Dassault Rafale, tender | News & Discussions

[Skull and Bones]

Rafale - Active cancellation
But there is more to Spectra than conventional jamming. Pierre-Yves Chaltiel, a Thales engineer on the Spectra program, remarked in a 1997 interview that Spectra uses "stealthy jamming modes that not only have a saturating effect, but make the aircraft invisible... There are some very specific techniques to obtain the signature of a real LO [low-observable] aircraft." When asked if he was talking about active cancellation, Chaltiel declined to answer.

Earlier this year, Thales and European missile-builder MBDA disclosed that they were working on active-cancellation technology for cruise missiles and had already tested it on a small unmanned aerial vehicle, using a combination of active and passive techniques to manage radar signature. This revelation makes it considerably more likely that active cancellation is already being developed for Rafale.

Active cancellation is a LO technique in which the aircraft, when painted by a radar, transmits a signal which mimics the echo that the radar will receive - but one half-wavelength out of phase, so that the radar sees no return at all. The advantage of this technique is that it uses very low power, compared with conventional EW, and provides no clues to the aircraft's presence; the challenge is that it requires very fast processing and that poorly executed active cancellation could make the target more rather than less visible.

The complexity of active cancellation could account for Spectra's high price tag, estimated in 1997 as "several billion francs" (equivalent to the high hundreds of millions of US dollars) for research and development. One of four Rafale prototypes was dedicated to Spectra tests, along with a Falcon 20 flying testbed. Four new large anechoic chambers were built to support the Spectra project, including one which is large and well equipped enough to operate the complete system in a fully detailed electromagnetic environment.
Rafale, Dassault-Breguet

Not much is known about active cancellation. Sancho, do you have any more information about this that you could share here?

Which is better??
A very low observable aircraft, which is hard to detect but can be detected with advanced radar OR an aircraft with an efficient jammer?

in case of active cancellation feature of Rafale, can it be detected by two radar operating at different frequency ?

 

[sancho]

For those who didn't read the full carnegie report (http://carnegieendowment.org/files/dogfight.pdf), here are some excerpts of the most interesting part of the analysis, about the operational requirements of IAF and what MMRCA should be able to do, or should offer to fit in these roles:

In part, this is because the IAF seeks a multi-role aircraft, meaning one that can fulfill both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions with equal felicity.

Given this substantial offensive lineup, the aircraft selected for the MMRCA component will no doubt have theater or battlefield air interdiction as an adjuvant responsibility, but it is unlikely to eclipse the IAF’s principal mission of protecting Indian air space through the conduct of counterair operations.


Since the IAF’s preferred aircraft will be one that excels in the air-to-air dimension of the counterair campaign without sacrificing air-to-ground effectiveness, it follows from the mission needs detailed above that the airplane finally selected by the air force must be superior to all others in both offensive and defensive counterair operations. This implies that the prospective MMRCA system must be especially effective in executing the fighter sweep, offensive and defensive air escort, C-AISR, screening, CAP, and air intercept missions in particular.

This includes airfield attacks (interdicting adversary aircraft on the ground directly, denying them the use of runways, or destroying operational necessities such as fuel or lubricants); fighter sweeps (seeking out and destroying adversary aircraft in a disputed air space); offensive air escort (missions tasked with protecting friendly strike packages en route to enemy targets); C-AISR, or counter-airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations (intercepting and destroying an adversary’s airborne warning and control systems, or AWACS); and integrated air defense systems (IADS) takedown (suppressing the air defense net or parts thereof by attacking its vulnerable nodes) CAP, or combat air patrol (positioning aircraft over or near the area or force being defended); defensive air escort (protecting high-value assets involved in airborne early warning, airlift, or air rescue operations); or air intercept (identifying and engaging enemy aircraft engaged in hostile air action)


Because the future air combat environment in Southern Asia will be defined by the presence of “AWACS symmetry,”28 meaning the availability of airborne early warning platforms in the inventories of all the competitors, the primacy of the C-AISR mission will increase dramatically. This implies that IAF operations at the onset of any major conflict would focus on targeting the adversary’s AEW and AWACS assets, either on the ground or in the air, in conjunction with attacks on its land-based integrated air defense system. In this context, the IAF is also likely to focus on more generic airfield attacks whenever possible, not necessarily for runway suppression but to interdict the combat aircraft that may be lodged in hardened aircraft bunkers, especially at key air bases. The more enemy aircraft are destroyed on the ground in this way-or through complementary ballistic and cruise missile attacks-the weaker the subsequent air threat to India will be. In any event, attacking high-value AWACS aircraft and other combat aircraft at their bases would require precision strikes, either on key support assets like runways or petroleum, oil, and lubricant storage, or on the individual shelters protecting these high-value assets, or directly on the aircraft themselves (if bedded down in the open). Such missions are what the dedicated strike components of the IAF are most appropriate for. It is not surprising, however, that the MMRCA tender requires all suppliers to demonstrate that their airplanes, too, can carry a wide range of precision direct attack and standoff weaponry capable of executing such missions because it is certain that the multi-role component of the force will also be committed to such tasks. This mission, in fact, will only grow in importance as the dedicated strike platforms are eventually phased out of the IAF over time.

Since success is not assured in any case...the IAF will be faced with the challenge of intercepting those AWACS platforms that survive its air base attacks. Once airborne and operating, AWACS platforms are usually difficult targets to attack because they fly well behind the front, are protected by fighter screens, and are able to detect attacking airplanes well before the latter can pose a direct threat.
An MMRCA candidate that possessed high maximum speed, a low radar cross-section, good long-range sensors and more importantly weaponry, and a sophisticated on-board EW system would, therefore, be an ideal platform for the future C-AISR mission in South Asia.


Yet the importance of mastering WVR dogfighting will never go away. This is partly because even the best BVR weapons invariably have less than perfect single shot probabilities of kill, especially in air combat characterized by pervasive EW, and hence what may begin as a long-range engagement could rapidly evolve into a close encounter. The requirements of positively identifying an adversary before missile launch in some tactical circumstances-especially when AEW cover is absent-may also necessitate IAF fighters closing in on their targets, with visual-range combat becoming the only alternative under such conditions. In any event, it is in these situations that the maneuverability of the IAF’s fighter platforms would become a critical factor in success or failure, along with, of course, other characteristics like the effectiveness of their on-board avionics, short-range AAMs, and defensive countermeasures systems. It is, therefore, not surprising that the IAF will look closely at these qualities when examining the various MMRCA competitors.


Again, depending on circumstances, the MMRCA component would also be committed to direct attacks on the adversary’s military forces itself, both on the battlefield and in the rear, especially when concentrated or when moving along strategic avenues of approach. The IAF clearly recognizes that the success of these operations would be greatly enhanced by the ability to attack this wide range of targets with precision munitions, as opposed to dumb bombs, especially at night and in adverse weather. Consequently, it has emphasized that the MMRCA acquisition should yield platforms that possess advanced radars with sophisticated air-to-ground modes as well as other sensors such as forward looking infrared (FLIR) pods, superior EW systems that permit effective and safe penetration to target in the face of the emerging regional SAM threats, weapons delivery systems that ensure a high probability of successful attack on the first pass, and a variety of specialized munitions that would be necessary for executing the various surface-attack operations associated with the air interdiction mission.


While the maritime strike component of the anti-surface mission has not received much public attention, there is little doubt that this assignment will only increase in importance over time. The MMRCA’s Request for Proposals recognizes this clearly. At the moment, the IAF conducts the maritime strike mission mainly through its Jaguar and Su-30MKI platforms, but all the MMRCA candidates currently under review could easily undertake these operations so long as the relevant weapons were procured.


Even as the IAF pays great attention to how the winning MMRCA’s weapons would sustain its aerial superiority over the next few decades, it has not lost sight of the need for advanced air-to-ground weapons. For reasons of cost and utility, as well as doctrinal proclivities, the IAF has not focused on close air support weapons but rather on those most effective for battlefield air interdiction operations and deep penetration and strike missions at theater distances...
...In this connection, the service has sought both direct attack as well as standoff weaponry. The former include both laserguided bombs and coordinate-seeking weaponry, such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), which employs global positioning system signals to reach its targets. The latter includes various long-range systems, such as the Standoff Land Attack Missile and the Storm Shadow, which are employed for highly accurate attacks on deep land targets, as well as shorter-ranged air-to-ground missiles, such as the Maverick and the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), which are designed to engage various tactical targets found during battlefield air interdiction missions, such as armor, vehicles, command posts, and fuel transport systems. Interestingly, the IAF has not solicited any weapons designed specifically for the SEAD mission, which suggests that it intends to use either its strike unmanned aerial vehicles or the AS-17 missile, associated with the SU-30MKI, for this purpose.


The operational context in Southern Asia elaborated above suggests that the MMRCA candidate selected by the IAF will have to be an utterly versatile platform that earns the title of “multi-role” precisely because that attribute will be at a premium in future subcontinental conflicts. It must be able to flexibly shift from air combat to ground attack operations during the day, night, or adverse weather because such dexterity will be essential for success in the counterair mission alone. In this context, the ideal aircraft would be one that possesses a low radar cross-section, deploys advanced sensors and self-protection suites, carries a heavy weapons load consisting of both long-range AAMs and diverse precision anti-surface weaponry, and possesses superior agility, endurance, and combat effectiveness. Since the air-to-ground role thus becomes virtually conjoint with the air-to-air requirement where the MMRCA is concerned, the six contenders should be evaluated according to their effectiveness in both missions

So according to the analysis of IAF operational requirements, the wining MMRCA has to be a multi role aircraft,...

- that is equally good in A2A and A2G roles
- that is highly versatile to fulfill a wide range of missions
- that has a low RCS, high maximum speed, long range sensor and weapons, as well as a sophisticated EWS for C-AISR missions
- that will takeover the main strike role in IAF from older ground attack fighters
- that offers advanced radars with A2G modes, LDPs, superior EWS that enable the fighter to enter the an airspace with a dense SAM threat and is able to fulfill the strike attack in the first pass over
- that offers highly capable direct attack and standoff weapons, for deep penetration strike missions, but not neccesarily dedicated SEAD weapons
- that still offers the high maneuverability that IAF requires from their fighters in the A2A role
- that can offer a maritime attack capability for the future (this is also important in regard to the IN MMRCA competition)


So the question must be, which fighter suits Indian forces at best, under these requirements?

 

[Archie]

For those who didn't read the full carnegie report (http://carnegieendowment.org/files/dogfight.pdf), here are some excerpts of the most interesting part of the analysis, about the operational requirements of IAF and what MMRCA should be able to do, or should offer to fit in these roles:




So according to the analysis of IAF operational requirements, the wining MMRCA has to be a multi role aircraft,...

- that is equally good in A2A and A2G roles
- that is highly versatile to fulfill a wide range of missions
- that has a low RCS, high maximum speed, long range sensor and weapons, as well as a sophisticated EWS for C-AISR missions
- that will takeover the main strike role in IAF from older ground attack fighters
- that offers advanced radars with A2G modes, LDPs, superior EWS that enable the fighter to enter the an airspace with a dense SAM threat and is able to fulfill the strike attack in the first pass over
- that offers highly capable direct attack and standoff weapons, for deep penetration strike missions, but not neccesarily dedicated SEAD weapons
- that still offers the high maneuverability that IAF requires from their fighters in the A2A role
- that can offer a maritime attack capability for the future (this is also important in regard to the IN MMRCA competition)


So the question must be, which fighter suits Indian forces at best, under these requirements?

Only one Aircraft satisfies all the above requirement and that is Rafale
Let me explain how,

01.It has RCS OF 2sqm , which is second lowest among mmrca fighters after Typhoon which has RCS less than 1 , Gripen too has RCS of 1 Sqm but it is 50% smaller than Rafale and carries far less Payload and Fuel

02.Payload of 9000 Kg and 14 Hardpoints which is Highest among mmrca competition

03.Range of 4000 Km which also highest among mmrca fighters

04.Best Electronic Warfare suite ie SPECTRA on offer , which is better than anything which the competitor can throw

05.Only non american aircraft to field AESA radar in 2011

06.Not as Manuverable as Typhoon and Mig35 but still pretty good

07.French are offering all the weapons at there disposal , They are also willing to offer 120 Scalp / Storm Shadow Cruise Missiles as part of Weapons Package , which the Typhoon is also Doing

08.Overall Second best A2G fighter in the competition to F/A18 , but it comes with higher TOT , no strings attached also it is better than F/A18 in A2A role

09. Topspeed is only 1.8 Mach which is slow compared to Mig35 which offers 2.35 Mach , however it has a cruise speed of 0.92 Mach which is quite good

10. French are the only ones who have formally confirmed there aircraft to be ready for Nuke delivery , others except Russia will oppose using there fighter for delivering Strategic weapons

11. While suppression of enemy air defence will mainly be carried out by Su30MKI , but Rafale can be used to put enemy airfields out of commission through Scalp cruise missiles

 

[kingdurgaking]

Only one Aircraft satisfies all the above requirement and that is Rafale
Let me explain how,

01.It has RCS OF 2sqm , which is second lowest among mmrca fighters after Typhoon which has RCS less than 1 , Gripen too has RCS of 1 Sqm but it is 50% smaller than Rafale and carries far less Payload and Fuel

02.Payload of 9000 Kg and 14 Hardpoints which is Highest among mmrca competition

03.Range of 4000 Km which also highest among mmrca fighters

04.Best Electronic Warfare suite ie SPECTRA on offer , which is better than anything which the competitor can throw

05.Only non american aircraft to field AESA radar in 2011

06.Not as Manuverable as Typhoon and Mig35 but still pretty good

07.French are offering all the weapons at there disposal , They are also willing to offer 120 Scalp / Storm Shadow Cruise Missiles as part of Weapons Package , which the Typhoon is also Doing

08.Overall Second best A2G fighter in the competition to F/A18 , but it comes with higher TOT , no strings attached also it is better than F/A18 in A2A role

09. Topspeed is only 1.8 Mach which is slow compared to Mig35 which offers 2.35 Mach , however it has a cruise speed of 0.92 Mach which is quite good

10. French are the only ones who have formally confirmed there aircraft to be ready for Nuke delivery , others except Russia will oppose using there fighter for delivering Strategic weapons

11. While suppression of enemy air defence will mainly be carried out by Su30MKI , but Rafale can be used to put enemy airfields out of commission through Scalp cruise missiles

Everything is good.. but Rafale has a serious draw back in WVR... how good is it compared to Griphen or EFT?... If Griphen brings out a good range with some kind of CFT along with good weapons store.. then it is one of the best option... considering the cost...

 

[the rafter]

Battle royale for India's MMRCA crown
By Greg Waldron

An air show on the scale of next week's Aero India is bound to throw up surprises, but one certainty is a massive push by the six contenders in India's pivotal medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) competition.
Delegations from Boeing, Dassault, Eurofighter, Lockheed Martin, RSK MiG and Saab will number in the dozens, if not hundreds, and no expense will be spared on chalets, booths, flight simulators and pricey flight demonstrations.
It is hard to overstate the importance of the $10 billion MMRCA competition. With an order of 126 fighters on the cards, and likely follow-on orders, the winning programme could see its life extended well into the next decade. As for the losers, most will end their production runs in the middle of the decade as the world's major air forces enter the era of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.

Lockheed Martin's F-16IN Super Viper has set its sights on India's MMRCA contest
The contenders are diverse. US airframer Boeing is offering its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and arch-rival Lockheed Martin the F-16IN Super Viper - essentially an F-16 Block 60. Sweden's Saab has the Gripen IN, Dassault is seeking its first foreign order for the Rafale, Eurofighter is pitching the Typhoon, and Russia is offering the RSK MiG-35.
Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh's recent appointment diary underlines the stakes. Foreign leaders including UK prime minister David Cameron, French president Nicholas Sarkozy, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and US president Barack Obama have all trooped to New Delhi recently, intent on building business and defence ties with the subcontinental superpower.
No winner will be announced at the show, however - a shortlist is due to be drawn up in April or May, although some reports suggest this could be delayed until later in the year.
"All the technical evaluations are done," says an industry source. "The next stage will be a downselect some time after the Aero India show. This will determine which aircraft go into contract negotiations."
An already tight and fiercely fought competition could get even messier, however. Another source says there is no fixed number of aircraft for the downselect, and that all six aircraft types could, in theory, advance to the contract negotiation stage. "After Aero India, they will open the commercial envelopes and see who is cheapest," says one executive involved in the competition.
TESTING DEMANDS
The evaluation process has been long and arduous. An initial tender stipulated 660 requirements, and the first proposals issued by the airframers ran to 5,000-6,000 pages each. Comprehensive field tests of each aircraft were then undertaken, including flying the aircraft - borrowed from various air forces - to India at the manufacturers' expense.
There they were subjected to batteries of tests reflecting India's varied geography of tropical, desert and mountainous regions. Tests took place at Bangalore (a tropical region), Jaisalmer (desert) and the Himalayan air base of Leh, said to be the highest operational air base in the world.
"We spent quite a lot on the tests with no guarantee of a sale," says another executive involved in the race. "That said, the air force got a very good impression of all the aircraft."

As with any competition on such a scale, the merits of aircraft alone will not determine the winner. Politics will play a part, and that could hurt Boeing and Lockheed.
India's defence ties with the USA are improving rapidly. Long gone are the Cold War days of frosty relations between the two nations, or the chilly ties after India's nuclear tests in 1998. In response to India's help in the war on terror, the then-US president George Bush lifted sanctions in the mid-2000s. In 2008, India purchased six C-130J Hercules aircraft from Lockheed and is considering six more. It has also signed up for eight Boeing P-8I Poseidons and has committed to ordering 10 C-17 strategic transports.
But although impressive in themselves, these orders are small compared with the MMRCA contract. In addition, India's military has not forgotten the sanctions Washington imposed after the 1998 nuclear tests.
One former member of the Indian navy was a junior officer and helicopter pilot at the time of the sanctions. "The US sanctions made a strong impression on us," he says. "They penetrated very deeply. At that time, we had sent some helicopter gearboxes to the UK for repair, but these repairs ceased with the sanctions, and it hurt our operational readiness."
"Operational sovereignty" is a phrase often heard among Indian defence pundits. Although the USA and India have reportedly agreed on the language of an end-use agreement, India has yet to sign the Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA). In theory, this could see key technologies excluded from any F-16 or F/A-18 purchase.
RELATIONSHIP DYNAMICS
Teal Group analyst Joel Johnson says: "If the Indians want access to top-level US weapons systems, and given that the USA wants to deepen its defence relationship with India, then an agreement will be reached that satisfies US security concerns and lets India save face. The CISMOA could well get another name, but it will in fact be a CISMOA."
Also, many commentators say that although the US vendors make much of interoperability, some Indians see it as an impingement on sovereignty.
"India has its own systems and is proud of them," says one industry source close to the race. "The country is unique, and templates that apply elsewhere simply don't apply there." The source points out that India initiated the Non-Aligned Movement of nations in 1954. "India prides its sovereignty," he adds.
Indeed, Eurofighter and Saab executives stress the operational independence they feel their respective products offer.
On the other hand, both US aircraft have performed well in combat. In terms of joint exercises and training, Indian air force pilots will have the most opportunity to train with pilots from the US Navy, which operates F/A-18s from aircraft carriers that are often on station in the Arabian Sea.
As Teal Group analyst Richard Aboulafia points out, the Super Hornet comes with the Raytheon APG-79 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. Although other aircraft being pitched have AESA radars, the APG-79 is used by the US Navy, providing an excellent long-term upgrade programme.
Of all the contenders, the MiG-35, essentially an updated MiG-29, is seen as the outsider. Although India has been a long-time buyer of Russian arms, it is now inducting a large fleet of Sukhoi Su-30MKIs in the heavy fighter category. State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics has built about 100 of a total order of 180 Su-30s, and expects a deal for 42 more.
India also bought 40 Su-30s from Russia as flyaways in 2010. Over-reliance on Russian aircraft hurt the Indian air force's operational readiness in the early 1990s when the Soviet Union collapsed, choking vital spares for India's vast fleet of MiGs.
Apart from aircraft performance capabilities, another crucial element in the MMRCA competition is the offset package. Typically, India seeks offsets of 30% for defence programmes, but for high-value programmes such as this, the figure is 50% as India targets job creation and technology transfer. Only 18 aircraft will come as flyaways, with the remaining 108 produced by HAL.
HAL chairman Ashok Nayak says development of the production capacity required to produce the eventual MMRCA winner is already under way.
"We will have to set up new infrastructure for this," he says. "It will not happen in one of our existing factories, but hopefully will still be in Bangalore." He estimates Hindustan Aeronautics alone will employ 3,500 workers to produce the MMRCA, and it will take about three years to set up the facility.
Hinting at frustration, several MMRCA contenders say the rules governing offsets in India are something of a moving target. Offset rules continue to evolve, mainly because of changing and evolving technologies. Technology transfer is, of course, a critical aspect of the MMRCA competition. One peculiarity, say some race contenders, is that the offsets apply only to the defence sector, rather than the broader aerospace industry.
NEW TO OFFSETS
"They are very new to offsets," says one industry source, who tells the story of one Indian defence specialist relishing the idea of $30 billion in MMRCA offsets. "I reminded him that there will be only $5 billion in offsets, as there can be only one winner. Some of them see the offsets as free money."
Naturally enough, the various suppliers are reluctant to discuss intricate details of their bids, although all insist they comply with India's offset requirements. India's defence ministry is also tight-lipped on how the different aircraft and their offset packages are faring at the evaluation stage. Whatever India's final decision is, the aviation world is unlikely to see a repeat of the two-decade procurement saga of India's BAE Systems Hawk.
Vivek Lall, Boeing's country head for defence, space and security, says the P-8I deal took just two and a half years from India's request for proposals to a decision to purchase the aircraft. "There is a paradigm shift here in terms of embracing technology, and what the world has to offer," says Lall.
Conversations at Aero India 2011 will, inevitably, turn to the MMRCA battle, the biggest jet fighter export deal in history. A heady mix of fighter performance, weapons, technology, offsets, politics and luck will decide which aircraft move on to the next round. All this in a fervid Indian media environment, with reporters desperate to generate "scoops" about the competition.

THE CONTENDERS:
Lockheed Martin F-16IN Super Viper
Essentially an F-16 Block 60, the F-16IN is one of two single-engined aircraft in the competition. Powered by the General Electric F110-132A, the F-16IN has a Northrop Grumman APG-80 AESA radar. Lockheed Martin makes much of its combat record: more than 100,000 missions flown, and a 72-0 record in air-to-air victories.
Given that more than 4,000 units have been built, ramping up production would not be a problem - 928 F-16s have been produced by licence partners. F-16 variants are also flown by India's arch rival, Pakistan.

Dassault Rafale
The Rafale has yet to win orders outside France, but its single-engined predecessor, the Mirage 2000, reportedly performed well for India in the high-altitude Kargil conflict with Pakistan in 1999. In French service the Rafale has been successful in Afghanistan.

Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
In late October, Boeing said it was optimistic of making the MMRCA shortlist. One possible point in the Super Hornet's favour is its General Electric F414 engine, which will also power the indigenously developed Mk II version of India's Tejas light combat aircraft.
Boeing has offered India its Super Hornet International Road Map, which includes conformal fuel tanks, an enclosed weapons pod and other systems.

Saab Gripen IN
The Gripen IN is essentially the Gripen NG, a successor to the Gripen C/D used by the air forces of Sweden, the Czech Republic, Hungary and South Africa.
As with the Super Hornet, the Gripen IN will use a GE F414, potentially creating synergies with the Tejas Mk II. Interestingly, the original Gripen was designed to operate from roads with basic logistics support, under the assumption that in an invasion by a "larger neighbour", the Swedish air force would not have access to airfields.
Saab plays up the affordability of single-engined fighters, its complete openness to technology transfer, and Sweden's practical, common-sense design traditions.

Eurofighter Typhoon
"Enthusiastic support" for the Indian government's 50% offset target and technology transfer ambitions are a cornerstone of the Eurofighter bid, says consortium member BAE Systems.
Eurofighter touts the Typhoon's "swing-role" capabilities, which enable the aircraft to perform simultaneous air-to-air and air-to-surface missions. It is also actively wooing India as a full partner in the programme. With that status, India would take a share of future Typhoon sales.

RSK MiG-35
Formerly known as the MiG-29OVT, the MiG-35 is touted as a generation 4++ multirole fighter. It can carry a weapons load on nine external stations and is also configurable for use as a tanker.
"Upon customer request, the fighters can be equipped with all-aspect thrust-vectored RD-33MK engines, ensuring superiority in a manoeuvring dogfight," says RSK.
India has been a long-time buyer of Russian aircraft. Many observers see the MiG-35 as an outsider because the Indian air force already operates a number of Russian types, including the Sukhoi Su-30MKI at the heavy end of the fighter spectrum.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/01/31/352411/battle-royale-for-indias-mmrca-crown.html

 

[sudhir007]

The Times of India on Mobile

Defence minister A K Antony on Monday said "nothing sensitive was compromised'' by the mishandling of a "secret'' file connected to the $10.4 billion project to acquire 126 new fighters. Consequently, the procurement process for the 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) will now go ahead with full steam.

"We have received the MoD report. All the agencies, including IAF, have reported nothing was compromised. So, hereafter the MMRCA acquisition process will again start,'' said Antony.

The long-drawn acquisition process, which has already seen extensive negotiations and IAF submitting its technical evaluation report after conducting gruelling field trials of the six foreign fighters in contention over the last two years, had come under a cloud after the secret file went missing and was then found by a roadside last month.

The file, mishandled by two IAS officers of MoD, dealt with offsets proposals submitted by the six global aviation majors. The MMRCA contract specifies an obligation of 50% offsets, under which the foreign aviation major who is finally selected will be required to plough half of the contract forex value back into India.

Antony, on his part, had asked IAF, directorate general (acquisitions) and the department of defence production to find out if the missing file episode had in any way "vitiated'' the procurement process.

Asked about the project's current status, Antony said, "It will take some time. Who will get the deal, I can't say now. The process has started again after the inquiry report was submitted and it will take a few more months.''

The fighters in contention are the American F/A-18 `Super Hornet' (Boeing) and F-16 `Falcon' (Lockheed Martin), Russian MiG-35 (RAC MiG), Swedish Gripen (Saab), French Rafale (Dassault) and Eurofighter Typhoon (consortium of British, German, Spanish and Italian companies).

 

[Mani2020]

The Times of India on Mobile

Defence minister A K Antony on Monday said "nothing sensitive was compromised'' by the mishandling of a "secret'' file connected to the $10.4 billion project to acquire 126 new fighters. Consequently, the procurement process for the 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) will now go ahead with full steam.

"We have received the MoD report. All the agencies, including IAF, have reported nothing was compromised. So, hereafter the MMRCA acquisition process will again start,'' said Antony.

The long-drawn acquisition process, which has already seen extensive negotiations and IAF submitting its technical evaluation report after conducting gruelling field trials of the six foreign fighters in contention over the last two years, had come under a cloud after the secret file went missing and was then found by a roadside last month.

The file, mishandled by two IAS officers of MoD, dealt with offsets proposals submitted by the six global aviation majors. The MMRCA contract specifies an obligation of 50% offsets, under which the foreign aviation major who is finally selected will be required to plough half of the contract forex value back into India.

Antony, on his part, had asked IAF, directorate general (acquisitions) and the department of defence production to find out if the missing file episode had in any way "vitiated'' the procurement process.

Asked about the project's current status, Antony said, "It will take some time. Who will get the deal, I can't say now. The process has started again after the inquiry report was submitted and it will take a few more months.''

The fighters in contention are the American F/A-18 `Super Hornet' (Boeing) and F-16 `Falcon' (Lockheed Martin), Russian MiG-35 (RAC MiG), Swedish Gripen (Saab), French Rafale (Dassault) and Eurofighter Typhoon (consortium of British, German, Spanish and Italian companies).

For how long we are hearing these reports ,aren't we? mean everyday a new report comes out and then the deal again goes under shadows.

Its a waiting game being played with you guys lol

 

[rockstarIN]

For how long we are hearing these reports ,aren't we? mean everyday a new report comes out and then the deal again goes under shadows.

Its a waiting game being played with you guys lol

In fact, we are playing the game with them.. lol

 

[Mani2020]

In fact, we are playing the game with them.. lol

in more appropriate words IAF is playing long waiting game with you public as well as competitors of MRCA

 

[anniyan]

Rafale will be the clear winner in MMRCA contest as it fits india's needs.....No strings attached....v gonna have a stealth air superiority FGFA + Upgraded SU 30 MKI for air defence...so v need an intermediate fighter aircraft.....

Simple buy rafale..customize it to Rafale MKI...sexy aircraft

 

[GORKHALI]

Rafale will be the clear winner in MMRCA contest as it fits india's needs.....No strings attached....v gonna have a stealth air superiority FGFA + Upgraded SU 30 MKI for air defence...so v need an intermediate fighter aircraft.....

Simple buy rafale..customize it to Rafale MKI...sexy aircraft

You Mean this ??

Or this ?

 

[sancho]

Only one Aircraft satisfies all the above requirement and that is Rafale

Exactly and that's getting even more obvious after reading that analysis!

Everything is good.. but Rafale has a serious draw back in WVR... how good is it compared to Griphen or EFT?...

The only problem of Rafale in WVR, is the lack of HMS so far, but when it comes to aerodynamic performance, it belongs to the best in the competition!

From the carnegie report:

The best aircraft for the air-to-air role (or at least for the energetic maneuvering required for close-in aerial combat) are
characterized by high thrust-to-weight performance and low wing loading (the ratio of gross weight-to-wing surface area).

TWR (AB thrust / empty weight + full internal fuel):

1. EF - 1.15
2. Rafale - 1.08
3. Gripen NG - 0.96
4. F18SH - 0.93


Wing loading:

1. Rafale - 299 Kg/m2
2. EF - 317 Kg/m2
3. Gripen NG - 341 Kg/m2
4. F18SH - 451Kg/m2


Also check these older charts about turn rates and acceleration from the Eurofighter website, that shows that the Rafale is very close in these fields as well:

Eurofighter: Acceleration


Not to mention all the US pilots that did dogfights against the Rafale and was very impressed of it:

F22 pilot

Lt Col Lansing Pilch, commander of the 27th, and of the F-22 deployment to Al Dhafra, was categoric in stating his view of the Raptor’s performance during the exercise. He confirmed that the six Raptors flew undefeated, against all opponents. Pilch said: “In every test we did, the Raptors just blew the competition out of the water.” He did praise the Rafale, however. “It is a good aircraft, combining avionics with manoeuvrability. I was impressed - it’s on a par with the USAF’s F-15s and F-16s, at least.”

F18SH pilot

A USN pilot's (Lt Mike Tremel, pilot of VFA-31 "Tomcatters") comments for Rafale M:

"A highly maneuverable fighter with an incredible capacity to point its nose in every direction in the sky."

F16 B42 pilot

Rafale is a much more aggressive aircraft than the F16 and that it has some unique capabilities.

Chilean General who engaged Rafale during Cruzex V in one of their F16 B50s

General MacNamara, chief of the Chilean detachment. "We have been beaten during a simulated air combat, while this is the strongpoint of our aircraft. It was impressive.

EF was designed to be an air superiority fighter and it is known to be excellent in this field, but people often mistake the better multi role capabilities of Rafale, with beeing inferior in A2A, which is not the case like exercises against the EF showed as well.
Rafale offers exactly what we need, a versatile multi role fighter with a balanced A2A and A2G performance between MKI and LCA.

 

[luckyyy]

Exactly and that's getting even more obvious after reading that analysis!

The only problem of Rafale in WVR, is the lack of HMS so far, but when it comes to aerodynamic performance, it belongs to the best in the competition!
.

put it infront of MIG-35...

also the carnegie report didn't consider mig-35, was that delibrate ...

 

[GareebNawaz]

Can anyone thouroghly exlpain to me why IAF is preferring EF rather than SH?

 

[satishkumarcsc]

Can anyone thouroghly exlpain to me why IAF is preferring EF rather than SH?

Nah!...its just the media..the IAF just wants to select something and get over with it.