Yeap, Rafale development has been long and expensive, first versions of Rafale 12 years ago were a little bit light, but now the latest versions (F3) have everything, so it's done... and beginning to sell !
No, Typhoon has never been sent to Afghanistan ? really ?

When being asked by the Americans in the 60s to scrap our high-tech fast jet industry, we didn't surrender...

Dassault obviously had a larger "Incidental Payments" fund available. That's what these big contracts work on

I can certainly vouch for the quality of lunch I had there a couple of years back.

Some words are growing like verrucas - I refer u 2 txt spek, and so forth.

Rheinhardt,


No, Typhoon has never been sent to Afghanistan ? really ?

When being asked by the Americans in the 60s to scrap our high-tech fast jet industry, we didn't surrender...

WHAT are you on about?


Willard Whyte,

Better get used to it, that's how language evolves!

The game is still in play, keep at it.:ok:

Please explain how the Americans asked the UK to "scrap" the industry.:confused:

Please explain how the Americans asked the UK to "scrap" the industry.http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...s/confused.gif

I wish you hadn't said that.
It wont be long before someone mentions the letters and number T S R 2

I am sick of hearing from politicians that the UK has a world class aero industry, yet cannot afford to go it alone in aircraft production........Only for me to see apparently poorer nations build top rate aircraft such as Rafale:ugh:

Here, here , truer words where never spoken.
The UK still can redeem themselves, there still is a lot of knowledge and skill
to get fully back into the market, be it on their own or (fully re-)linked up with the German/French/Spanish Airbus-Eurocopter adventure.
But all of it can disappear after this generation in the next 20years, there are plenty of other nations that want to step into the UK's shoes.
This industry doesn't need to suffer the same faith as your former automotive industry.

PS; BAe's decision to sell their stake in Airbus was questionable bordering idiotic to say the least.

Sarkozy maybe being premature (again): UPDATE 1-Rafale deal offers scant gain for Sarkozy | Reuters

I don't think that going it alone was what helped the French. It was NOT going with the Germans.

Don't want to be rude, but the Germans have a history of throwing spanners into the works of any cooperative venture. If it's not the crazy specs they come up with (A400M), it's the industrial workshare games they play where they overestimate their purchase numbers. If it's not that, then it's their handwringing and delaying tactics (thanks to their parliament & coalition politics). If it's not that, it's their complete lack of interest in power projection and the related capabilities. They make the French look almost docile by comparison. :=

I happen to believe that a bi-national venture between the UK and France would have been a smashing success. It would have been carrier & cruise missile capable to begin with. And at least the French have a history of successful cooperation with Spain, Italy, the UK, and many of export partners (mixed in with a few failures of course).

I remember taking clients to the now defunct 3 Michelin * La Tante Claire on my employer's contingency fund. Tasty and we got the business!

Yes, I was about it to write the answer myself, but you were quicker - it was obviousky what I had in mind : TSR 2 (for the illiterate ones, there is Google, or excellent books on the subject)

It is by the way obvious that the Indians did prefer a deal with a single strong nation, not having to go through Bruxelles meetings for every topic...

And the Indians want an aircraft to go to WAR, quickly, thanks to their charming neighbours.... not like the brasilians or the swiss....

TSR 2 was cancelled over 45 years ago. It has gone, it was a 'might have been', but it's gone. Let's deal with the here and now, and not let this thread drift off down the same old routes.

Design, development, growth and manufacture of Rafale has benefited France, its' aviation industry and support industries. It has achieved more in terms of entry into service than Typhoon, has been subject to less Governmental interference than Typhoon and, I suspect will do the job it is bought for better than Typhoon can for the foreseeable future. I have long felt that partnership programmes have destroyed the British capacity to exploit its' intellectual capacity far more than any other factor and the French recognised that when they withdrew from ECA in the early 80s.

Ah yes, Belgium. A country famous only for beer, bureacracy and chocolate which exists primarily so that France and Germany can have somewhere to settle their differences without ruining each other's wine harvests. Where the locals converse in a strange expectorant language which makes even Welsh sound melodious....:uhoh:













No, of course I'm not being serious!

bloody good beer though

Granted - the choccy is nice too!

Edda van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston (aka Audrey Hepburn)
Sylvie de Bie....:E



....and Jeanine Deckers, the 'Singing Nun' of 'Dominique' fame!

Famous Belgians
 

For a small country Belgium produced some of the greatest Locomotive engineers of the 19/20thC
Belpaire, Walschaerts and Lemaitre to name but 3!!

kbrockman

You forgot (perhaps) to mention the Brits in your European collaboration piece.

M' dear chap, the Rolls-Royce powerer Airbus A330s that I used to fly have more than 50% British content... and I'm Australian!