Forum: F-35 Lightning II

and i have an article about tiger meet; The first rafale F2 deploymernt.

The NATO Tiger Meet is a NATO exercise that every year brings together squadrons that all have a tiger as an emblem. The 2006 event, which ran from September 25 - 30 on the Spanish base of Albacete, showcased some fifty combat aircraft from eleven nations. Among these were a dozen or so French combat aircraft, including two F2-standard Rafale two-seaters from the 05/330 "Côte d'argent" squadron.

"Our presence satisfied a twin objective," explains lieutenant-colonel Norbert Pages, commander of the 05/330. "This involved checking the operational added-value offered by the aircraft in an inter-ally context while validating the transfer of the maintenance files via a Syracuse satellite link."

This second part of the mission was a perfect success, with the results obtained by the self-testing of the aircraft being sent every day to the Rafale maintenance IT server in Saint Dizier (the Amasis IT system). The aircraft were 100% available throughout the week of exercises, and the M88-2 engines from Snecma (Safran Group) came through with flying colors across a wide range of missions: from supersonic interception at high altitude to low-altitude raids. The Rafales were engaged daily in two missions: aerial defense in the morning and offensive raids in the afternoon. An indisputable sign of their versatility was the fact that the two aircraft and their crews were able to switch seamlessly from one mission to the next.

Total consistency

"The first lesson to be learnt from these flights comes from the remarkable quality of the weapons system," underlines lieutenant-colonel Pages. "We were able to verify that the sophisticated sensor fusion and the use of the L16 data link enabling the exchange of digital data without the use of the radio offered us significant superiority for understanding tactical situations." The Frontal Sector Optronics (FSO), for which the infrared channel is supplied by Sagem Défense Sécurité (a branch of the Safran Group), is particularly appreciated by the crews, since it allows them to obtain positive identification of their targets from a far greater distance than with other aircraft and, in this business, distance is synonymous with safety.

"The NATO Tiger Meet provided confirmation that the scope of the Rafale's means of identification is totally consistent with the scope of its weaponry, particularly as far as the AASM guided missile on air-to-ground missions is concerned." explain the pilots.

The AASM Modular Air-Ground Missile, fitted with a hybrid GPS/inertia guidance kit from Sagem Défense Sécurité and a solid-propellant range enhancement kit, will enter into service with the French Air Force at the start of next year. However, the Rafale F2 fire controls already make it possible to simulate their use in complex air-to-ground scenarios. The operational flexibility and far superior range of the AASM compared to the JDAM (a GPS-guided bomb) and to laser-guided weapons surprised, if not to say disconcerted, more than one observer at Albacete. "With its modular weaponry, along with the possibilities offered by the sensor fusion and the data link, there is not much that we cannot do with this aircraft," is the conclusion of the French crews.

6. Many Frenchmen earn their livings in French defense industry, and France-made weapons have earned a lot of money in exporting market for its country. In 2005, France was the 2nd biggest country for weaponary exportation, which had earned even more money of weaponary sale than USA at that year....................If France chooses JSF and its weapons instead of buying more Rafale and its domestic weapons, then these independent defense achievements will be threatened, and many Frenchmens' job would be endangered.

TOAN,

Sorry can't agree with this statement .France has lost its position as the second or even third largest exporter of defence products long time ago. Nowadays even the UK employs more people in defence and aerospace industries than France .This was actually the reason for Chirac's recent decision to set up a special commission to investigate and ascertain the problem and devise a solution which would put France back into her previous strong position in world defence markets.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/cgi-bi ... ele=jdc_34

As far as the big ticket items are concerned,France can only rely on few submarines and frigates which are being manufactured under licence by customers in their own shipyards..(Pakistan and India).Rafale doesn't sell and Mirage 2000 production line shut down leaving only the Eurocopter as a major player and France owns only the half of the company.

"In 2005, Russia ranked first in arms transfer agreements with developing
nations with $7 billion or 23.2% of these agreements. France was second with $6.3
billion or 20.9% of such agreements. The United States was third with $6.2 billion
or 20.5%."

source

The operative word here is "developing." If you include arm sales to developed naions, the U.S. is far, far ahead of France and Russia. Remember, too, that France sells arms to nations the U.S. would never sell weapons to, and the same is true of the Russians (need I mention Iran?). Sorry to say, but France is a bit whorish when it comes to what country it will sell arms to. If offered enough money, France would sell its own mother.

The operative word here is "developing." If you include arm sales to developed naions, the U.S. is far, far ahead of France and Russia. Remember, too, that France sells arms to nations the U.S. would never sell weapons to, and the same is true of the Russians (need I mention Iran?). Sorry to say, but France is a bit whorish when it comes to what country it will sell arms to. If offered enough money, France would sell its own mother.

Remember, too, that France sells arms to nations the U.S. would never sell weapons to, and the same is true of the Russians (need I mention Iran?). Sorry to say, but France is a bit whorish when it comes to what country it will sell arms to. If offered enough money, France would sell its own mother.