If GJ doesn’t give Rafale F4.2 by the end of the year i’m ready to wait 2028-2029 to have Rafale F4.3 added with infos that could have been gathered during MBDA/SAFRAN/Dassault announcements + PAS 2027 and 2029 and all the other shows these actors participate during a year.
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From my understanding Comète =/= from meteor MLU and also different from Stratus. It’s not really clear to me…
Following this report : https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/17/rapports/cion_def/l17b2695_rapport-fond.pdf
It mentions both the « Comet » AND a new meteor [MLU]
The issue obviously is that I am not finding any information as to what the missile might look like if it’s a separate development from both programs
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Yeah, that is what i wanted to say, Comète is french only, i thought it was with UK at first but i was wrong, timing sounded right with an article for the successor to the meteor announced few days before and it was called successor to the meteor too.
And from what was said :
“The Russians and Chinese are developing missiles of this class.”
(See PL-16 )
It should be a missile with a range of 300km +~ from my understanding.
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Yes, it seems there has been some journalistic overlap between the Stratus and Comet, which is why I specified it doesn’t look like it is.
I believe the exact quote was that china and Russia are/have developed missile equal to the meteor, not that they are developing something in the class of the Comet (PL15 rather than 16 then).
They also claim that they want the Comet to overtake that gap that those countries closed with the meteor, hence the Comet.
Obviously, if understood like that, it fails to consider that Pl16 and other missiles of this category are already under different stages of development, but maybe they are confident that they can outperform those next gen missiles ?
Idk. Comet is going to be necessary for longer range whatever the result.
And then Stratus-RS should also be capable of anti air (mainly AWACS dedicated), and at hypersonic ranges and a range of 1000km, it could be a real threat
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Rafale F4.3 dream loadout soon as Comet is test-fired:
2x Comet, 2x Meteor, 2x MICA NG EM, 2x MICA NG IR.
Also, with the typhoon AESA already being almost the 2030 « will get » variant, with spices as a « fake » loadout (only showed during an expo under the wings of an EFT, but not proven to have been test fired officially iirc), a F4.3 with comet might not be of the table by as close as next year.
Also, I’d take 2 comet, 2 meteor and 4 MICA NG IR personally
The SPICE bombs have been test fired and is in service with some countries although not integrated yet onto any Eurofighters, so from that standpoint Gaijin believes it’s acceptable because the weapon itself is functional, so even the Comet being shown under the wings of a Rafale won’t be enough sadly. I think though that the Stratus-RS and Comet should be test-fired sometime soon (soon being in the next 1-2 years), even if the Stratus-RS is intended for F5.
Call me in. Although I would probly take more Comet, depending on performance and use case.
Stratus is intended for 2035 in the end afaik so we’ll have COMET testfire before STRATUS
I’d imagine Rafale F4.3 would be going up against 5th gens regularly in Warthunder, and those 5th gens would have maws that could detect IIR missiles. Wouldn’t firing one mica ng em and one mica ng ir at the same time make them believe only a radar missile is coming leading them to try to notch and chaff?
2026*
Placeholder as its real, IRL loadout its had for about 10 years is “too OP.”
Loadouts are always a balancing decision. Otherwise the Typhoon can get MMW Spear-3s then right?
By this logic the rafale is also compatible with Spices, according to the manufacturer…
I don’t really agree with this logic overall, it just gives so much leeway for devs to argue whatever they want under any arbitrary rule they want
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That’s valid especially if Comet ends up having AESA seeker while Meteor (original) doesn’t and Meteor MLU takes a decade for anything to happen with it.
Sources I’d seen state 2030 but intended for Rafale F5 with test firings in the next 1-2 years, did anything state it had changed?
British AESA is to be noter mass production by 2028. We can always argue about the proto-to be in service as being a true « 2026 » variant.
Also, some people are arguing for the AESA to receive AMK and other 2030+ features instead of a new aircraft to be added -since apparently tranches aren’t a thing anymore, hence my quick shortcut saying « almost 2030 »
I would still prefer that the SPICE bombs get removed once Brimstones get modeled correctly.
There’s no confirmation that the delivered Eurofighter for Germany has AESA actively equipped is there?
Yeah by the same logic French Rafales can get the Al-Tariq bombs that had been made by the UAE…
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I believe he’s just being facetious about the absurdity of SPICE bombs on Eurofighter, the rules should be more stringent in terms of missile additions and even plane additions but it is what it is.
Missile is to enter service in 2030. EFT is using Spices which are not yet in service and probably won’t until at least next year.
By next year the rafale F4 will most likely have tested the missile about 2-3 years before entering service. That checks out with current logic of « compatible weapon = okay to be added ».
People are also arguing for AMK kit on the EFT, when it was said to come in 2030+ as well.
I’m just aligning my « rafale expectations » with current ECT implementation + expectations.
All rafales were upgradable from F2 to F4.1, with only F4.2 bringing major structural changes preventing retrofits. I could say that rafale tranches isn’t a thing this way as well then
Quadriga is already being delivered…
What is Quadriga
you mean the ones that are already in service?
Spoiler
