The Italian Aerospace Information Web
by Aeromedia - corso Giambone 46/18 - 10135 Torino (Italy)
Will Rafale become a British aircraft?
The Alenia Aeronautica's drive to form a joint-venture with EADS (Aerospatiale Matra-CASA-DASA), is just the most recent move in the re-organization of the European aerospace industry.
A typical result of the reshaping process is the majority position that EADS earned inside the consortium Eurofighter and, through Aerospatiale-Matra participation, the 45,7% ownership of Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Mirage and Rafale fighters.
EADS is in the unusual position to produce different aircraft of the same category, in strong competition on the market worldwide. A compromise solution will probably be found in the near future, to avoid the departure of Aerospatiale-Matra from the Dassault capital.
In case this will be not possible, Serge Dassault (49,9% owner of the family company) should be forced to join BAe Systems.
In the pictures, three Dassault fighters which might become British products, taxiing at the 1999 Le Bourget air show, and a classic Dassault bomber:
Rafale C01/F-ZWVR, Armée de l'Air single-seater prototype; it made its maiden flight 19 May 1991
| B01/F-ZWVS, two-seat dual-control trainer prototype Rafale B, taxiing with three external fuel tanks and two Apache SOMs; it was flown for the first time 30 April 1993
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| Mirage 2000C 18/5-OF belonging to Armée de l'Air "EC2/5 "Ile de France"
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| Almost forty years of service with Armée de l'Air for c/n 25 Dassault Mirage IV-P "AX" belonging to ERS 1/91 "Gascogne". Born as a nuclear strategic bomber, the type is now also used as a long-range reconnaisance platform
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(Aeromedia, June 2000)