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But if other would be open to buy some of the needed Typhoon then maybe the Saudi deal gets trought.
Maybe.But if other would be open to buy some of the needed Typhoon then maybe the Saudi deal gets trought.
Which at the least requires retooling and some retraining.Typhoon is a 1980 airframe... There is not much in qualified workmanship that doesn't exist anywhere else in aerospace. Hell, you might even get more advanced manned station in an A350 manufacturing line!
To retain qualified workers you can have them build cheaper aircraft per workman hour and more useful aircraft like a strategic heavy lifter. Far better RoI for taxpayers IMOHO.
How much life is left in the various Typhoon fleets?
How about conversion? Surely It might be possible to convert a couple of existing airframes?The UK's T2 and T3 are good past 2040 so no real need. A Uk purchase of 20 EK variant would make a lot of sense. But there is zero to no chance as the combat air budget is all committed for years to come on F-35B and Tempest.
Penny wise and pound foolish again.The UK's T2 and T3 are good past 2040 so no real need. A Uk purchase of 20 EK variant would make a lot of sense. But there is zero to no chance as the combat air budget is all committed for years to come on F-35B and Tempest.
How about conversion? Surely It might be possible to convert a couple of existing airframes?
Buy the EKs, though a mixed force of F-35s and EKs may be better for DEAD.
Probably none of them? It sort of seems like there is one Airbus Germany configuration (the Su-57 ish one with no horizontal tail), and two Dassault configurations (the Su-57 ish tailless one, and the lambda wing + V tail one) that seem to have had some level of engineering work. But who knows what the "joint" concept looks like.Still lots of open questions about which FCAS design is actually being pursued… the NGAD lookalike above (aka Superman?) or the Tempest lookalike presented at Le Bourget 2019.
Still lots of open questions about which FCAS design is actually being pursued… the NGAD lookalike above (aka Superman?) or the Tempest lookalike presented at Le Bourget 2019.
The recent Indra renderings below look more like the later.
Agreed, the French absolutely require a Rafale replacement.I am going to make a prediction; the chosen FCAS design will be the option most optimised for carrier operations.
Especially with the USAF already talking about only buying a couple hundred, not enough to replace all the F-15s and F-22s in service.NGAD will probably end up being another F-22 and will not be exported for obvious reasons which will be sad.
While I agree, that's what the USAF is talking about... (this forum needs better emojis, this comment requires the "crying my eyes out in waterfalls" emoji)200 NGADs for the USAF Scott Kenny? That is not nearly enough, I would have thought that 500 would have been a better figure to replace the ageing fighter force. Though it depends on how much the NGAD will cost to purchase once it gets of the assembly line.
I think the USN NGAD is going to be way too big for the French carriers. I'm expecting it to be on the order of 85klbs, and longer/wider than a Flanker. USAF NGAD is likely to be a 100klb aircraft.Just a note: I was referring to the USN NGAD.
I hope they stick a second EMAL on the waist. I don't like single-point-failures like when the one catapult you have goes down and prevents flight ops.Yes, but with one single emal on the main launch deck. It's enormous. Enlarge it for a second emal and it could reach above 80000t.
I hope they stick a second EMAL on the waist. I don't like single-point-failures like when the one catapult you have goes down and prevents flight ops.
Even better!The design has two, one on the starboard bow and one down the angle. Supposedly the latest version (or at least as of this time last year) is arranged to allow a third EMALS, if desired.
Euronaval 2022: Latest PANG Aircraft Carrier Design Breaks Cover - Naval News
An updated design of the PANG (porte-avions de nouvelle génération) new generation aircraft carrier was unveiled today on Day one of Euronaval 2022...www.navalnews.com
If the SCAF is anything under Tomcat sized I will be amazed. 72klbs, ~32,000kg.you could easily see the space for the 3rd catapult if you zoom in on the model.
i do hope that the SCAF will have folding wings. it looks like it takes up a lot of space on the PANG
Complete internal weapons carriage for stealth and any decent range implies a large aircraft.im still wondering if a large combat plane is the right direction for france?
the past few fighter generations, Dassault had success with smaller fighters like the Mirage 2000, F1, M3.. the Rafale is only slightly larger than the F-16.
If the SCAF is anything under Tomcat sized I will be amazed. 72klbs, ~32,000kg.
I’m kind of hoping for Mirage 4000 sized myself. A modern day M4000 with CFTs would weigh ~13 tons empty with a massive internal fuel load (11+ tons). If Dassault can pull off a stealthy airframe of the same general size and tradeoff some of that fuel volume for an internal weapons bay they may well have a winner with a still-reasonable TO weight of 25-30 tons for most missions.
Still needs to be fairly big due to range requirements, even with fancy, highly efficient engines.I do wonder if big planes make sense in the age of loyal wingmen - instead of putting a ton of payload on a single plane, why not have an F-16/Rafale sized small plane, and double up its payload with a fighter-class drone? The latter approach is way more flexible, and cost-wise it might be even competitive, considering the large plane would have to be twin-engine, the two smaller planes could get by with one engine each, especially considering a broad set of missions would only require the manned component.
And the export market is very important for France, and the market for giant, expensive jets is considerably smaller.
The MTOW multiplier from F-15 (all ordnance external) to F-22 (equal amount of ordnance internal and similar range) is 1.55x.I’m kind of hoping for Mirage 4000 sized myself. A modern day M4000 with CFTs would weigh ~13 tons empty with a massive internal fuel load (11+ tons). If Dassault can pull off a stealthy airframe of the same general size and tradeoff some of that fuel volume for an internal weapons bay they may well have a winner with a still-reasonable TO weight of 25-30 tons for most missions.
Which version of the F-15?The MTOW multiplier from F-15 (all ordnance external) to F-22 (equal amount of ordnance internal and similar range) is 1.55x.
That is probably the point!NGAD will probably end up being another F-22 and will not be exported for obvious reasons which will be sad.
The F-111B had an MTOW of 88,000 lb (39,900 kg) and the F-111C 110,002 lb (49,896 kg). So, the USN NGAD may be a downgraded USAF NGAD with less payload or less range.The USN plane is likely to be at the max for the catapults, some 83klbs, and the USAF is likely to be over 100klbs.