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Egypt buys 24 Rafale

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Neil Owen

Egypt buys 24 Rafale

Post by Neil Owen » Fri Feb 13, 2015 6:50 am

BBC story confirms Egypt will sign a contract for 24 Rafales on Monday. The first definite export order.

See www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-31449564

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Thunder
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Re: Egypt buys 24 Rafale

Post by Thunder » Fri Feb 13, 2015 2:27 pm

Wonder what that will be replacing, Mirage V/2000, F-4 or MiG21?

Dazza37

Re: Egypt buys 24 Rafale

Post by Dazza37 » Fri Feb 13, 2015 4:47 pm

Egypt's F-4's are already long dead...

-Dazza

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Thunder
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Re: Egypt buys 24 Rafale

Post by Thunder » Fri Feb 13, 2015 8:12 pm

No they're not, still two Sqns flying them 76 & 78 out of Cairo West.

herbert
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Re: Egypt buys 24 Rafale

Post by herbert » Wed Feb 25, 2015 10:42 pm

Thunder are you sure the Egyptian F-4Es are still operational?

MRTT
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Re: Egypt buys 24 Rafale

Post by MRTT » Wed Feb 25, 2015 10:58 pm

According to Wikipedia they still have 34.

Sharpy39
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Re: Egypt buys 24 Rafale

Post by Sharpy39 » Wed Feb 25, 2015 11:10 pm

Scramble has them down as operating 2 squadrons (76 & 78) of the 222nd Fighter Brigade out of Cairo west.

Here's a link http://www.scramble.nl/orbats/egypt

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Thunder
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Re: Egypt buys 24 Rafale

Post by Thunder » Wed Feb 25, 2015 11:49 pm

Definitely still in service, there was even word about putting them through an upgrade similar to the Greek AUP/Turkish 2020 versions.

Dazza37

Re: Egypt buys 24 Rafale

Post by Dazza37 » Thu Feb 26, 2015 12:10 am

An Egyptian member of a particular F-4 facebook group is adamant that they are no longer operational, he only lives there, so who am I to argue...

-Dazza

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Thunder
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Re: Egypt buys 24 Rafale

Post by Thunder » Thu Feb 26, 2015 11:16 am

Where does he live, Egypt or beside Cairo West? I've looked into this and it seems that there is a lot of construction and upgrading work currently going on at Cairo West(has been for the last 2 years) for the arrival of the Peace Vector VII Blk 52 F-16's. It looks like the F-4's may have bolt holed to Abu Suwayr (maybe other bases as well)during the work and may or may not return. The E2 Hawkeyes also seem to have vacated Cairo West.

Dazza37

Re: Egypt buys 24 Rafale

Post by Dazza37 » Thu Feb 26, 2015 12:12 pm

I hope you're right, and that Egypt's F-4Es are still operational (my avatar should give you a clue!), I don't know where exactly in Egypt this individual lives, but during a discussion last year about current F-4 users, he was quite clear that Egypt had stopped flying their F-4s around 2012. Of course it's difficult to gain definitive info so i'm open to convincing either way!

-Dazza

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Thunder
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Re: Egypt buys 24 Rafale

Post by Thunder » Thu Feb 26, 2015 12:24 pm

If you Google Earth Abu Suwayr AB, you can clearly see 8 F-4's in the HAS complex middle South of the base, there is also a ninth F-4 outside the large Hangar on the West of the base. I highly doubt there are the numbers mentioned above still being active as there are several stored airframes dotted around Cairo West. The date of the satellite image is July 2013.

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TonyO
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Re: Egypt buys 24 Rafale

Post by TonyO » Thu Feb 26, 2015 12:37 pm

I too, like Dazza have been told that Egypt retired its F-4s in 2012. But the Abu Sawayr sighting is interesting. Could they have moved there and become decoys?
You want the Aladeen news, or the Aladeen news?

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garyscott
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Re: Egypt buys 24 Rafale

Post by garyscott » Thu Feb 26, 2015 12:41 pm

They could also be used as expendable targets in the event of an air attack, attacker wastes munitions on targets that are of no consequence, its been done before? Just a theory mind.
:ninja:

Dazza37

Re: Egypt buys 24 Rafale

Post by Dazza37 » Thu Feb 26, 2015 1:16 pm

Had a look at the Google Earth image, if i were a betting man, i'd say they were decoys/derelict airframes. The base looks totally deserted, there doesn't even appear to be any cars, trucks or vans on the base? I know Scramble.nl lists it as a F-16 base but, there is usually some signs of life on an active airbase...

-Dazza

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