wrightwing wrote:wil59 wrote:vilters wrote:No country,
I WILL write that again:
NO country (or any combination of countries in Europe) has the funds to properly R&D a true stealth airframe/engine combination.
We missed that boat completely.
Really! Really! So tell me why France and England launched the 5/6th generation program with their respective partners! You are the Tempest program, and SCAF, I reassure you that they are not cars! but beautiful and well a 5 or 6 th generation fighter aircraft program. So you're going to say they can't do it, in short, don't answer my post anymore you'll do me a favor tdc.
I thought the Rafale and Typhoon were good enough. Which is it? Even EU nations know that with the US selling F-35s, and China/Russia at some point selling Su-57, J-20, and J-31s, along with myriad SAM systems, that 4th gen jets have a limited shelf life. What remains to be seen, is if they can avoid political clusterf@$me, and build their 5th generation jets in a timely and affordable manner.
Well at the present time the Rafale is still current and efficient and will be even more so with the F4 standard in 2022, I invite you to consult the F4 specificities on connectivity, networking, etc. This evolution of the French aircraft should allow it to bring it fully into the network battle with new satellite and intra-patrol links, communication server, software radio. New functions will also be developed to improve aircraft capabilities such as sensor and radar evolution, frontal sector optronics (IRST), helmet sight capabilities and new weapons will be integrated such as the Mica NG air-to-air missile and the 1000 kg modular air-to-ground weaponry.
Finally, in terms of availability, Dassault works within the framework of an MCO (Maintenance in Operational Condition) which will be more verticalized under the authority of the aircraft manufacturer. F4 will include a new Prognosis and Diagnostic Assistance System introducing predictive maintenance capabilities. Other maintenance optimizations are also planned, including solutions based on Big Data and artificial intelligence. Finally, the Rafale will be equipped with a new engine control unit, and validation of the F4 standard is planned for 2024, with some functions available from 2022. The response to the F-35:
There was one important step missing to counter Lockheed-Martin's F-35, that of connectivity. It will soon be done with the "F4". With increased computing capacity, the aircraft will be able to communicate with drones, ground armoured vehicles and surface vessels, in order to react faster and with greater accuracy. The European response is being put in place, with aircraft that will be able to operate in "big data" mode while remaining manageable and efficient at all levels.
The mission for the French aircraft manufacturer: to deliver it to the armed forces by 2023 for a contract worth nearly two billion euros. As the Minister pointed out, some thirty other F4 Rafales were ordered by the State for delivery between 2027 and 2030. All of them represent the first embryo of the SCAF (air combat system of the future), a European programme under French leadership, the Rafale F4 will fly with drones and the SCAF and all this in a hyperconnectivity, so the burst will still have its place in 2030 and therefore is certainly not a mistake, saying that the Rafale is outdated is really a joke.