Cookie Monster
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I'm not sure if France has the kind of power over Qatar to dictate how Qatar can or cannot use its Rafale. Additionally Qatar's original Rafale deal with France was finalized sometime in 2015 I think...this is 2 years before India signed a deal for Rafale. So I doubt France could make changes to a deal signed in the past to make a future customer happy. It also seems a bit much to forbid a country from using its purchased fighter jets in DACT training exercises with other countries...any country paying billions for fighter jets would walk away than be beholden to such excessive control. Usually DACT training is essential to figure out weaknesses and strengths of an aircraft, to develop tactics, and to hone their pilots' skills by pitting them against a challenging "foe".We should also bring an Erieye as well as SAM battery simulators to generate the full scope of threats either nation can face. I suspect the reason we see the Mirage 2000 on the badge and not the Rafale, is France probably had a talk with the Qataris after some Indian whining, and so as not to undermine their sales of the Rafale to India, France probably put it into their end user agreement for continuation of spares. Although the Qataris could have anticipated this and made sure their wasn't any such limitation in the end user agreement. Only time will tell, and only when we see the JF-17 flying with Qatari Rafales, we will know for sure.
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