thestringshredder
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Crunch time for Rafale production rate?
In its proposed defence planning law for the six-year period spanning 2014 to 2019, the French defence ministry has proposed slashing its number of received Dassault Rafales to just 26 aircraft.
With the company currently delivering in the region of eleven Rafales to the nations air force and navy per year (thats one per month in French industrial language, as the entirety of August is lost to holidays), the suggested reduction (which I reckon would cover a fraction over one aircraft delivery per quarter) puts even more pressure on Dassault to sign up some of its potential export customers for the type. India is the most obvious of these, but only a first batch of the expected 126 MMRCA units would actually be completed at the companys Merignac site
This risks opening the usual can of worms between the pro-Rafale and pro-Eurofighter lobbies along the lines of is one under-utilised assembly line any worse than having four of them but could Dassault seriously sustain its line at such a limited rate if those international sales dont come good? With the planning law having to be signed off by 31 December, it certainly doesnt have much time to consider that dilemma.
On broadly the same theme, our colleague Dan Thisdell has just published an interesting analysis piece looking at a recent call from an EADS investor to consider divesting its more than 46% holding in Dassault. Dont hold your breath for that one happening, he suggests.
Link - Crunch time for Rafale production rate? | idrw.org
In its proposed defence planning law for the six-year period spanning 2014 to 2019, the French defence ministry has proposed slashing its number of received Dassault Rafales to just 26 aircraft.
With the company currently delivering in the region of eleven Rafales to the nations air force and navy per year (thats one per month in French industrial language, as the entirety of August is lost to holidays), the suggested reduction (which I reckon would cover a fraction over one aircraft delivery per quarter) puts even more pressure on Dassault to sign up some of its potential export customers for the type. India is the most obvious of these, but only a first batch of the expected 126 MMRCA units would actually be completed at the companys Merignac site
This risks opening the usual can of worms between the pro-Rafale and pro-Eurofighter lobbies along the lines of is one under-utilised assembly line any worse than having four of them but could Dassault seriously sustain its line at such a limited rate if those international sales dont come good? With the planning law having to be signed off by 31 December, it certainly doesnt have much time to consider that dilemma.
On broadly the same theme, our colleague Dan Thisdell has just published an interesting analysis piece looking at a recent call from an EADS investor to consider divesting its more than 46% holding in Dassault. Dont hold your breath for that one happening, he suggests.
Link - Crunch time for Rafale production rate? | idrw.org
