Dr. Kopp is a symptom of the information vaccum surrounding secret mil tech.  Those with actual knowledge cannot openly discuss it so when someone like Dr. Kopp goes to some effort to create technical prose, fancy graphs and graphics lay people assume he is speaking with some authority.  I guess it's human nature at work, but if one is to take a robust approach to getting a complete picture it is important gather as much information as possible from as wide a variety of sources as possible and not jump to any conclusions.

 

 Frankly, even in my own profession I have seen supposed experts publish "rubbish" on best practices that have been downright wrong and not backed with rigorous research or supporting data.   

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I'm going to request a response through work - at least then I have a better chance of getting an answer as they'll not think that I'm some timewaster chewing up their resources. :)

see above.  it  might take a while depending on how fast they (dassault)  choose to respond.  my own contact within dassault indicated that it could be done, but that it wasn't cost effective.  hence why artefacts 1-10 were being mothballed with only one remaining active for continued R&D work.

he was cynical about success due to budget issues from the FrGov

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One thing to remember too is that salt water/air can really make a plane look filthy.  I've seen F-14s towards the end of a deployment that look just terrible.  The aircraft itself is okay, but it looks like crap.  I'm sure the same problem occurs with F-18s and Rafales.

 

Maybe this is a cheap shot, and I apologize if it is--but did Air France ever start cleaning its planes?  Seems like every time I've seen an AF bird, it looks like someone drove it through a mud puddle and washed it off with crap.

 

 

Ouch.

 

Kerosene is also good against rust and it has been used for dry cleaning.

 

 

One thing to remember too is that salt water/air can really make a plane look filthy.  I've seen F-14s towards the end of a deployment that look just terrible.  The aircraft itself is okay, but it looks like crap.  I'm sure the same problem occurs with F-18s and Rafales.

 

Maybe this is a cheap shot, and I apologize if it is--but did Air France ever start cleaning its planes?  Seems like every time I've seen an AF bird, it looks like someone drove it through a mud puddle and washed it off with crap.

 

Laurent Collet-Billon. We prepare now the fourth order of rafale with deliveries scheduled from 2015. The LPM provides a clear slowdown in the rate of production for the French aircraft between 2012 and 2014, the difference being compensated by exports. However, the negotiations started, as positive as they are, will not lead early enough to ensure this balance. We must therefore adopt assumptions for the contract and subsequently proceed to a shift of pace according to embodiments of export prospects. The contract on the fourth installment incorporates this flexibility clauses quite able to cope with different possibilities of evolution.

I share your desire to transform as quickly as possible Rafale F1 Rafale F3: soon it will be less expensive it will cost. If we succeed, this will increase the number of available rafales.

The renovation of 50 to 60 Mirage 2000D require funding of around 700 million euros. I think this could actually help alleviate the late rise of the Rafale. I am not responsible for the running costs, I can not, however, whether this upgrade will not or avoid significant expenses for maintenance. I mention that I still remain vigilant to changes in the cost of ownership even if I do not control all aspects.