post by **jimmy_moh** » 15 Jun 2011 16:25

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/06/08 ... en_by_f16/