INDAIN AIR FORCE MCRA REQUIREMENT (PART-1)
As I promised earlier, first I will be posting the specifications of all the aircraft and then I will be comparing the aircrafts and will be analysing the geo-political, financial and then I will be giving the conclusion as which aircraft will win the contract.
First in the series is the French plane-RAFALE MULTI-ROLE COMBAT FIGHTER
Rafale is a twin-jet combat aircraft capable of carrying out a wide range of short- and long-range missions, including ground and sea attack, air defence and air superiority, reconnaissance, and high-accuracy strike or nuclear strike deterrence.The Rafale is a fourth-generation 'Omni Role' fighter aircraft, capable of carrying out a wide range of missions. Dassault uses 'Omni Role' as a marketing term to differentiate the aircraft from other 'multi-role' fighters, like the Eurofighter, Joint Strike Fighter and the JAS-39 Gripen.
The aircraft has been developed for the French Air Force and Navy. The Rafale is produced in three variants - M, B and C. The Rafale M variant is a single-seater carrier-based version for the navy, while B and C are two-seat and single-seat versions respectively for the Air Force.The fully capable F3 standard aircraft with Thales terrain-following RBE2 3D radar, Thales RECO NG optronics pod and the capability to launch ASMP-A nuclear missiles and AM39 Exocet anti-ship missiles was signed in February 2004. An order for 59 F3 aircraft, 47 for the Air Force (11 two-seat and 36 single-seat) and 12 (single-seat) for the Navy, was placed in December 2004. The Rafale F3 will be delivered from 2007 and the first squadron of 20 aircraft will be in service in 2008.
The cockpit has hands-on throttle and stick control (HOTAS). The cockpit is equipped with a head-up, wide-angle holographic display from Thales Avionique, which provides aircraft control data, mission data and firing cues. A collimated, multi-image head-level display presents tactical situation and sensor data, and two touch-screen lateral displays show the aircraft system parameters and mission data. The pilot also has a helmet-mounted sight and display. A CCD camera and on-board recorder records the image of the head-up display throughout the mission.
The fuselage material construction is made up of 
The fuselage material nstruction is made up of specialized composites to assist the aircraft in maintaining the smallest of radar signatures. In a way, the system represents the first French attempt as stealth technology with this kind of focus. A mixture of carbon and Kevlar components are said to make up the finish throughout the surface of the aircraft. Titanium and aluminum-lithium are also reported to have been used in construction.The delta wing design that popularized the early Dassault aircraft was back, this time complimented by the addition of two small forward-mounted canard planes. The addition of these minor surfaces added greatly to the agility of the machine as a whole, coupled with the already impressive lift and drag generated by the overall design.
The fuselage material nstruction is made up of specialized composites to assist the aircraft in maintaining the smallest of radar signatures. In a way, the system represents the first French attempt as stealth technology with this kind of focus. A mixture of carbon and Kevlar components are said to make up the finish throughout the surface of the aircraft. Titanium and aluminum-lithium are also reported to have been used in construction.The delta wing design that popularized the early Dassault aircraft was back, this time complimented by the addition of two small forward-mounted canard planes. The addition of these minor surfaces added greatly to the agility of the machine as a whole, coupled with the already impressive lift and drag generated by the overall design.
The Rafale can carry payloads of over nine tons on 14 hardpoints for the Air Force version, and 13 for the naval version. The range of weapons includes: Mica, Magic, Sidewinder, ASRAAM and AMRAAM air-to-air missiles; Apache, AS30L, ALARM, HARM, Maverick and PGM100 air-to-ground missiles; and Exocet/AM39, Penguin 3 and Harpoon anti-ship missiles. For a strategic mission the Rafale can deliver the MBDA (formerly Aerospatiale) ASMP standoff nuclear missile.
The rafalewill also be armed with the Sagem AASM precision-guided bomb, which has both GPS / inertial guidance and, optionally, imaging infrared terminal guidance.The Rafale has a twin-gun pod and a GIAT 30mm DEFA 791B cannon which can fire 2,500 rounds per minute.The Rafale is equipped with laser designation pods for laser guidance of air-to-ground missiles.
The Rafale's electronic warfare system is the Spectra from Thales. Spectra incorporates solid state transmitter
technology, radar warner, DAL laser warning receiver, missile warning, detection systems and jammers.The Rafale is equipped with an RBE2 radar, developed by Thales, which has look-down and shoot-down capability. The radar can track up to eight targets simultaneously and provides threat identification and prioritisation.
The optronic systems include the Thales/SAGEM OSF infrared search and track system, installed in the nose of the aircraft. The optronic suite carries out search, target identification, telemetry and automatic target discrimination and tracking.
The communications suite on the Rafale uses the Saturn onboard V/UHF radio, which is a second-generation, anti-jam tactical UHF radio for NATO. Saturn provides voice encryption in fast-frequency hopping mode. The aircraft is also equipped with fixed-frequency VHF/UHF radio for communications with civil air traffic control. A multifunction information distribution system (MIDS) terminal provides secure, high-data-rate tactical data exchange with NATO C2 stations, AWACS aircraft or naval ships. 
Rafale is equipped with a Thales TLS 2000 navigation receiver, which is used for the approach phase of flight. The TLS 2000 integrates the instrument landing system (ILS), microwave landing system (MLS) and VHF Omni-directional Radio-ranger (VOR) and marker functions.
The radar altimeter is the AHV 17 altimeter from Thales, which is suitable for very low flight. The Rafale has a TACAN tactical air navigation receiver for en route navigation and as a landing aid.
The Rafale has an SB25A combined interrogator-transponder developed by Thales. The SB25A is the first IFF using electronic scanning technology.
Rafale is equipped with a Thales TLS 2000 navigation receiver, which is used for the approach phase of flight. The TLS 2000 integrates the instrument landing system (ILS), microwave landing system (MLS) and VHF Omni-directional Radio-ranger (VOR) and marker functions.
The radar altimeter is the AHV 17 altimeter from Thales, which is suitable for very low flight. The Rafale has a TACAN tactical air navigation receiver for en route navigation and as a landing aid.
The Rafale has an SB25A combined interrogator-transponder developed by Thales. The SB25A is the first IFF using electronic scanning technology.
The aircraft is equipped for buddy-buddy refuelling with a flight refuelling hose reel and drogue pack.The Rafale is powered by two SNECMA M88-2 turbofans each providing a thrust of 75kNwhich have a dry thrust of 11,000 pounds and 17,000 afterburning each. In order to further reduce fuel consumption and increase the service life of the engine's critical parts (high-pressure core and afterburner), SNECMA has developed a new version of the M88-2, called the M88-2E4. This new version offers improved fuel consumption (2 to 4 % lower than the M88-2E1). As of 2005 all M-88 engines deployed in France comply with this new standard. The aircraft is equipped for buddy-buddy refuelling with a flight refuelling hose reel and drogue pack.
Messier-Dowty provides the "jumper" landing gear, designed to spring out when the aircraft is catapulted by the nose gear strut.A Paris-based newspaper quoted a government source in Libya saying it has chosen to order 13-18 Rafale jets from French manufacturer Dassault.Libya is said to have chosen the Rafale to replace its ageing MiG fighters ahead of competing offers from China and Russia as well as Eurofighter. The deal, expected to be worth £1.62 billion, would provide the first foreign buyer for the aircraft.
The French air force took delivery of its first batch of the Frence-made Rafale fighter planes on June 27,06 the manufacturer of the long-delayed jet, Dassault Aviation, still looking for the first foreign order for the aircraft. French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin attended a ceremony at an army base in Saint Dizier, northeast France, where 20 models of the Rafale were delivered. The Rafale, which is the successor to the Mirage jet, entered service in the French navy in 2004 and 10 models are based on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, The Charles de Gaulle. French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie, who attended the ceremony, called the planes “quite exceptional” and the “most comprehensive and most high-performance” fighter jets in the world.
