Indonesia orders 42 Rafale fighters

Dassault CEO Eric Trappier and Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) Vice Marshal Yusuf Jauhari have agreed on the acquisition of 42 Rafale fighters for the TNI-AU. A batch of 6 will be delivered first, followed by 36 others. 

At the moment there are no details on the variant or calendar for deliveries. It has been pointed out that Indonesia has never operated a French fighter before, thus it is a significan win for the French manufacturer. The total amount of Rafale sold abroad is now 278.

It is likely that Inonesia's first batch is financed with the funding that was saved for the Su-35. TNI-AU had originally selected this model, but the risk of CAATSA sanctions prevented the signing of the contract.

References:

- https://twitter.com/florence_parly

Greece receives first Rafale fighters from France

Today the first 6 Dassault Rafale F3R fighters arrived to Greece. Back in January 2021 this country bought a total of 18 together with a weapon/support package. The fleet was to combine brand new and second hand aircraft:

- New: 2 two-seat Rafale B and 4 ssingle-seat Rafale C
- Second hand: 2 two-seat Rafale B and 10 single-seat Rafale C

The contract value was approximately 1920 million €, and the weapons package 400 million €. The first 3 aircraft had already been delivered, but they remained in France to be used in training. Deliveries will last until June 2023.

30% of the payment will be carried out at the start of the contract, the other 30% 6 months later, when deliveries start. The 400 million $ weapons package will be paid in 6 years.

The fleet could grow soon, as the Greek Parliament is likely to approve the acquisition of another 6 Rafale. This contract was the first success for Dassault in Europe, and provides work for another 5 years. The French Air Force has already signed a contract to acquire the 12 aircraft sold to Greece.

References:

- https://www.reuters.com/
- https://twitter.com/SafranEngines/

Operational availability of different French aircraft

The French Ministry of Defence has published these data on the operational availability of different aircraft. In the last few years there has been a sustained effort to improve these rates. A specific department in charge of maintenance has been created (Direction de la Maintenance aéronautique), and a new type of contract signed with manufacturers. It is called "verticalised" and the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) is responsible to keep a certain level of availability.



Note that the NH90 is missing. This helicopter has been plagued by availability issues in the last few years, and there are no signs of major improvement.

References:

- https://twitter.com/HerveGrandjean

United Arab Emirates signs record contract for 80 Rafale fighters

French manufacturer Dassault signed today the biggest contract in its history, 80 Rafale fighters in the F4 variant with United Arab Emirates (UAE). Deliveries will take place between 2027 and 2031.

The total cost will be 16 billion €:

- 14 billion for the fighters
- 2 billion for an armament package that includes MICA NG and cruise missiles Black Saheen, a local variant of the MBDA SCALP

UAE becomes the sixth foreign operator after Egypt (54), Qatar (24), India (36), Greece (18) and Croatia (12). With this contract, the production line is guaranteed for years, and France will have more flexibility when ordering the next tranches. To put the 16 billion € into context, the cost of the Rafale program from 1989 to 2018 was 28.438 billion €, including operations and maintenance.

Rafale (Dassault).

Statement by Dasssault.

The F4 variant is currently being developed, and incorporates improvement in the AESA radar and SPECTRA system. It has also received a Scorpion helmet, better communications and new weapons.

References:

- https://www.dassault-aviation.com/en/
- http://www.opex360.com/
- https://www.lefigaro.fr/economie
- https://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance

French Air Force carries out first operational sortie of a Rafale with Meteor missiles

The French Air Force has carried out the first operational sortie of a Rafale fighter with Meteor missiles. The combination of this weapon and the AESA radar used by the F3-R variant is a great step forward in capabilities, and one of the reasons for which Greece acquired the type.

Meteor's main advantage against other BVR missiles like R-77 and AIM-120C is its ramjet, which sustains speed for a longer period. This leads to more kinetic energy, making evasion more difficult.

According to the manufacturer, the No Escape Zone (NEZ) is 3 times higher than that of the AIM-120. Since its appearance the Meteor has become a reference in the market, and has been integrated in several  fighters (EF-2000, Gripen and Korean KF-X) - India tried to integrate it into its Flankers and Tejas fleet but did not receive authorization-.

References:

- https://twitter.com/Armee_de_lair

Appendix 1: MBDA Meteor characteristics

  (MBDA).

Dassault completes the modernisation of 10 Rafale M

This month Dassault  shoudl complete the upgrade of 10 Rafale Marine F1 delivered after 1999. These aircraft were urgently handed over as the french Navy had to replace it's fleet of F-8. The cost of the upgrade to the F3 standard is 300 million euros (equivalent to 3 new aircraft). The first upgraded aircraft were delivered in 2014. The F3 version has the following capabilities:

- Use of 30mm gun and MICA IR/AM missile sin air to air missions and interceptions
- Laser guided bombs GBU-12/24 and Hammer, 30mm gun for ground targets
- Buddy refuelling
- ASMP-A nuclear missile
- Air-sea missile Exocet AM39 Block and other types
- Aréos for reconaissance

References:

- https://www.meretmarine.com/
- https://www.escadrilles.org/histoire-et-histoires/10-ans-rafale-12f/
- http://www.colsbleus.fr/articles/3100

Indian Navy tender for carrier-based fighter

7-1-2018

Livefist has informed that the Dassault Rafale F3M and F-18 Block III. Saab and RSK MiG proposals have been discarded (1). No details on the reasons has been given; Gripen was a no go because of it's single engine configuration, which was the reason given to reject a naval Tejas. The Navy was also looking for a mode advanced type than MiG-29K.

In my opinión de Rafale is still the favourite because it is already in service with the Air Force and the logistics would be simplified.

26-1-2017

The Indian Navy has opened a tender for the supply of 57 naval fighters. The request for information can be read in the link below. An offset of 30% of the contract's value is expected. First deliveries would take place 3 years after signing the contract and would have to be completed in 6.

The Indian Navy's fighter is the MiG-29K Fulcrum. A total of 46 have been ordered. The F-18 Super Hornet and Dassault Rafale are likely candidates. The later has been acquired by the Air Force, which could be an advantage. It is unclear if the Super Hornet will be still in production when the decision is taken. So far the LCA Tejas is not a candidate, but an improved Mk 2 version could be marketed.

References:

- http://tenders.gov.in/viewtenddoc.asp?tid=del877328&wno=1&td=TD
- https://www.livefistdefence.com/navy-dogfight-begins-india (1)

France will upgrade 55 Mirage 2000

France will upgrade 55 Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft. The decision was taken almost a year ago, but the final number had not been confirmed. With these aircraft the French Air Force (FAF) will field 225 aircraft, the current objective.

Nowadays there are 71 Mirage 2000D available. There are several reasons for the upgrade. The fighter fleet is flying much more than originally anticipated (Libia, Syria, Mali...), increasing the wear. Rafale deliveries to external clients will take priority, and none are expected before 2021.

Mirage 2000D (worldwide-military.com).

With the upgrade the FAF will have a competitive aircraft, as the more sophisticated Rafale is not walys needed. Currently there are no details on what equipment will be integrated, but it could include MICA and AASM missiles, and an ASTAC pod.

References:

- http://www.latribune.fr/pourquoi-le-mirage-2000-garde-sa-place-dans-l-armee-de-l-air
- http://www.senat.fr/rap/a13-158-8/a13-158-815.html#toc318
- http://www.latribune.fr/le-mirage-2000d-volera-dans-l-armee-de-l-air-au-dela-de-2020-531976.html
- http://www.defense-aerospace.com/france-awards-contract-for-mid_life-upgrade

India acquires 36 Rafale fighters

India finally signed the contract to acquire 36 Rafale. The type had been selected in April 2014 but negotiations dragged on as both sides could not agree on technology transfer and industrial offsets. It is the largest contract won by Dassault in its history, worth 7.8 billion euros. French journalist Jean-Dominique Merchet has provided the following breakdown (unconfirmed, note that final figure reaches 7.62 billion):

- 36 Rafale: 3.42 billion euros (95 million per aircraft)
- Modification for India: 1.72 billion euro.
- Weapons system (missiles): 710 million euros.
- Support and spare parts for 5 years: 1.79 billion euros.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) will receive 28 single seaters and 8 two seaters. First deliveries will take place in 18 months. Last ones in 67. Dassault will pay fines if the availability is below 75%. The price of a single seater is 91.07 million $, a two seater 94 million $. The contract does not contain an option for additional aircraft, but E. Trapier –CEO of Dassault- is confident that more will be sold in the future, as links with India develop. Spare and logistics can be negotiated for up to 50 years.

 

Ceremony (@manoharparrikar).

Indian Rafales will be more advanced than France’s. A towed decoy will be integrated. They will also be equipped with RWR, IRST, more powerful engines, low band jammers, 10 hour flight data recorder recording, helmet mounted sights and cold engine start capability in Leh. Weapons include Meteor and Scalp missiles. The loitering capability will be ×1.5 higher than Su-30MKI and will have significantly more range.

The warranty will last 2 years and can be extended to 5. The Rafales used for training will have an extra warranty for 60 hours. Maintenance is included for 5 years. Simulators are also included in the package. The offsets package is 50%; 305 corresponds to research project, and 20% for manufacturing Rafale components. Indian government estimates that the value of spare parts exported could reach 3.0 billion $.

 

References:

- http://www.thehindu.com/ 

 - http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
- http://www.lopinion.fr
- http://www.lavoixdunord.fr
- http://www.sudouest.fr/