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Rafale deal clean, people misinterpreted numbers to say India paid too much: Dassault CEO

The Rafale jet contract is a “very clean deal” conforming to “Indian and French laws” and those raising questions about it have misinterpreted numbers to conclude that India paid too much for the warplanes, Eric Trappier, the CEO of Dassault Aviation SA, which builds the Rafale, said in an interview on Saturday.

“As far as I am concerned… as a witness and as someone in charge of the performance of the contract…I may tell you very clearly, it is a very clean deal. How can I not do a clean deal with all the laws in France and India?” said Trappier, who is accompanying French President Emmanuel Macron on his India visit.

His comments came a day after the Congress alleged that the Narendra Modi government caused a loss of Rs 12,632 crore to the exchequer by inking the September 2016 deal for 36 Rafale planes. Quoting figures from Dassault’s annual report for 2017, the opposition party alleged that India had paid Rs 351 crore more for each jet than other Rafale customers such as Egypt and Qatar.

“The figures in the report were given by me one-and-a-half years ago. The numbers include not only the Rafale deal but also covers Mirage-2000 support. I know that because the figures are coming from me,” said Trappier.

He said before the deals were inked, the French government checked that per unit price of the Rafale was the same for all three customers: India, Egypt and Qatar. He said the final cost package would vary depending on the “scope of each deal”.

“Price varies depending on the package, support, weapons, country-specific requirements, number of bases…There are a huge number of parameters in the contract. There can be no comparison. It’s like apples and oranges. The scope of each deal is different,” he said. For instance, post-sales support, he said, was a part of the deal with India but not for deals with some other countries.

More at : Rafale deal clean, people misinterpreted numbers to say India paid too much: Dassault CEO
 
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New Delhi: A plea was on Tuesday filed in the Supreme Court seeking an independent probe into the Centre's decision to procure 36 Rafale fighter jets from France and disclosure of the cost involved in the deal before Parliament.

The petition, which may come up for hearing during the week, alleged that it was the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to disclose the cost involved in the entire deal to Parliament and the citizens.
"Direct the respondents (Centre and MoD) to disclose a consolidate transaction cost involved in procuring 36 Rafale fighter aircraft," the plea, filed by Congress leader Tehseen S Poonawalla, said.
It also sought issuance of a direction against the Centre as to why the Cabinet's approval was not sought as part of the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) before signing the procurement deal with France on September 23, 2016.
The plea claimed that the defence deal of procuring 36 Rafale fighters from Dassault was announced during the prime minister's state visit to France.
"It was an attempt to put a sheen on prime minister's visit to Paris. This pronouncement was a premature announcement of the deal without going through the usual practice, the formal process and procedure which is otherwise involved in similar international covenants," it said.
Rafale deal is a defence agreement signed between the governments of India and France to purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircrafts in fly-away condition as a part of upgrading process of Indian Air Force equipment.
Rafale fighter aircraft is a twin-engine Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) is manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation.
Indian Air Force had advanced a proposal to buy 126 fighter aircraft in August 2007 and floated a tender and an invitation was sent to various aviation companies to participate for the bidding process.
The petition said that in 2012, the deal for 126 Rafale fighter aircrafts was proposed, and out of the total of 126 number, 18 Rafale fighter aircrafts were to be delivered by Dassault Aviation company in fly-away condition, the rest 108 Rafale fighter aircrafts were to be manufactured in India at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) which is an Indian public sector aerospace and defence unit, under a transfer of technology agreement.
That the deal was nearly finalised by 2014 by the then UPA government, it said.
"In April 2015, Narendra Modi made a state visit to France and during a state event the prime minister in Paris made an announcement to purchase 36 Rafale fighter aircrafts in fly-away condition and immediately within few days after the big announcement of procuring of 36 Rafale aircrafts. On 13 April 2015, the then defence minister made an announcement that the Rafale deal is 'effectively dead' and that India officially withdrew the 126-aircraft MMECA tender on 30 July 2015," it alleged.
The plea said the MoD had withdrawn the 2007 tender which was for procurement of 126 Rafale fighter aircrafts, the deal announced for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft was all together a fresh procurement.
The plea has also sought a direction to the Centre put on record the agreement signed between India and France on 23 September, 2016.
 
How the army will bring artificial intelligence on Rafale and drones
By Vincent Lamigeon the 17.03.2018 at 11h07


The Directorate General of Armament has entrusted Dassault and Thales with a study program aimed at developing artificial intelligence in French combat aircraft, in partnership with start-ups, SMEs and civil laboratories.

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The Directorate General of Armament has entrusted Dassault and Thales with a study program called Man Machine Teaming. Objective: to bring artificial intelligence into the hands of French combat aircraft, in partnership with start-ups, SMEs and civil laboratories.

Dassault Aviation - A. Pecchi
Florence Parly launches the big maneuvers in the artificial intelligence. The Directorate General of Armament (DGA) entrusted Friday, March 16 to Dassault Aviation and Thales , in the presence of the Minister of Armies, a program of studies to develop artificial intelligence technologies that will allow aviation to French fight to preserve its superiority. Called Man Machine Teaming (MMT), this three-year program, with a budget of some thirty million euros, will enable the development of new intelligent sensors, autonomous flight capabilities in complex environments, as well as new technologies. automatic radar identification or arming. "I'm telling you today, artificial intelligence will soon be in all barracks, on all ships and in all aircraft," said Parly, "autonomous navigation, collaborative combat, predictive simulation and maintenance will be the daily lives of our soldiers, sailors and airmen. "

Although its amount may seem modest, the MMT program augurs a new way of working for the DGA and the industrialists: no more military research in a closed environment, instead of civil opening. "We asked Dassault and Thales to consolidate the fabric of artificial intelligence capabilities that has already emerged in the civil, both in the industrial and academic," says Joel Barre, delegate general for weapons. The two French champions will work with 150 interlocutors: start-ups like Physip or Watiz; large groups, such as Safran or Naval Group; research laboratories and grandes écoles, such as Polytechnique, CEA LIST or Onera; and engineering groups like Altran or Akka Technologies. Civil technologies will then be "militarized" to be integrated into the demanding environment of combat aviation.

Penetrating the anti-aircraft defenses
The goal is clear: to restore lasting superiority to French combat aircraft. This is increasingly challenged by increasingly sophisticated air defense systems, such as the Russian S-300 and S-400. It must also deal with increasingly isolated targets, which require a high penetration capacity. Thanks to the AI, the army indicates to study "innovative strategies of penetration of the anti-air defenses" thanks to the collaboration between piloted combat aircraft type Rafale , and drones of combat which could be derived from the demonstrator Neuron of Dassault.

The concrete applications of the MMT program must serve this purpose. The partners will work in particular on "intelligent and cognitive" sensors, that is to say, capable of learning on their own. On the Rafale or combat drones, "neural antennas" will thus detect the presence of radar, but also to identify their type at a distance. "A kind of Shazam of electronic warfare," explained Thales CEO Patrice Caine Challenges in a long interview on the subject last June . Project partners will also be working on autonomous navigation capabilities for aircraft in complex environments. The first applications are expected for 2025, with a generalization by 2030.

100 million a year for AI
Beyond the MMT program, it is a great artificial intelligence plan announced by Florence Parly. The minister plans an annual investment of 100 million euros and the recruitment of 50 experts in artificial intelligence by 2022. She also confirmed the entry into service in 2019 of a demonstrator of secure artificial intelligence platform developed for the specific needs of armies, christened Artemis and developed by Thales, Sopra Steria, Atos-Bull, and Capgemini. Florence Parly also announced the creation of a new defense innovation agency, designed to foster the opening of defense innovation to civil society, whose articulation with the DGA remains to be defined.

France has little choice but to speed up the tempo. The United States, Russia and China are investing heavily in the artificial intelligence niche, which is challenging all military certainty. An example ? In June 2016, Colonel Gene Lee, former instructor of the US Air Force, had faced on a simulator air combat system Alpha, artificial intelligence developed by the start-up Psibernetix. The verdict was irrevocable: the pilot had been routinely stranded without being able to get off a single enemy plane. "The system seemed to predict my intentions and responded immediately to my trajectory changes and missile fire," said Gene Lee, "I'm exhausted, physically and mentally." A victory of AI all the more distressing that it was embarked on a Raspberry Pi ... a computer at 35 dollars.

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Why Dassault Aviation is dreaming as a pilot of the European fighter
HASSAN MEDDAH AERONAUTICS , DEFENSE , DASSAULT AVIATION
PUBLISHED ON 08/03/2018 AT 5:06 PM

Success of the Rafale for export, success of the nEUROn cooperation demonstrator program, France's desire to invest in combat aircraft ... Dassault Aviation has the assets to establish itself in a future European combat aircraft program .
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Dassault Aviation delivered 9 Rafale last year including 8 to Egypt.
If Dassault Aviation is already thinking of the after Rafale, it does not neglect the present. The immediacy for the aircraft manufacturer, it is the export of its combat aircraft in particular to compensate for the sluggishness of the market of business jets. Last year, the aircraft manufacturer delivered 9 Rafale, including 8 to Egypt, and it is waiting for the first payment from Qatar for an order of 12 aircraft last December. "The first payment will mark the beginning of the program," explained Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation. The leader was speaking Thursday, March 8 on the occasion of the presentation of the annual results of his group from the headquarters of the company in Saint-Cloud (Hauts-de-Seine). For its 2017 fiscal year, the aircraft manufacturer recorded a 33% increase in turnover to 4.8 billion euros and an operating margin, up 7.2%.

Beyond the annual results, the aircraft manufacturer anticipates the future European fighter. Considering the investments needed to design such a device, this program will be done through European cooperation and competition of industrialists. In front of the AirbusGroup, the Swedish SAAB, the British BAE Systems, Dassault Aviation intends to occupy a place of choice.

Transform the test in India
Its Rafale proves its value by garnering export successes. After seducing India, Qatar and Egypt, Dassault Aviation is hoping for further success in Belgium, Switzerland , Canada and Malaysia. His CEO will accompany Friday the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron in India where the aircraft manufacturer has already sold 36 aircraft. After setting up a factory by co-investing with the local manufacturer Reliance to meet the Make-In-India requirements, Dassault Aviation hopes to transform the test with additional orders.The marine version of the Rafale is ideally positioned to meet the needs of the Indian Navy who has expressed the need to equip about sixty aircraft.

The tricolor group can also boast a know-how in industrial cooperation on a European scale. He is the industrial leader of the nEUROn combat drone demonstrator program which involves six European nations (Spain, France, Greece, Italy , Sweden and Switzerland). "We were six countries and six industrialists.For 400 million euros, we made an object that flies well and is very stealthy (...) on time and in budgets.Dassault Aviation had the piloting of the program because we We are entitled to pilot a team by our aeronautical skills, " said Eric Trappier.

Satisfied, customer countries should also sign new contracts for additional work on stealth nEUROn and flight test campaigns over the period 2018-2020. All manufacturers have not shown the same know-how in terms of industrial piloting. Airbus Goup will not say the opposite, weakened by the A400M military aircraft program. Its calamitous management has resulted in delays in deliveries, the technical capacity of the aircraft promised but not at the rendezvous and an additional cost of 8 billion euros on initial financing of 12 billion euros.

France in the center of the game
The industrial tricolor has a major advantage over its competitors: the support of France has made combat aircraft one of its priorities to ensure its military superiority. Despite the budget constraints, the Ministry of the Armies has always financed the technological evolutions of the Rafale. The effort is considerable. The evolution to the last standard (said F3) amounted to 1 billion euros to stay at the top of the technology in the fields of armament, secure communications. With the following standard already in preparation, he will develop his stealth and artificial intelligence abilities ...

Better still, France plays a role of European locomotive. It has engaged bilateral collaborations with the United Kingdom on the future combat drone and with the Germans on future combat aircraft. Here again to position Dassault Aviation in the center of the game. In comparison, the United Kingdom can say the same. In full Brexit and already engaged in the purchase of US F35, the country wonders about its investments in this area. What penalize manufacturers of Franco-British cooperation who are still waiting for a first contract for a demonstrator after five years to carry out studies.

If with London, the cooperation skates, it is not the case with Berlin.French and Germans should produce a roadmap this year in the field of the future air combat system combining combat aircraft, drones, detection capability, new generation weapons ... "I am very enthusiastic to define a new combat system air, to define a new fighter plane.We have the skills.Our engineering office is very happy to say that there is a future combat aircraft in parallel to always improve the Rafale " , rejoices Eric Trappier.

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Pourquoi les Rafale vont-ils tourner dans le ciel de Bordeaux ?

According to this French newspaper (which focuses mostly on local residents anxious at the noise), Indian pilots will come to Bordeaux to receive training from October 2019 to January 2021. 800 training flights are planned, to train 24 pilots in total.

In addition, some Qatari pilots will come to do 72 training flights in April and May 2019. They'll be gone by the time the Indian pilots arrive, however.
 
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A Person said:
Pourquoi les Rafale vont-ils tourner dans le ciel de Bordeaux ?

According to this French newspaper (which focuses mostly on local residents anxious at the noise), Indian pilots will come to Bordeaux to receive training from October 2019 to January 2021. 800 training flights are planned, to train 24 pilots in total.

In addition, some Qatari pilots will come to do 72 training flights in April and May 2019. They'll be gone by the time the Indian pilots arrive, however.
Click to expand...

We are sending in only 3 pilots. The remaining 21 must be French.
 
The article says three groups of 8 Indian pilots, 24 total.

French pilots would normally have no reason to go there for training, by the way. The whole reason the article is written to explain stuff for the local residents (rather than worldwide aviation geeks) is that training flights do not usually happen over Bordeaux, but at Saint-Dizier or Landivisiau.
 
A Person said:
The article says three groups of 8 Indian pilots, 24 total.

French pilots would normally have no reason to go there for training, by the way. The whole reason the article is written to explain stuff for the local residents (rather than worldwide aviation geeks) is that training flights do not usually happen over Bordeaux, but at Saint-Dizier or Landivisiau.
Click to expand...

Weird. The initial news was we will only have 3 pilots trained.

How India got the Rafale at a lower price
Three other minor but important concessions include free training for nine IAF personnel, including three pilots; additional guarantee for 60 hours of usage of training aircraft for Indian pilots and six months of free weapons storage without charge (in case the Indian infrastructure is not ready for storing the weapons). The three concessions alone would make substantial saving for India, sources pointed out.

Someone out there's lying.
 
The simplest and most logical explanation would be that there are nine people who got free training, and the others got paid training.

It's possible (and I'd even say likely) the ones with free training are the first few, who'll need to be ready as soon as the aircraft arrive rather than some months later. Nine being quite a small number, it's possible they get to train at Saint-Dizier where they're starting to lack room for foreign pilots so they can take only a small detachment of Indian pilots, and the others go to Bordeaux for extraordinary training sessions.
 
A Person said:
The article says three groups of 8 Indian pilots, 24 total.

French pilots would normally have no reason to go there for training, by the way. The whole reason the article is written to explain stuff for the local residents (rather than worldwide aviation geeks) is that training flights do not usually happen over Bordeaux, but at Saint-Dizier or Landivisiau.
Click to expand...
All these guys are the sons, son-in-laws of serving senior IAF officers.
 
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vstol Jockey said:
All these guys are the sons, son-in-laws of serving senior IAF officers.
Click to expand...
This is a sad reality of armed forces. Defense tribunal flagged the lack of a mechanism to check for favoritism during the nuclear submarine training incident. Still not solved.
 
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