
operaaperta wrote:herciv wrote:http://rafalefan.e-monsite.com/medias/files/fiche-rafale-le-bourget-2011.jpg
This document is made by Dassault to be used by the official airshow speaker at le bourget. It is written :
"The snecma m-88 engine in the rafale develops 11 250 lb of dry thurst and 16 900 with afterburner.
They allow it to supercruise at mach 1.4 with four missiles and a 1 250 litters belly drop tank.
The naval version can supercruise up to mach 1.4 while carrying six air-to-air missiles (MBDA MICA).
"
The actual document doesn’t mention Mach 1.4 in the first statement, only supercruise with AAMs and centreline tank. Mach 1.4 is only mentioned in second statement, but here droptank reference is removed.
My interpretation is that it can supercruise (C model, no mention of Mach number) with AAMs and drop tank, and supercruise at Mach 1.4 with AAMs but no droptank (Naval version)
Some aircraft can do M1 in dry, an EU definition of supercruise. All would be in a clean configuration, I would think and haven't seen otherwise. There was a lot of talk/threads at the time, when the f-22 was given the supercruise spec.
M1.4 is something else and is getting close to the US definition of 1.5. I think there would be a lot more official statements if it really was 1.4. There are enough users, competitions and evaluations. There seems to be only crickets chirping there. It really does sound like active cancellation myth and we know the eruption at the time. It is putting this 1.4 a long way behind.