International Aerospace Discussion - Jan 2018

[Rakesh]

Gripen E/F uses the GE F414 turbofan.

Saab receives Gripen E/F order for Thailand
https://www.saab.com/newsroom/press-rel ... r-thailand
25 August 2025

[Rakesh]

Gripen E/F uses the GE F414 turbofan.

Saab receives Gripen E/F order for Thailand
https://www.saab.com/newsroom/press-rel ... r-thailand
25 August 2025

https://x.com/zone5aviation/status/1959956943168303124 ---> 139 million USD a pop, incl offsets, for four jets. Interesting benchmark.

[Tanaji]

SpaceX has its own priorities and considerations and this is not an attempt to compare with ISRO. However, the sheer scale of its vision is mind boggling:

https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/09/s ... unch-site/

Their goal is to have near daily launches of the monster Starship. Given that they have built it as a factory product, the economies of scale will be huge. They seem to have all bases covered: reusability, massive lift capacity and cadence. It will be very hard to compete with it and I believe the competition is at least 7-8 years behind.

[Rakesh]

RTX's Raytheon achieves longest known AMRAAM® shot
https://www.rtx.com/news/news-center/20 ... mraam-shot
16 Sept 2025

[rajkumar]

Russia Jet Powered Drones are immune to electronic countermeasures - Ukraine military intelligence
https://www.businessinsider.com/russia- ... ays-2025-9
16 Sept 2025

[Rakesh]

$285 million per plane....

This obviously includes weapons, training and other supporting Infrastructure....but still...

Peru cleared for possible $3.42 billion F-16 Block 70 buy
https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/air- ... ck-70-buy/
16 Sept 2025

[Mukesh.Kumar]

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Signals from 50% of older Geostationary satellites above North America can be intercepted by commercial off-the shelf equipment costing less than USD 1000.

An interesting article from PCMag covers how University of California, San Diego and University of Maryland researchers uncovered a security blind spot. Here's a link to their paper

Interesting nuggets uncovered were individual voice data, ATM info, Remote grid instrumentation data and even military data. Wonder if the same is the case for our satellites.

[pravula]

If its unencrypted, then yeah.

[Tanaji]

https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/10/s ... wing-down/

There are now 10006 Starlink satellites in orbit. By any measure this is a phenomenal achievement. Imagine the infrastructure and automation required for tracking and control of each of these… It also gives the US a massive strategic capability that no other country possesses.

[Manish_P]

https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/10/s ... wing-down/

There are now 10006 Starlink satellites in orbit. By any measure this is a phenomenal achievement. Imagine the infrastructure and automation required for tracking and control of each of these… It also gives the US a massive strategic capability that no other country possesses.

I am more impressed by the frequency with which they can launch the heavy rockets.... And even more by how they can recover and reuse them.

We Indians are born re-users. We re-purpose and re-use everything from childhood.

We need to build recoverable and reusable rockets soon.

[Manish_P]

The US Navy lost a F18 F super hornet and a MH-60 Sea Hawk, from the carrier Nimitz, within a few hours in the South China sea.

All 5 aviators recovered safely

[Rakesh]

https://x.com/accidentalproX/status/1979987008174084382 ---> Twin seater Rafale B with an external jammer pod...something along the lines of a twin-seater F-18 Growler.

[Rakesh]

Taiwan to seek compensation for delayed F-16V deliveries
https://defence-blog.com/taiwan-to-seek ... eliveries/
29 Oct 2025

[Manish_P]

Beautiful videography. A must see for fans of aviation

RIAT 2025 - Air to Air Arrivals

https://youtu.be/dbZhvGbbt-8?si=deM2xpPIMVvTLUP2

[Rakesh]

https://x.com/RafaleFan/status/1985391364268339376 ---> Curtain call for the 2025 season of the Rafale Solo Display.

[Rakesh]

Link below is in French. Please use Google Translate (https://translate.google.ca/?sl=auto&tl=en&op=websites) to read in English. Copy the link below into the Google Translate link provided.

In Indonesia the French Rafale is yes, the Chinese J-10 is no!
https://www.avionslegendaires.net/2025/ ... -cest-non/
04 Nov 2025

[Rakesh]

Link below is in French. Please use Google Translate (https://translate.google.ca/?sl=auto&tl=en&op=websites) to read in English. Copy the link below into the Google Translate link provided.

Greek air force wants to acquire more Rafale F4 to keep the advantage over Turkish aviation
https://www.opex360.com/2025/11/06/la-f ... on-turque/
06 Nov 2025

[Rakesh]

Link below is in French. Please use Google Translate (https://translate.google.ca/?sl=auto&tl=en&op=websites) to read in English. Copy the link below into the Google Translate link provided.

SCAF: For General Mandon, the challenge will be to develop a 12-ton thrust engine
https://www.opex360.com/2025/11/06/scaf ... e-poussee/
06 Nov 2025

[Rakesh]

Germany walks out of the FCAS program. Repeat of the Euro-canard fight that spawned the Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon.

https://x.com/InfosMinutesFR/status/198 ... 30973?s=20 ---> Germany is preparing its withdrawal from the 6th-generation fighter jet project alongside France. Berlin is reportedly working on its own fighter jet with other European partners.

[Manish_P]

Germany walks out of the FCAS program. Repeat of the Euro-canard fight that spawned the Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon.

As expected and predicted here on BRF many many moons ago

[Rakesh]

LoI has to translate into orders, but the desire to acquire 100 Rafales is huge.

https://x.com/L_ThinkTank/status/199038 ... 63060?s=20 ---> France and Ukraine sign a letter of intent for the purchase of 100 Rafale aircraft, which would make Kyiv the world's second-largest Rafale fleet behind Paris.

[Rakesh]

LoI has to translate into orders, but the desire to acquire 100 Rafales is huge.

https://x.com/L_ThinkTank/status/199038 ... 63060?s=20 ---> France and Ukraine sign a letter of intent for the purchase of 100 Rafale aircraft, which would make Kyiv the world's second-largest Rafale fleet behind Paris.

# of Rafales in service/on order worldwide;
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault_Rafale)

• Croatian Air Force – 12
• Egyptian Air Force – 54
• French Air Force - 185
• French Navy - 40
• Greek Air Force - 24
• Indian Air Force - 36
• Indian Navy - 26
• Indonesian Air Force - 42
• Serbia - 12
• Qatar - 36
• UAE - 80

If Ukraine orders 100 Rafales, the total Rafale production will hit ~ 650 aircraft. Now if the 114 MRFA order + a follow-on Indian Navy order goes through, Dassault is looking at a production run of nearly 800 aircraft. Comparatively, the Mirage 2000 had a production run of 601 aircraft. For Dassault, this is a production coup and will reap monetary benefits for its FCAS program and the turbofan that will power it. With Germany walking out of the FCAS program, a Ukraine order will be hugely beneficial - monetarily - for Dassault. For France's relatively minuscule Military Industrial Complex (MIC) - when compared to the United States - this is huge. Eric Trappier (CEO of Dassault) has made his shareholders happy!

With the MRO facilities being established in India for the M88 turbofan and the airframe itself, expect Dassault to transfer a sizeable chunk of work to India for both the IAF/IN and international customers. The line at Merignac will continue to produce new build Rafales and service existing Rafales for European customers (France, Croatia, Serbia, etc...possibly Ukraine), while an "expected" Indian line will do the same for Middle Eastern, South East Asian and home (IAF/IN) customers.

[Lisa]

LoI has to translate into orders, but the desire to acquire 100 Rafales is huge.

Yanks are not paying and the europeans don't have the money. Simple.

[Rakesh]

LoI has to translate into orders, but the desire to acquire 100 Rafales is huge.

Yanks are not paying and the europeans don't have the money. Simple.

The deal is contingent upon Ukraine getting access to some kind of frozen Russian assets. That is easier said than done.

[Rakesh]

And a new twist in the SCAF saga. Article was originally in French, but has been translated into English via Google Translate.

SCAF: towards the end of the dream of a European hunter in favor of a simple combat cloud?
https://opexnews.fr/arret-scaf-berlin-p ... de-combat/
17 Nov 2025

This is probably the real earthquake of the day for European defence. According to the Financial Times, Berlin and Paris would seriously discuss a scenario that would empty the SCAF of its substance: to give up the joint development of a new fighter aircraft to keep only the “combat cloud”, this command and control system supposed to connect aircraft, drones, radars and command centers. In other words, the “system of systems” would survive... without its iconic aircraft.

This turning point is coming at the worst possible time. Phase 2 of the SCAF was to be completed at the end of 2024 by the French, German and Spanish defense ministers. The censorship of the Barnier government in Paris, the implosion of the Scholz coalition in Berlin, and then the political recompositions froze everything. Meanwhile, the standoff between Dassault Aviation and Airbus over the governance of pillar 1 – the future NGF fighter – has hardened. Dassault is calling for a real project management, with 51% of the work, as originally planned. Airbus and its German and Spanish supporters refuse, defending a “co-co-co” model that dilutes responsibilities.

The crisis now overflows the Franco-German circle. Belgium, which is an observer and ready to commit 300 million euros for phase 2, hesitates. His defense chief, General Frederik Vansina, said it bluntly in front of the MPs a few days ago: impossible to recommend such an investment “in something that may not see the light of day.” He also regrets the coexistence of two competing programs in Europe, SCAF on the one hand, GCAP (ex-Tempest) on the other, while fourteen countries have already chosen the American F-35, “cheaper and better operationally”, according to him.

A lighter SCAF, an admission of European failure?

In the background, it is the balance of power between States and industrialists that appears in the open. Boris Pistorius publicly questions Éric Trappier. Guillaume Faury believes that the SCAF can continue without Dassault. In Paris, Catherine Vautrin recalls that, when it comes to fighter jets, the reference remains... Dassault, while stressing the issue of sovereignty around the engine of the NGF, entrusted to Safran and MTU. France, on the other hand, hammers its three red lines: an operational capacity in 2040, an engine at the height, and the freedom of export.

If the option of a “light” SCAF is confirmed, the impact will go well beyond a governance conflict. This would be an admission of failure for the major structuring project of European combat aeronautics, launched in 2017 in response to the United States and the United Kingdom. And a heavy signal: Europe would remain capable of producing technological bricks (sensors, drones, cloud) but would give up uniting these bricks in a truly common fighter aircraft. At a time when the F-35 is imposing itself and budgets are exploding, the question is getting hot: will the next generation of European fighter jets still be in dispersed order?

[Rakesh]

LoI has to translate into orders, but the desire to acquire 100 Rafales is huge.

https://x.com/L_ThinkTank/status/199038 ... 63060?s=20 ---> France and Ukraine sign a letter of intent for the purchase of 100 Rafale aircraft, which would make Kyiv the world's second-largest Rafale fleet behind Paris.\

An excellent Twitter thread on the above news....

https://x.com/VincentLamigeon/status/19 ... 58299?s=20 ---> THREAD With all the commotion breaking out everywhere over Ukraine's "order" of 100 Rafales, a little thread to set the record straight, even if it means cooling things down a bit.