http://www.defensenews.com/article/2013 ... apers-Soon
En la noticia aprovechan para hablar de todas las FAS francesas, como resultado del nuevo Libro Blanco. Pero lo que me interesa es sobre el Rafale:
Ese caza es prioritario para Francia, y más ahora que han reducido la cifra planeada de 300 a 225. Antepondrán su evolución a la modernización de los Mirage 2000D, de los que sólo remozarán una parte (por cierto, y cómo no viniendo de Francia, la modernización sale carísima).
Dicen que habría que asegurar el quinto lote de Rafales (5º batch o tranche) cuanto antes (en el foro tenemos propuestas de los cambios de esa 5ª tranche ó F4). La sexta tranche es la que quedaría cancelada.
El gobierno francés está intentando modificar el contrato de manera que si el Rafale consigue alguna exportación el gobierno pueda suspender temporalmente sus pagos.
Rafale First
In other measures for the French Air Force, the government has set a priority on purchasing Rafales over modernizing Mirage 2000Ds, as the twin-jet Rafale aircraft is expected to fly until 2040.
“What maintains the industrial and technology bases is the prospect of a fifth [Rafale] batch and a new standard with the fifth batch. That’s how we have to work,” the French source briefed on the subject said.
An order for a fifth batch of Rafales will make up the 225 figure for fighters in the white paper, down from a previous goal of 300 aircraft.
Defense officials will seek to modify the Rafale contract, allowing the government to suspend payment if Dassault wins an export deal.
A foreign sale of the Rafale would bring in cash from abroad. The French budget earmarks an annual €800 million to keep the line open at a minimum build rate of one aircraft per month.
Dassault is negotiating a Rafale sale with India, but Britain is pushing hard to sell the Eurofighter Typhoon despite New Delhi’s pick of the French company as preferred bidder.
One of the reasons India chose the Rafale was its multimission capabilities, while the Typhoon was seen as similar to the air-to-air role of the Indian Air Force’s Sukhoi fighters, Laird said.
A midlife upgrade of part of the Mirage 2000D fleet will go ahead, but the €700 million budget is seen as too high, and defense officials will negotiate hard to drive that down. Thales would fit a new radar to allow a multirole capacity.
The Mirage 2000D is considered a gap-filler with as little money as possible to be assigned to the modernization, the source said.
http://www.defensenews.com/article/2013 ... apers-Soon
Parece que Dassault podría estar interesada en integrar misiles rusos en el Rafale pensando en India.
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