Dogfight at the Casbah: Rafale vs. F-16

By dsofandi -
France's Rafale is part of a set of European 4+ generation fighters that were developed and fielded during the 1990s-early 21st century, with the aim of surpassing existing offerings among America's "teen series" fighters, and Russia's Mig-29 Fulcrum and SU-27/30 Flanker family aircraft.

The French had originally discussed a consortium with Britain & Germany, but France's insistence on carrier capabilities and accompanying weight limits, and their non-negotiable demand that it be in charge of any fighter project and allocate work sharing, created a competitor in the Eurofighter and forced Dassault to go it alone.

Morocco's air force currently flies 2 squadrons of old F-5s, and 2 squadrons of slightly newer Mirage F1s. Their neighbor and rival Algeria flies MiG-23s of similar vintage, but adds far more modern and capable MiG-29s.

The Force Aerienne Algerienne also flies SU-24 Fencer and SU-25 Frogfoot strike aircraft, and is set to receive 36 multi-role MiG-29SMTs and 30 multi-role SU-30MKs as part of a multi-billion dollar weapons deal with Russia.

Morocco is looking for replacement aircraft that will prevent a complete overmatch, and initial reports pegged them as the Rafale's first export customer. That competition has become a dogfight, however, and recent reports of a used F-16 buy mean the Rafale risks repeating an all-too familiar scenario. In part, says one report, because of French government screw-ups…

Continue reading…

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Air Force Acquiring Fire-Control Radar for FA-50PH

By -
Image
Air Force Acquiring Fire-Control Radar for FA-50PH 17 Maret 2017 Israeli Elta EL/M-2032 fire control radar (photo : Defense Update) The Philippine Air Force (PAF) is allocating some PHP82,543,000 for the acquisition of one transmitter needed for unscheduled maintenance of the fire-control radar (FCR) of one of its South Korean-made FA-50PH “Fighting Eagle” jet fighters. FA-50PHs are equipped with Israeli Elta EL/M-2032 fire control radar further developed by LIG Nex1. The money will be sourced from PAF General Appropriations Act CY 2017, said Department of National Defense Bids and Awards Committee (DND BAC) chair Assistant Secretary Josue S. Gaverza in bid bulletin posted at the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System. Winning bidder is required to deliver the parts within 540 calendar days from the receipt of the Notice to Proceed. Bidders should have completed, within the last five years, a similar contract. A pre-bid conference is scheduled on March 23, 10 a....
Read more

Malaysian Defense: Budget Hinders Military Asset Procurement

By -
Image
Malaysian Defense: Budget Hinders Military Asset Procurement 17 Maret 2017 RMAF Hawk 208, F/A-18D Hornet, MiG-29N, and Su-30MKM (photo : RA AZ) MELBOURNE, Australia — Malaysia’s military continues to struggle to implement plans to recapitalize its assets, as the government’s budget is battered by slow economic growth mainly due to falling oil revenues.  As a result, major procurement programs for the Malaysian Armed Forces have mostly been put on hold even as existing platforms rapidly approach obsolescence. For the Royal Malaysian Air Force, this means that badly needed fighters, trainers, helicopters and maritime patrol aircraft will unlikely be acquired in the short to medium term. Situated alongside the vital maritime trade routes and the hotly disputed islands of the South China Sea of which it partly claims, Malaysia faces a unique geographical challenge, as its territory is split by the South China Sea into two separate landmasses 365 miles apart at its nar...
Read more