Beazz, 

OK, it sounded to me like you were saying it couldn't get to 30k feet in 150nm.  It may not have been your intent, but I think that is how BW understood you too.   I wouldn't say that it has to meet requirements as is or the jet sucks, since the same could be said of nearly every other fighter.  The UAE didn't settle for a standard Block 50 F-16 as it was.  They got uprated motors, bigger CFTs, AESA, IRST/FLIR internally, new ECM system etc to meet their requirements.  The Super Hornet is looking at getting a similar 20% increase in thrust to compete for sales, the F-15E got about a 20% increase in thrust going from -220 to -229 motors, as did the F-16 going from block 40s to 50s (then the -132 motors pushing up an additional 10%).  If you are getting a jet that's been in production for over 10 years, you probably want some upgrades.  Jane's indicates that the UAE is also trying to get unspecified avionics upgrades past the F3 version.  Perhaps that is adding weight and requiring more thrust.

As far as the humidity thing, you are right, I made too sweeping of a statement.  Humidity will have some effect, but not as measurably or predictably as altitude and temperature.  The other factor is that the hotter the air is, the more water vapor it can hold, thus increasing PA.  The Pilot's Encyclopedia of Aeronautical Knowledge says it better than I did:

"Humidity alone is usually not considered an important factor in calculating density altitude and airplane  performance; however it does contribute."

I've never seen an aircraft chart factor in humidity, but it will have some effect.  Still, the temperature in the UAE coastal regions average 25-30 degrees F more than Florida and is much more difficult on aircraft takeoff performance.  I have no idea what the climb requirements were for the jet, or if that was even a reason. 

Now that I've done some defending of the Raf, I want to do some bashing.  Even if it does sell to the UAE, I wouldn't take that as proof of superiority.  France has done a lot of political maneuvering and it could be a reward for putting a permanent naval base there and developing nuclear power (again, from Jane's):

"The new base - France's first in the Persian Gulf - will include a naval base and logistical base, an air base with three Mirage and Rafale jet fighters and a training camp, spread across three sites on the banks of the Strait of Hormuz, near Iran. It will house up to 500 French troops at any one time, and will make France the only Western country other than the United States to have a permanent military presence in the region. The base is designed to support French naval operations in the Gulf and Indian Ocean, making it easier to supply French ships, and is France's first overseas base to be opened in 50 years. France already has a larger military base at Djibouti on the Horn of Africa.

However, the main purpose of the base is probably diplomatic. France is a leading military supplier to the UAE; the countries signed a defence pact in 1995 and conduct some 25 joint troop manoeuvres every year. From Abu Dhabi's point of view, the establishment of the base breaks the monopoly of the US on security in the region, and the country can expect a greater commitment from France to the UAE and other countries in the region in technology and industrial programmes.

Sarkozy hopes to position France for several important defence and energy deals. The UAE plans to build a number of nuclear reactors to meet an expected need for an extra 40,000 megawatts of electricity by 2017, and Total and Suez, as well as state-run nuclear reactor maker Areva, announced that they planned to develop nuclear reactors in the UAE. Sarkozy will also be lobbying on behalf of Dassault Aviation, which is aims to sell between 60 and 100 Rafale fighter jets."

I suspect those who were sour grapes over the F-15K winning over the Rafale and blamed it on political pressure will have no problem if a similar situation helps sell there jet.  Call it a hunch.  The fact that the UAE is also trying to unload their M2K-9's/MICAs to get Rafale w/AESA & Meteor may indicate some lacking performance from one or both of the aforementioned systems.  That doesn't seem like a ringing endorsement of the MICA to me.