Rafale

[John Howling Mouse]

Welcome PolluxDeltaSeven (sounds like a Science Fiction virus?).  
You just picked up a whole planeload of new friends, Pollux!!!      

Thanks for pics of that Rafale-----now I'm hooked too!

One suggestion for your Rafale What If:  T-Tail!!!  (sorry, I have a T-Tail fascination and could not resist).

John Howling Mouse ("JHM" which you must not confuse with "JMN" as we call the Joyless Modeling Nazi's who literally count rivets and never actually build anything, anyhow).

[NARSES2]

Wellcome aboard Pollux (got to be careful how you say that). My only suggestion for your Rafale would be to do it as a Japanese maritime strike bird in multi tone blues ?

Chris

[Patrick H]

Welcome aboard PDS.
just this little welcome note as there's nothing to say about your Rafalle that these guys haven't sugested already.
That link you've provided shows a real mean Rafale. Never seen one as cool looking as that one.



Patrick

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

Wahooo!!! Such respons!!!

So...

@Zen:
I enjoy all your proposition, and maybe I could try one of them. But I have to admit I don't think I'm able to modified the real plane's structure, like the wings: it's my first What-if work and I think I'll do a simple model, for the moment.
But the conic intakes like a "Miarge" is a good idea (it was one of the first configuration when Dassault studied this plane)

Welcome aboard buddy.

Where ya from?

Thanks!! I'm an Italian-French guy from Lyon, in France... I admit it's not the perfect place to what-if model but I learn a lot by reading this forum and ARC.

@ If My Wife Finds Out ... (yeah!!):
Why not? A story like I love. It remind me Michael DiMercurio novels... Great idea.
I'm working on a story to, something perhaps more ... "global". Because I have a Typhoon, a Gripen, a F-35 and a F-22 (if I got time enough) to "whatifed", and I think it could be cool to have one in japanese scheme, one in desert one, an other with arctic scheme etc...
Maybe a great story for an european air force? or a lot of little story for each plane.
Don't know for the moment.

@JHM:

Welcome PolluxDeltaSeven (sounds like a Science Fiction virus?).

Thanks!!
Delta Seven is the name of Obi Wan Kennoby's space fighter in Episode II, so it is really a sci fi name.
And Pollux is the name of a star I saw this summer and the name of a famous old cartoon dog in France (does it mean I looks like a dog? hum hum??)

...
And thanks you all !!!  I don't figure it was so friendly to be here.

I have an idea for my Rafale configuration, NARSES2 will be happy  
I post it in few minutes

[Deino]

Hey what do You think of a forward-swept wing version ala S-37 ... if You compare the fuselage of both they look quite similar - even if the Rafale loks much more advanced, smoother, stealthier, sexier ....     ... but as there were some reports of a joint Russian-French cooperation in fifth generation fighter developments a Rafalesky - as a smaller and improved serial version of the S-37-concept is quite an idea woth to think about !!

Cherrs, Deino    

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

So, that's the idea I have this morning while I was drawin... working!!

The Rafale has a total of 14 weapons stations, even if  2 of them are often join in only one (this one where a tank is under the fuselage: 2 missiles could stand on the place of tis only tank).
Moreover, with is Conformal Fuel Tanks and some extern tanks, he is the most fuel capable new generation fighter in the west (exept the F-22, but this one is very to expensive to export).

So I imagine a Rafale with the mission of an Su-34: maritime stike and patrol plane.

The config, with japanese weapons, is, from the right to the left:

Wing:
- AAM-3 air-to-air Fox 2 (?) missile (looks like AIM-9)
- AAM-4 air-to-air Fox 3 missile (looks like AMRAAM)
- ASM-2 anti-ship missile
- 2000L tank

Fuselage:
-Mk-46/54 Torpedo (yeeess!!!! Torpedo!!)
-2000L tank
-Mk-46/54 Torpedo
(under the left air-intake, a MAD pod to detect submarines underwater)

Wing:
-ASM-2  (if I put here a tank, the pod is not visible. And I love assymetrical config)
-ASM-2
-AAM-4
-AAM-3

What do you think about it?

For a french config, I take Mica and Magic II instead of the AAM-3/4 and Exocet instead of the ASM-2.


I enjoy the idea of torpedoes on the under-fuselage lateral station. I thought of using torpedoes under Rafale few week ago, but not under those stations.


For the scheme, I will enjoy a scheme like that:



I forgot to tell that I have an other Rafale, a M version from Heller (grrrrrrrr!!) but I don't like it. I want one of the two in desert camo. I think it will be the Rafale M one, becouse I don't think sand-desert scheme and anti-ship config could be together.

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

Hey what do You think of a forward-swept wing version ala S-37 ... if You compare the fuselage of both they look quite similar - even if the Rafale loks much more advanced, smoother, stealthier, sexier ....     ... but as there were some reports of a joint Russian-French cooperation in fifth generation fighter developments a Rafalesky - as a smaller and improved serial version of the S-37-concept is quite an idea woth to think about !!

Cherrs, Deino  

When I saw for the first time the S-37 (or Su-47), I love it!! I thought is wing is a great idea. Like the X-29.

But a friend tell me recently that there are more inconvenient with a forward-swept wing that advantages. The plane is less stable at sound speed that a classic winged plane and the turn rate is not better at all (the X-29, who is a F-20 with a new wing, was less agile that the F-20, the F-16 and even the F-5).

But we are in what if, after all.

But I really don't think I'm capable of such a transformation. For that, you have to be a great scratch-builder and I'm not, not for the moment.
And I have to admit that I don't want to "butcher" my nation's best plane (and one of the more beautiful fighter I ever see ). (Don't know if the expression "to butcher" exist in english)

But if you want, I have a Mirage F1 that I can transform, modified, deform, destroy, burn and vaporise... With forward-swept wing or not!!    
Apologize to the Mirage F1 lovers... it's not my case at all!!! (sshhh!!!   )

[lancer]

Hey what do You think of a forward-swept wing version ala S-37 ... if You compare the fuselage of both they look quite similar - even if the Rafale loks much more advanced, smoother, stealthier, sexier ....     ...

You bite your tounge you heritic.....or I'll have the SPANISH INQUISITION down on you...        

Personally, I think the S37 is an exteremely sexy bird.

[lancer]

I'd like to join the chorus and say welcome aboard Pollux, you are in good company.
I love your ideas for the Rafale. Especially with the Japanese slant. I've got my own ideas for the Rafale as well, but they arwe still in the embryonic stages at the moment.  

[Scooterman]

My turn to pipe in.

Welcome aboard!  As always, please mind the empty beer cans and pork pies.......

(all to be explained in due course I'm sure!)  

I have a RAAF Rafale going myself.  1/48 Revell M kit.  Saw the Gekko decals and just had to do one.  

And LOVE the Japanese idea.  Wish I came up with that one!

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

Like the idea -- pics soon please!

For the moment I have my exam to pass, so my work table is full of books so... no modelism for the moment...

But last week I win a digital camera for my birthday. I haven't got the time to watch the notice but when I do that, I'll take some pictures, I promis

Saw the Gekko decals and just had to do one. wub.gif wub.gif

And so do I !!!!

I admit, a Rafale with japanese weapons tempt me. But I have no japanese decals (australians, french, germans, nederlands one, yes, but no japanese).
I have to think about the camo and the land marks, but it will be for later.

Thanks you all for your interrest for my project.

[Shasper]

PDS, there are no current CFT sets for the Rafale out at this time (AFAIK Dassault hasn't even done full scale flight testing), but from the model I saw, you could take a 1/48 droptank and play around with it



VEs B)  

[Hunter Gatherer]

Welcome Pollux.... Glad to have a like-minded soul aboard.

One of my 'Alternative Histories' is the two wars for the Kuril Islands.

First Kuril Island War 1967
Japanese Mirages 5's & Hunter's covered by Mirage III's (I have these on the workbench) make a pre-emptive strike on Soviet facilities and get shot-down in large numbers by defending MiG 21's

Second Kuril Island War 1995
Following a general escalation in tension in the region, Japanese forces take advantage of a weekend Russian presence on the islands and launch a major offensive using F-111's, A-10's and Tornado's

Look forward to seeing your models.

Salute
Ian

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

(AFAIK Dassault hasn't even done full scale flight testing)

Oh the CFT are operational and fonctional on the Rafale. There was even flight test and it'll be a standart element of the 2015 French Rafale F4 and the 2007 Singaporian Rafale (becouse we'll win!!! our fighter is more beautiful         )

But there is no kit at all. But perhaps I have a solution. I'm not a great modeler, but I can try: I can "draw" the form of the CFTs on the Rafale fuselage and modified those part of the scheme with a different weathering, like if the CFt were just removed from the plane.
What do U think about that? I'm not sure I can do that, but maybe I will try!!



This afternoon, I read a comics book spinking about a french fighter squadron, the "Normandie-Niemen" who serves during the WWII with the russian, against the Nazis on the soviet front.
So, after having reading IJ story, I thought about a French elite squadron, equiped with the new modified version of the Rafale, the Rafale S, who will be sent in Japan to help the Japan Rafale and F-2 to dealing with an ennemy (I don't chose it for the moment) in a large war I have to imagine.

But it is still for the moment just speculatives ideas.



So, it's 01.00AM, good night folks!!

[NARSES2]

I love your intended camoflage scheme Pollux - maritime blue's    Not sure about the torpedo's, but what the hell it's your model, so go for it

Chris

By the way - Lyon - nice place to live