DrSomnath999

https://www.theweek.in/columns/prasannan/2020/08/06/licence-to-make-licence-to-kill.html

it is not my fault if you cant properly comprehend and understand someone's view or post in logical and rational way and what context specifically someone is posting his views, but no rather posting unneccesarry accusations has become habits of some without proper understanding or reasoning himself of that issue 1st. so if someone post such a thing and you expect just updating your existing system would have solve this issue then no country will invest in future new gen warplanes . then mirage 2000 upgradation would have solve the issue why the french made rafale then . plus you yourself need to test those upgradations it works in reality or not in actual combat or field trials the french have done R/D for rafale in many techs department ,but have they introduced every studies and research in rafale.Some work and some dont so they dont introduced it on rafale . CHEERS

it has limits upgrade has to be evaluated also in real time ,only claiming such things is not enough CHEERS

What did he post read that carefully then post such accusations like that does qatar and india have undergone any upgradation yet . i never said they didnt .Upgradation will never fulffill every requiremnet to cope up with future threats . It is just to keep up with new threats CHEERS

I presume or hope , that No one is forcing you ,atleast not me to beleive it is true . i hope this website is a forum not personal blogspot where someone cant post anything which doesnt suits some member's mentality or belief.a reputed defence website if post such things then it is their fault or problem . CHEERS

wrong rafale sold to other countries are usually of F3R standards or eg specially india's own customization standard .so no question of upgradation arises till now only the rafales in french airforces have been upgraded becoz it is very easy to upgrade and they have it from beginning from t1 ,t2 standards. upgradation has some limits to fullfil one's requirements if upgradtion can achieve all objectives then france wouldnt have invested in next gen planes . CHEERS what i believe is french is using this ploy to avoid direct confrontation with turkey.They are using this ploy to immediately deploy rafale and use it against turkey if situations demand.No country gifts theirfrontline planes just like that . other countries would also demand like that .If that case then india should be the 1st priority than greece.India has more economic future than greece CHEERS

the point of what tranche of rafale france have doesnt matter ,what matters is what will be the gifted rafales be to greece if true .? if f3R is given then it must be very costly thing to donate .if downgraded then a claim by you shall be taken with a pinch of salt .as enemy have upgraded their airdefences and interceptor jets wthin this 10 year time . and also price of upgradtion for a country like greece whose econoimic condition is not so good shall also be taken into consideration.Simple aesa upgradtion is not so cheap even if it plug and play type . CHEERS

well if you trust this source or not , i will let you decide this time https://www.defenseworld.net/news/27763/Greece_to_Buy_10_Rafale_Jets__Receive_8_More_as____Donation____from_France#.X058blUzbIU Btw i am too lazy to find out which tranche of rafale planes bombed alwatiya airbase recently.I hope it might be f3 standard i wish france does the same to us looking at current scenario with the chinese. CHEERS [ merci please keep those sort of articles coming from yourside in future also. CHEERS

You quoted and replied to an insufficient part of my post .rather you should have quoted and replied the complete sentence of my post.which is if they gift old Rafales not new ones like f2 standard planes.i don't think France would be so generous to gift new ones for free. CHEERS

https://www.ouest-france.fr/economie/entreprises/dassault/dassault-le-gouvernement-pourrait-revoir-le-calendrier-de-commandes-de-30-rafale-6953008 https://www.challenges.fr/entreprise/defense/paris-discute-avec-dassault-du-calendrier-des-commandes-de-rafale_724991

https://www.itamilradar.com/2020/08/29/greece-to-buy-rafale/ https://www.meta-defense.fr/en/2020/08/25/Greece-would-like-to-acquire-12-Rafale-planes/ http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/91781/france-steps-up-rafale-marketing-in-greece.html hee hee rafale vs S400 scenario twice one in india vs china and now greece vs turkey even if france might use himself if not greece if this news of gifting rafale is not true btw rafale old version if they give to greece i am skeptical how would it perform against S400 lets see how rafale performs CHEERS

https://theprint.in/defence/second-batch-of-rafale-fighter-jets-from-france-to-arrive-in-india-in-october/490764/

Only 364 Kms From Lhasa, 2nd Batch Of Rafale Jets At Hasimara Minutes Away From Critical Chinese Posts Hasimara Air Force Station in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district is expected to house the second squadron of the Rafale jets to be received by end of mid-2021. The Hasimara airbase holds strategic importance as it lies only 364km away from Lhasa airport in Tibet’s capital. Hasimara is under the operational command of the Shillong-based Eastern Air Command, which shares the security concerns of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) along with the Western Air Command and Prayagraj-based Central Air Command. “The second base for Rafale is planned at Hashimara (West Bengal). Pakistan is not the real enemy as far airpower is concerned, but our eastern neighbor China is. When we didn’t have Rafale, we had moved three squadrons of Sukhoi in the east. With Rafale, we will have an adequate number of airborne fighters and fighter bombers to look after the China threat,” former Vice-Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Barbora told The Tribune. The first squadron of the French origin jets was received at the Ambala Air Force Station in Punjab. New Delhi has allocated a budget of Rs 400 crores for these two Air Force Stations to build facilities, develop shelters, hangers, and maintenance facilities to house the Rafale jets. The Hasimara base was created after the 1962 Indo Sino war. It earlier had a MiG-27 squadron which is being now replaced by Rafales but it presently has no squadrons. Although, it has also housed several other fighter jets including Gnats, Ajeets, Hunters, MiG-21Bis, and the Mig-27 ML fighter jets. “Earlier, it was planned that one squadron of the Rafale would be based out of the Sarsawa Air Force Station in Uttar Pradesh. However, issues relating to land acquisition eventually led to the selection of the Ambala Air Force Station to prepare itself for a two-front war in the northern side from Pakistan and China,” said Grp Captain (retd) R K Das. “We have some porous border in the Eastern sector, so Hasimara Air Force base being fortified,” he added. After the recent clash at the LAC in Galwan valley, India has ramped up its military preparedness by making emergency procurement of munitions. Hasimara airbase is responsible for guarding the tiny Chicken’s Neck or the Siliguri Corridor in North Bengal, a narrow stretch of land about 22 kilometers wide that connects the country’s mainland with the northeastern states. Nepal on the north and Bangladesh on the south. Hasimara base is also responsible for guarding the Nathula pass in Sikkim from the Chinese. https://eurasiantimes.com/only-364-kms-from-lhasa-2nd-batch-of-rafale-jets-at-hasimara-minutes-away-from-critical-chinese-posts/

Rafale: the F4 standard is revealed June 2, 2020 In January 2019, when the first Rafale to the F3R standard arrived in the Air Force, the Minister of the Armed Forces took advantage of a visit to the Dassault Aviation plant in Mérignac to officially launch the development of a new standard. major, the F4. Enough to allow the aircraft to increase its operational performance, but also to remain competitive in the years to come, especially against the Lockheed Martin F ‑ 35. On the F3R standard, the latest to date for the Rafale, efforts have mainly focused on updating the software and improving the sensors and armaments: AESA antenna for the RBE2 radar; integration of the Meteor long-range air-to-air missile; new TALIOS laser designation pod (Targeting Long-range Identification Optronic System); integration of GBU ‑ 16 and AASM Bk.3 bombs. With the F4 standard, the idea this time is to focus on issues of connectivity and network combat, which implies profound changes in both software and hardware. And, for the first time, the perfect technical interoperability of the Rafale fleet could well be undermined with an F4.1 standard for the existing Rafale and an F4.2 for the 58 aircraft still to be delivered to France. While all the devices will receive software updates and will be able to integrate the various modernized modular elements, such as the AESA radar or a new OSF (Frontal Sector Optronics), only F4.2 devices will receive all the hardware modifications of the standard. F4, especially in electronic warfare. A priori, these aircraft should also have precautionary measures for deeper modernizations in the context of subsequent standards, or a possible mid-life renovation of the Rafale. Connectivity, engagement and availability The first risk-lifting studies on the Rafale F4 standard began in 2017, the scope of the standard being determined the following year for a development launch in January 2019. At present, if the ambitions of the DGA and the GIE Rafale International on this new standard are clearly defined, all the details of the configuration would not have been fixed. As always, compromises will have to be made between operational needs, respect for the budgetary envelope and industrial imperatives. The open architecture of the Rafale should allow an incremental implementation of the new standard, with certain functionalities available from 2022, the validation of the complete standard not taking place until 2024 for delivery to the forces in 2025. • interconnectivity; • device support and availability; • improvement of sensors; • modernization of armaments. In these different fields, many innovations have appeared in recent years. Thus, the computer components of modern weapon systems today increasingly rely on artificial intelligence for massive data processing, which has become essential for managing the complexity of the battlefield, but also for improving tools. predictive maintenance. Likewise, advances in applied chemistry have made it possible to improve missile propulsion, or to make the use of gallium nitride (GaN) affordable, which improves the performance of the AESA antennas of the Rafale's self-protection system. , the famous SPECTRA. Communication and connectivity If the Rafale were to have only one flaw, it would probably be its radio. Without being catastrophic, it seems quite far from current standards in terms of signal strength and clarity. With the F4 standard, the Rafale will finally be equipped with a brand new digital communication system which should improve pilots' situational awareness, including in electronically contested environments: • the devices will thus receive CONTACT software radio, the new standard of the French armies allowing the various actors present in the theater to share a common operational image; • a new intra-patrol tactical data link, discreet and directional, should also integrate the Rafale, alongside the current L-16. This link will be based on three-dimensional waveforms (FO3D) generated by digital synthesis; • the Rafales should be equipped, at the bottom of the drift, with a military-grade, encrypted, discreet and SYRACUSE IV compatible SATCOM, which could be derived from the SAKaR unveiled by Thales in November 2018; • the management of these communication sets, in addition to the existing data links, should be entrusted to a new generation of communication servers, possibly derived from Thales NEXENs, making it possible to simplify the task of the crew while ensuring encryption and cyber data protection. All of this equipment should make it possible to create real communication networks within a Rafale patrol, but also, via SATCOM and CONTACT, throughout an entire theater of operations. Each pilot will thus have access to an extended tactical situation allowing long-range network combat, even in complex environments. The Rafale can also serve as a radio relay between ground troops and metropolitan decision-making centers, or follow the evolution of a tactical situation live from the start of their transit phase. In many respects, this is the real raison d'être of the F4 standard, which allows the Rafale to catch up with its connectivity delay on the F-35, mentioned in 2017 by the chief of staff of the Air Force in front of the National Assembly. Sensors and interface In line with the F3R standard, the F4 should bring improvements in terms of detection. For the AESA RBE2 radar, the modifications will mainly be software with the addition of a GMTI (Ground Moving Target Indicator) mode for the detection and tracking of mobile land targets, as well as an ultra-HD mode for imaging. long range radar. Mode interleaving should be further improved, in part thanks to the continued increase in computing power offered by the Rafale's open architecture, which should be completely modernized and made more resistant to cyber attacks. If the GaN-based AESA technology today seems too expensive to be applied to the antenna of an RBE2, it should be applied to those of the SPECTRA system, responsible in particular for wiretapping and jamming. SPECTRA should thus gain in frequency agility, angular precision, detection speed and transmission power, while operating over a wider range of frequencies, against aerial or surface contact. In terms of sensors, the great "novelty" should relate to the return of an IR channel on board the OSF, a capability abandoned a few years ago, but which was requested in particular by the French army. Indian air. In terms of interface, the choice was made not to upset the existing ergonomics. In the cockpit, the side screens have been slightly enlarged and equipped with a new touch interface. The great ergonomic novelty should therefore be a helmet display, planned at the start of the program, but canceled twice in the past. Although the system is eagerly awaited by the pilots, all the obstacles have not yet been overcome. Indeed, the financial and operational logic pushes towards the choice of an Israeli solution already integrated on the Rafale export, while Thales logically militates for a national solution. Armaments After the integration of the Meteor into the F3R, the Rafale F4 armaments panel should expand further: • the SCALP EG missile should be reconditioned by MBDA in order to deal with obsolescence and cell aging. The first refurbished SCALPs will be delivered next year and will serve until the early 2030s; • AASM armament should evolve further, with the appearance of a simplified Bk.4, devoid of propulsion and optimized for close air support. A 1000 kg version of the AASM should also be integrated into the Rafale in the coming years, replacing the GBU ‑ 24; • but the great innovation in terms of armament will be the MICA ‑ NG which will complete the Meteor on the medium range. If it maintains the aerodynamics, mass and balance of the MICA, the MICA ‑ NG will be a highly efficient missile. The radar-guided version will have a more powerful AESA antenna, but also more resistant to jamming. The MICA ‑ IR infrared seeker will be entitled to a new matrix sensor that is more sensitive and capable of better discriminating against adverse decoys. Finally, the miniaturization of the electronic compartment allows the transport of more propellant for the engine, which has a double impulse capacity. Enough to increase the MICA's range by 30%, while allowing it to keep energy in reserve to maneuver during the interception phase. It should be noted that the integration of laser-guided rockets and the development of a new nuclear missile are the subject of separate programs and are therefore not taken into account in the context of the F4 standard. Support and availability As with every standard change, significant efforts have been made in terms of Maintenance in Operational Condition (MCO) and use costs, this time with a more extensive integration of the latest digital technologies. Today, the Harpagon technical restitution and logistics management system already makes it possible to do without a large part of periodic inspections on the Rafale, in particular by improving the remedial treatment of breakdowns and by making it possible to better anticipate preventive maintenance. The F3R standard already integrates diagnostic assistance functions using the data collected by the hundreds of sensors distributed throughout the cell of the device. However, improving algorithms and computing power will make it possible to multiply the collection and use of massive data after each Rafale flight. Enough to set up, in the years to come, a real forecast maintenance which will further reduce the cost of operational support and improve availability ... if all the spare parts are not monopolized in OPEX, which is another thing. problem. With the F4 standard, the entire logistics chain will therefore be updated in order to prepare for the gradual generalization of forecast maintenance methods. The Harpagon system will undergo a new development, miniaturized sensors will be integrated into the MICA ‑ NGs and the M88 reactor will receive a modernization of its FADECs, with new computers providing more data processing power. For Safran Aircraft Engines, massive collection of technical data is essential to improve engine efficiency, reduce maintenance costs, but also prepare for the future, in this case the motorization of the Franco-German SCAF. As we can see, the successive standards of the Rafale bring their share of incremental modernizations, and the F4 is no exception to this rule. If, externally, the new standard does not seem to induce such significant changes as the F3R which saw the arrival of the RBE2 AESA and the Meteor, the evolution is nevertheless much more impressive on the numerical level, promising a major operational breakthrough in terms of tactical situational awareness, network-centric combat, electronic warfare, cyber protection and passive detection. Better still, the F4 is now preparing for the future evolutions of the Rafale, whether it concerns predictive maintenance, multistatic detection, precautionary measures for future plate radars distributed over the airframe of the aircraft or the improvement of electronic warfare capabilities, including offensives. Enough to allow the Rafale to remain a formidable adversary in the decades to come, even in the face of stealth planes. https://www.areion24.news/2020/06/02/rafale-le-standard-f4-se-devoile/

bruno perhaps it is an IR guided misssile .becoz ir guided missile can be easily integrated on any platform .But if EM guided mica missile is tested then without french assistance it looks impossible and if they did that without french assistance then it's tremondous achievement .it also raises prospect of meteor integration in future also. CHEERS

we indians can integrate anything .We can integrate r73 on mirage 2000 .We indians can integrate alien tech on our planes https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/iafs-french-mirage-2000-fly-with-russian-r-73-missiles-thanks-to-israeli-jugaad-2067318#:~:text=The Russian R-73 missile,air-to-air missile. just waiting whether meteor will be integrated on Su -30mki or not .Sounds impossible but after hearing this news anything can happen CHEERS

IAF test fires air-to-air missiles ahead of Rafale integration By Hemant Kumar Rout| Express News Service | Published: 19th August 2020 08:00 AM BHUBANESWAR: Amid a protracted stand-off along the LAC, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has accomplished a secret mission by conducting several rounds of air-to-air missiles that have recently been acquired from France and Russia from a frontline fighter aircraft off Odisha coast. Defence sources said anti-air multi-target MICA missile fired from Sukhoi-30 MKI for the first time successfully destroyed expendable aerial targets (EATs), demonstrating its stealth capabilities. Ahead of the planned integration with multi-role combat aircraft Rafale, the IAF test fired two rounds of Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile MICA fighter aircraft on Monday and Tuesday. The fighter aircraft took off from Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal and fired the missile, successfully neutralising the aerial target drone mimicking enemy aircraft at low altitude. “All mission parameters have been met as the target was destroyed validating the missile’s launch envelope. The missile will equip both Sukhoi and Rafale fighter jets,” a defence official told ‘The Express’. Acquired from France, MICA is an all weather missile system available in both short and medium ranges. The fire-and-forget missile can be used both by air platforms as well as ground units and ships. The 3.1 metre long missile having a diameter of 0.16 m weighs around 112 kg. It can neutralise targets within a range of 500 metre to 60 km. Of its two variants guided by radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR), MICA-RF has an active radar homing seeker and MICA-IR has an imaging infra-red homing seeker. Both seekers are designed to filter out counter-measures. Last week, the IAF had conducted two rounds test of R-77 air-to-air missile acquired from Russia. The multi-purpose missile can be used against a range of aircraft, both tactical and strategic and from hovering helicopters to high-speed at different altitudes. The medium-range air-to-air guided missile R-77 is about 3.6 metre in length and 200 mm in diametre. It weighs around 175 kg. It has an operational range of 80 km to 100 km. Both the missions were conducted by the IAF while the DRDO provided the logistic support. After the successful trial of Dhruvastra last month, the twin missions during the Covid-19 pandemic proved the readiness of the test range. “The IAF is in the process of upgrading its squadrons. It is also in process of procuring Meteor missile from the European weapon maker MBDA. Rafale will be equipped with MICA and Meteor,” the official added. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2020/aug/19/iaf-test-fires-air-to-air-missiles-ahead-of-rafale-integration-2185422.amp

Two French Rafales land in the Greek Cypriot sector According to information from the Politis newspaper, as part of the agreement concluded between France and the Greek Cypriot sector which entered into force on August 1, two Rafale and a C-130 arrived at the Andreas Papandreu air base in Paphos. 08/12/2020 ~ 08/12/2020 Two French Rafale type combat aircraft as well as a C-130 transport aircraft landed in the Greek Cypriot sector. According to information from the Politis newspaper, under the agreement between France and the Greek Cypriot sector entered into force on 1 st August, two Rafale and a C-130 arrived at Andreas Papandreou airbase in Paphos. The Rafales, which will stay in Paphos for a few days, will carry out patrols in the so-called exclusive economic zone unilaterally proclaimed by the Greek Cypriot sector in the Mediterranean and will cooperate with the French naval forces in the region. In addition, a joint France-Greek Cypriot sector air exercise should take place in September. Other countries could also join the exercise. According to news published in the Greek Cypriot press on August 6, the Defense Cooperation Agreement, which was signed in 2017, entered into force at the beginning of August. https://www.trt.net.tr/francais/europe/2020/08/12/deux-rafale-francais-atterrissent-dans-le-secteur-chypriote-grec-1471311

Tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean: French Rafales sent to Cyprus? BY LAURENT LAGNEAU AUGUST 11, 2020 In recent hours, Athens has denounced the sending by Turkey of the ship Oruç Reis to an area between the islands of Crete [southern Greece] and Cyprus, near the [Turkish] city of Antalya, as part of a new hydrocarbon prospecting campaign. Clearly, this vessel will navigate in Greek and Cypriot waters, Ankara relying on an agreement signed last November with the Libyan government of national unity relating to its maritime borders. Obviously, the Turkish authorities did not skimp on the means to ensure the protection of this research boat. Indeed, via Twitter, the Turkish Ministry of Defense published photographs on which the Oruc Reis was seen being escorted by 4 Avisos A69 [France in 6 delivered to the Turkish Navy between 2000 and 2002, editor's note] and a frigate Meko. It is possible that a submarine completes this device [we believe in guessing on one of the aerial shots]. Anyway, on August 10, Greece accused Turkey of "threatening peace" in the eastern Mediterranean and assured that it will defend "its sovereignty and sovereign rights. In addition, the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, met with Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, as well as with Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of NATO. Regarding the discussion with the latter, the head of the Greek government must have been disappointed. "This situation must be resolved in a spirit of solidarity among allies and in accordance with international law", declared Mr. Stoltenberg via Twitter. In any case, this August 11, Athens requested the urgent holding of a European Union summit to discuss the case of Turkey, which, through the head of its diplomacy, Mevlut Cavusoglu, put a plus oil on the fire by asserting that it would expand its prospecting operations "near the western borders of its continental shelf." " "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will submit a request for an emergency summit of the Council of Foreign Affairs of the European Union," said Mr. Mitsotakis. In Cyprus , the same concerns are expressed. Thus, on August 10, Nicosia declared Turkish activities “illegal”. The Cypriot Ministry of Defense issued a Navtex in which it explains that the actions carried out by the ship Oruç Reis constitute a "violation of international law and maritime security procedures" as well as a "criminal offense under the laws of the Republic of Cyprus ”. And to demand, therefore, the immediate withdrawal of the Turkish boat. And this also applies to the Barbaros Hayredin, another prospecting vessel sent by Ankara to the Cypriot exclusive economic zone. In this matter, Greece and the Republic of Cyprus can count on the support of France. A strategic partnership agreement is in fact being finalized between Paris and Athens. And a defense agreement with Nicosia has just entered into force. In addition to increased cooperation in the fields of armaments and defense technologies, this text provides for the training of Cypriot soldiers in France, joint exercises, exchanges and authorizations aimed at allowing French ships and planes to call at Cyprus. “The rise of tensions in the eastern Mediterranean and its surroundings, and particularly Turkish pressures, can only lead the Cypriots to be more than in the past asking for signs of reassurance. It is in this sense that we can analyze the possibilities of deepening Franco-Cypriot military cooperation opened up by the intergovernmental agreement ”, explained a French parliamentary report, on the occasion of the examination of This agreement. Obviously, and while the tension in the Eastern Mediterranean has increased a notch in recent days, the Cypriot press has indicated that two French Rafales, probably coming from the projected air base [BAP] in Jordan, have been spotted in Andreas Papandreou Airport, near the town of Paphos, located in the south-west of the island. The two aircraft are a priori accompanied by a C-135FR tanker aircraft. A Transall C-160 was also spotted by air traffic monitoring systems. But there is nothing to say with certainty that it landed in Cyprus. The "in-Cyprus" site, linked to the daily Phileleftheros, claims that the two Rafales took part in an exercise which mobilized, during one day, the Cypriot army and four helicopters of the Israeli air force. "The French planes must remain at the military base of Andreas Papandreou in Paphos for a while because they will carry out patrols in the region of the Eastern Mediterranean", he specifies, by relying on "well-informed sources. " As a reminder, the airborne group [GAé] of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier took part in exercises which consisted in testing the Cypriot air defense last February. More recently, the light stealth frigate [FLF] Aconit took part in naval maneuvers organized by the Cypriot Ministry of Defense and involving the frigates Kanaris [Greece] and Alpino [Italy]. Photo: Archive - EMA / French Air Force http://www.opex360.com/2020/08/11/tensions-en-mediterranee-orientale-des-rafale-francais-envoyes-a-chypre/

Here’s Why The IAF Has Chosen The Hammer For Its Rafale With just days to go before India’s first Rafale jets arrive in country, the Indian Air Force has exercised emergency procurement powers to contract the French Hammer AASM precision strike weapon system for the aircraft. In a decision fully in keeping with an emerging conflict scenario with China in eastern Ladakh — and with disengagement efforts hitting multiple roadblocks — choosing the Hammer isn’t surprising. But you’re a Livefist reader, and obviously you expect context. So let’s begin. To begin with, the Hammer, developed by French conglomerate Safran (which also builds the Rafale’s M88 turbofan engines) has always officially been an option to the IAF in the Rafale package. In 2017, months after India had contracted 36 Rafale jets, Livefist reported details of what India had chosen, noting that the IAF had optioned the Hammer system for a possible decision once Rafale deliveries begin, but that it would hit the ground running with Israeli Spice guidance kits to begin with. Read that full report here. In October last year, on the day the first Rafales were handed over to the Indian Air Force, Livefist reported the list of add-on weapons and systems that the IAF could opt for now that the jets were flying in Indian colours. The IAF’s 2016 decision to choose the Israeli Spice precision bomb kits over the Hammer was based on cost — the French system is significantly more costly, but brings to bear additional capabilities, including effective deployability in low-level flight. It wasn’t the first time the Hammer had lost out to the Israeli Spice weapons family. In 2012, the Hammer and Spice went head to head in an Indian Air Force quest for new 1,000 kg precision strike weaponry for its Mirage 2000 jets that were being separately upgraded. There too, the Israeli won out on cost (the Hammer didn’t have a 1,000 kg version for test, and therefore had to be tested on a 250 kg unit). Spice 2000 bombs would go on to see action in India’s air strikes on a Pakistani terror camp in Balakot in February 2019. The Indian Air Force, incidentally, has also used Ladakh-triggered emergency procurement powers to order more Spice 2000 weapons for its Mirage 2000s. But if the IAF had chosen the Spice on its Rafales in 2016, why the need to order the Hammer system now? To understand the decision, it must be known that acquiring weapons have three broad cost components — the cost of the weapon itself, the cost of integration (software and hardware), and finally the cost of testing & certifying the system. A senior IAF officer tells Livefist that while work on integrating Spice weapons on the IAF Rafales has been underway in France in terms of software code, the bulk of the integration and crucial testing will necessarily take place in India. But how long would that take from the time the aircraft arrive? To provide perspective, it took 18 months to fully integrate, test and clear the Spice on IAF Mirages. The IAF’s rationale, therefore, in acquiring the Hammer system now, is that savings made on integration and testing the weapon — the Hammer is already fully certified on the Rafale — will justify the higher cost of the system itself. Once contracted, Hammer systems will likely begin deliveries quickly, possibly from production inventory intended for the French forces. In France, Indian Air Force pilots have had extensive exposure to the the Hammer system already. In 2017, Livefist conducted a series of interviews with French Navy Rafale pilots who had deployed Hammer bombs on targets in Iraq. Read that full story here. While the Hammer procurement has clearly been green-lit keeping in view the current India-China tensions in Ladakh, and the fact that inbound Rafales would be bereft of a tactical stand-off strike weapon for some time, there are likely to be more weapons contracts for the Rafale fleet going forward. The IAF Rafale’s more capable weapons — the Meteor BVRAAM and SCALP cruise missile — have been contracted in fairly modest numbers, part of an effort to keep overall costs down. It is expected, therefore, that the IAF will look to add numbers of both these systems in the near term as Rafale deliveries add up. The IAF’s decision to push through an emergency purchase of the Hammer was scooped by India Today executive editor Sandeep Unnithan,who made a mention of it on Livefist Editor Shiv Aroor’s news show 5ive Live on Wednesday, a day before the story was reported on other media. Watch that full broadcast here: https://www.livefistdefence.com/2020/07/heres-why-the-iaf-has-chosen-the-hammer-for-its-rafale.html

http://www.opex360.com/2020/08/11/airbus-a-teste-avec-succes-une-technologie-cle-pour-le-systeme-de-combat-aerien-du-futur/#

This article is from combat aircraft monthly feb 2020 edition regarding france maritime revolution by Frederic Lert

Indian Rafales practise mountain night flying for Ladakh in Himachal Pradesh The first batch of Rafale fighter jets inducted in Indian Air Force’s Golden Arrows squadron are ‘fully operational’. Updated: Aug 10, 2020 12:28 IST By Shishir Gupta, Hindustan Times New Delhi https://m.hindustantimes.com/india-news/indian-rafales-practise-mountain-night-flying-for-ladakh-in-himachal-pradesh/story-4pQA6tKKXDsgHYLyaKdq1H_amp.html

The video is in Hindi language Zist of the video -talks about various radars of s400 and it's jam proof capability and detection range - mountain terrains will inhibit line of sight for s400 radar detection against rafale in Himalayan region of ladakh - elint role can be done by sending UAVs or through satellite. - samyukta ground electronic warfare system with rafale low flying terrain hugging capabilities and spectra active cancellation tech will be useful in s400 sead operations after updating it threat library system with elint data recorded from UAVs and satellites. -even if detected it can use xgaurd towed decoys to dodge missiles -long range anti radiation missile plus in future hypersonic /supersonic cruise missile will be used for sead role. -tells also about Israeli jammer on su 30 mki to jam its radar and use brahmos to destroy it and but degrades it's role to be risky as non stealthy Lack of low flying capability in hilly areas unlike rafale. P.S one thing one should remember AWACS can somewhat compensate the line of sight issue in mountain region if not full.though will have reduced detection range as close terrain hugging feature in mountain region will inhibit line of sight for any radar either air borne or ground CHEERS