INDIA’s Fighter Aircraft Deal – RAFALE & TYPHOON still incompetition

The Indian Air Force Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) should be a European fighter jet. India shortlisted the Eurofighter Typhoon and the French Rafale for a $12 billion fighter jet deal. 126 fighter aircraft are to be ordered! As controversial rumours have spread for months through the Internet and the Indian channels, nobody could be certain of the sort of decision that could be made. For instance, remember this idea of purchasing two different combat aircraft that was issued a few months ago. Then, the news came right out of the blue yesterday April 28, 2011. Indeed the American, Russian, and Swedish jetfighters have been discarded.

According to the video hereafter,

The high-flying American campaign to win the $10 billion multirole combat aircraft tender has crashed.

The Indian Defence Ministry confirmed that the F/A-18F Super Hornet and the latest F-16IN were out of the race. Neither of these U.S. fighters would have met the Indian Air Force’s technical requirements during the trials that were also submitted to the JAS-39 Gripen; the MiG-35; the Rafale; and the Typhoon.

RAFALE aerobatics at La Ferté Alais Airshow 2010
RAFALE La Ferté Alais 2010 - Xavier Cotton http://passiondesavions.blogspot.com/

One may wonder why the Gripen was not selected in this competition. Well, this excellent aircraft is not equipped with any arrestor hook, and that is probably why it has not been kept in the race for this tender.

According to previous articles in this very website, the assumption that a Rafale might have shot down an F-22 Raptor plus some other rumours about the French combat aircraft performance left my readers in utter disbelief two years ago.

It is important to notice that the Rafale purchase is a rather expensive option. However, it should also be noted that, in spite of the modest political clout of France in India, as well as its price tag – $90 million – the Dassault Rafale remains in the final competition. A transfer-of-technology amendment might be added to the contract.

As the Super Hornet and the Super Viper have been rejected, this is a deep disapointment for Lockheed Martin; McDonnell Douglas; Boeing; General Dynamics; as well as a real watershed in the geopolitical approach in Asia.

Photo courtesy: Xavier Cotton http://passiondesavions.blogspot.com/

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Flight safety in question after guilty verdict in Concorde crash

On 6 December 2010, Continental Airlines was found criminally responsible for the disaster by a Parisian court and was fined € 200,000 and ordered to pay Air France € 1 million. Continental mechanic John Taylor was given a 15-month suspended sentence, while another airline operative and three French officials were cleared of all charges. The court ruled that the crash resulted from a piece of metal from a Continental jet that was left on the runway; the object punctured a tyre on the Concorde and then ruptured a fuel tank. Another Continental employee, Stanley Ford, was found not guilty. Continental’s lawyer, Olivier Metzner, said it would appeal the verdict.

The court also ruled that Continental would have to pay 70% of any compensation claims. As Air France has paid out € 100 million to the families of the victims, Continental could be made to pay its share of that compensation payout. Source – Wikipedia

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Canadian Air Force CC-150 Polaris refuelling CF-18s

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Initial climb procedure on MD-11

MD11 Normal Takeoff from Chris Palmer on Vimeo.

Special thanks to this outstanding website: ANGLE OF ATTACK – This takeoff’s two-page MD-11 checklist FREE DOWNLOAD is available if you subscribe here >>>>>

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NEWS ALERT – Lufthansa Frankfurt-Riyadh flight crashes in Saudi Arabia – No casualties, but pilots at hospital

A Lufthansa MD-11 aircraft (modern DC-10) is reported to have crashed while landing at King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh today. Casualties have not been reported so far.

A plume of smoke could be seen as the commercial airplane reportedly caught fire in the crash, then was split into two parts according to Al Arabiya channel.

The captain and first officer would have been hospitalized.

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