sancho
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Tell me, what is so Special about Rafale?
Please tell. And by tell me, not the paper specs but real scenarios....combat roles???
There is a lot of things that makes it special, but to make it clearer, a single Rafale can enter enemy airspace, low with it's terrain avoiding capabilities and in passive mode, which makes it very hard to detect for any enemy fighters. It can detect the JF 17 B1 or F16B52 radars or their EM signatures at long range thanks to SPECTRA and puts itself in a position to not be detected itself and close in. In a range between 60 an 80Km it can launch up to 4 x MICA missiles (preferable the IR which are passive and will be hard to detect) to air targets and 6 x AASM to 6 x different ground targets (with a precision of 1m), turns around and gets back with supercruise speed. All this simultaneously within seconds an without using the radar! ! !
To do the a similar scenario with J10, AAMs and LS-6 for example, PAF would need:
- 2 x J10s with 2 x fuel tanks, 2 x WVR and 2 x BVR missiles (to take on 4 x air targets)
- 2 x J10s with 2 x fuel tanks, 2 x WVR and 3 x LS 6 PGMs (to take on 6 x ground targets, with dedicated attack runs)
More fighters = increased radar detectability
Active missile cueing = increased ESM detectability
Big engine and no SC = increased IR detectability
No propulsion for LS 6 = dedicated attack runs to strike targets = longer time in enemy airspace = increased vulnerability
Limited self defence capability for strike fighters (WVR missiles only) = escorts needed
That alone should make clear that there is a performance difference between Rafale and a J10, simply by design, avionics or weapon capabilities and before you ask, yes most of these capabilities were even proven with the current versions of Rafale during Afghanistan, Libya wars or exercises like Redflag or ATLC in the UAE.
So Rafale indeed is a very good and especially very balanced fighter, but I don't agree with Abingdonboy general statement that the Eurocanards are not comparable and simply superior. The EF for example has very limited A2G capabilities so far, which makes it inferior to J10 in this field. You simply can't generalise it and has to compare the different fighters and their individual capabilities and roles with eachother, but since neither J10B, nor EF T3B are developed yet, it's mainly speculation anyway.
Look at its this way..
Can the J-10B's under-testing radar match the range of the rafale's RBE-2 radar ..yes
Any source for this? Afaik there are still rumors about a PESA radar and not an AESA, so where did you get ranges from?