To be precise :
2027-2029 is prototype phase. 2029 onwards is the development of the final form. No actual dates for a flying prototype tho.
I don’t see 2035 for entry of service but a target of 2040.
Either way, 2035 seems highly optimistic since Dassault Aviation said that they could have a proto flying by 2032 just after the end of the franco-german cooperation
With everything going faster to the old timeline, and with even Trappier saying that it would happen much sooner than what he just said, such date would make sense.
Well they say in your screenshot, that 2027-2029 is the period it will fly lol.
And remember phase 1 for the proto got completed with it being planned to fly in 2027 previously (and even sooner ?), it was following France design (not like it was not following German and spanish choice too but those are idiots that change just before the end).
Otherwise as far as i understood 2040 would be FOC, IOC could happen in 2035 which was what Trappier said previously for it to be in the air force (or another official).
my understanding is, prototype will fly in 2029 at the latest date
Then development to a proper fight worthy airframe will take up to 2040
just like Rafale A flew in the 80s but the aircraft started being combat worthy in the 00s
I just noticed that in the third image, the missile is attached to the inner wing hardpoint, which would open up the possibility of carrying 4 to 5 missiles.
Keep in mind the Rafale being an early stage of the B01, which didn’t even have a Radar, OFS or SPECTRA installed during that time - the only live munition it carried were Magic II on wingtips iirc.
I am not even sure whether APACHE was ever test launched from any of the Rafale prototypes.
Cluster bombs…That’s going to be fun to balance and good luck with it not crashing servers.
I haven’t checked have Russia got some god tier Kh-38 Sub munition warhead that homes in on targets?
Nice catch, might have just been for carriage though. Iirc Apache was meant to be on pylons where the SCALP goes.
you know kh38 isnt so much of a god tier like the scalp cluster cruise missile.
but in your information, yes russia do have some good option.
to name few, cluster fab 3000/1500, cluster kh59mk2 ( stealth ), kh38.
In game it is though and we wont ever see SCALP it will break Air RB and SIM battles and Gaijin hates players having free rp.
If we do though they wont be useable in realistic battles but the Kh-38 is already proven
This is not what it says. This is more so about the design choice phase, which means that by 2029 the final design development should begin. It does not say anything about an actual flying prototype
A sub 2030 date for a flying prototype is just not possible, aside from maybe a rough aerodynamic testbed at best.
Final design choice for the proto was for phase 1 which ended in september, last date at which funds for FCAS runned out, there were 3 configurations that were tested in the thing to test aerodynamic.
I’m not against the idea of it flying few years later but honestly i doubt it with how explicit it is.
Pretty sure Tempest prototype is on a similar shedule to FCAS prototype while they are way behind compared to the work that has been done on FCAS, and also it not benefiting anything from GCAP which just started too.
Current IRST sure is not enough but what is targetted with Rafale f5 new IRST has been made pretty clear and that is stealth aircraft with some rare comments from the DGA about it.
IRST is a great tool but it’s just not a magical device. With SWIR+MWIR sensor you might be able to see through light fog, but clouds and rain are out of the question. The atmosphere is just that bad at conducting IR emissions
I think recent AI news from different videogames sparked the interest, I myself remember having trouble in 2021-2024 editing my own missiles/missions/planes. I don’t have much time now but I can see having an Agentic AI helper make you this and more stuff more easily.
