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KUWAIT, June 2 (Reuters) - Kuwait's defence minister said on Tuesday that buying Rafale fighter aircraft was worth "serious consideration", the official Kuwait News Agency reported.
"On a Rafale French military aircraft deal, Sheikh Jaber al-Hamad al-Sabah said the issue will be looked at, noting that the French aircraft's high quality and advanced technology demands serious consideration with regard to buying them," the agency said.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in February that Paris and Kuwait were in talks on a possible sale of warships and 14-28 Rafale fighter aircraft. Dassault Aviation (AVMD.PA) has yet to find a foreign buyer for its Rafale aircraft.
Sheikh Jaber, also deputy prime minister, said Kuwait's ruler discussed buying a nuclear reactor from France with Sarkozy during his visit to Kuwait in February. He gave no further details.
Following a meeting with Sarkozy in Paris in March, Sheikh Jaber said that both countries will cooperate over nuclear energy for civilian use and hinted that Kuwait could take a stake in French nuclear group Areva (CEPFi.PA). [ID:nLD519170] (Reporting by Eman Goma; Editing by Louise Ireland)
KUWAIT, June 2 (Reuters) - Kuwait's defence minister said on Tuesday that buying Rafale fighter aircraft was worth "serious consideration", the official Kuwait News Agency reported.
"On a Rafale French military aircraft deal, Sheikh Jaber al-Hamad al-Sabah said the issue will be looked at, noting that the French aircraft's high quality and advanced technology demands serious consideration with regard to buying them," the agency said.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in February that Paris and Kuwait were in talks on a possible sale of warships and 14-28 Rafale fighter aircraft. Dassault Aviation (AVMD.PA) has yet to find a foreign buyer for its Rafale aircraft.
Sheikh Jaber, also deputy prime minister, said Kuwait's ruler discussed buying a nuclear reactor from France with Sarkozy during his visit to Kuwait in February. He gave no further details.
Following a meeting with Sarkozy in Paris in March, Sheikh Jaber said that both countries will cooperate over nuclear energy for civilian use and hinted that Kuwait could take a stake in French nuclear group Areva (CEPFi.PA). [ID:nLD519170] (Reporting by Eman Goma; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Given the special links they have with the "anglo-saxon" world, and that they won't forget that the USA saved them from the irakian invasion in 1991, I'm not really optimistic about the hypothesis of selling the Rafale to Kuwait.
I feel further more optimistic about the Brazilian, Emirates and Swiss prospects
For the Kuwait, I was a long time defender of the Typhoon choice, mainly because it won't be fair to always prefer the Rafale!
More seriously, the Typhoon was a logical choice in Kuwait's today's strategy. It is view on the international market as the ultimate defense fighter, with excellent interception abilities and good local interdiction capabilities (with Brimstone missiles for example). On the other side, the Rafale is often considered as (and show as) an offensive weapon system. Even if it's as good as the Typhoon for local defense, it will always be viewed by public opinion and analysts as an aircraft able to do long range penetrations, anti-ship strikes etc... (I'm not talking about actual abilities, but political point of view, even if they are stupid)
If the Kuwait chose the Rafale, it will be a sign of two major changes: -The country will not depend on the USA only for defense supplies (that monopolistic situation being viewed as an strange thing that as no reason to be anymore since the end of Sadham in Irak) and will consider France as a reliable partner in the area (that could make sense after the installation of French militaries in the EMirates) -Kuwait changed its strategical point of view: the main threat for the country is not a local invasion (i.e. from Irak) but a regional conflict against Iran, requiring long range and anti-ship attack planes able to fight within an international coalition.
We already knew the UAE and the Qatar recently adopted this point of view (you don't buy tankers, AWACS and C-17 cargos for Airshows! ) but this could be a first time for the Kuwait.
Joined: Tue Jul 14, 2009 8:40 pm Posts: 26 Location: France, City of Lyon
PolluxDeltaSeven wrote:
For the Kuwait, I was a long time defender of the Typhoon choice, mainly because it won't be fair to always prefer the Rafale!
More seriously, the Typhoon was a logical choice in Kuwait's today's strategy. It is view on the international market as the ultimate defense fighter, with excellent interception abilities and good local interdiction capabilities (with Brimstone missiles for example). On the other side, the Rafale is often considered as (and show as) an offensive weapon system. Even if it's as good as the Typhoon for local defense, it will always be viewed by public opinion and analysts as an aircraft able to do long range penetrations, anti-ship strikes etc... (I'm not talking about actual abilities, but political point of view, even if they are stupid)
If the Kuwait chose the Rafale, it will be a sign of two major changes: -The country will not depend on the USA only for defense supplies (that monopolistic situation being viewed as an strange thing that as no reason to be anymore since the end of Sadham in Irak) and will consider France as a reliable partner in the area (that could make sense after the installation of French militaries in the EMirates) -Kuwait changed its strategical point of view: the main threat for the country is not a local invasion (i.e. from Irak) but a regional conflict against Iran, requiring long range and anti-ship attack planes able to fight within an international coalition.
We already knew the UAE and the Qatar recently adopted this point of view (you don't buy tankers, AWACS and C-17 cargos for Airshows! ) but this could be a first time for the Kuwait.
I agree in saying that the main competiting edge the rafale can offer to Kuwait is the capacity to use the Exocet anti-ship missile family. The only competitor which also allow this possibility of using anti-ships missile would be the F18E Super-Hornet, fir the moment the Typhoon is far from having it.
However, as you've just explained it, it's quite clear that the choice which would in fact appear the more logical for this particular country would be to buy the Eurofighter Typhoon, giving a special political emphasis on aerial defense.
I agree with that, but we can't just erase the Typhoon abilities and its interests in the Kuwait market.
For example, it use the same missiles the Hornet use, i.e. the AMRAAM and Sidewinder, with no need to pay for this integration. Moreover, it standard air-air payload is for 6 AMRAAM and 2 Sidewinders, while the standard air-air payload for the Rafale is for the moment only 6 MICA. And those missiles are also cheaper.
Of course, the Rafale is already a very good interceptor and dog-fighter, maybe better than the Typhoon in some ways. And with an AESA radar, additional MICA hard points and new 85kN or 90kN engines (as it was planed for the UAE), I won't have a single doubt anymore that the Rafale is superior to the Typhoon in air-air domain!!
But whatever, I was not really talking about actual abilities of the aircraft. As I said, the Typhoon is "viewed" as a pure interceptor, i.e. a defensive plane, while the Rafale is viewed as an offensive system, even if it's as good or better in "defensive" posture too !!
Buying the Typhoon or the Gripen, for Kuwait, is a symbolic and political message: "We only want to defense ourselves" because their planes are not able to make long range strikes. But if they buy the Rafale (or even the Super Hornet, ,barely), even if it's only for the exact same defensive missions, it will be seen as a very stronger diplomatic message: "Now we have muscles and we also can defense ourselves by attacking you!!"
Sadly, the real capabilities of the planes are only barely taken into account!
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(rules)
) but this could be a first time for the Kuwait.
