Rafale and Gripen Cockpits

[Rostam]

Rafale ...

[Rostam]

Gripen ...

[Rostam]

Just for the heck of it, here's the Eurofighter cockpit ...

[Rostam]

The Rafale cockpit doesn't look as impressive as either the Eurofighter cockpit or the Gripen cockpit. But the Rafale cockpit does share resemblance to the F-16 cockpit in it's configuration (the "joystick" being on the right)

[Rostam]

F-16 cockpit

[Rostam]

Tigershark cockpit ...

[Rostam]

You can check out the F-18 Super Hornet cockpit in the IAI Lavi thread.

http://www.pakdef.info/forum/attachm...=&postid=22545

[omar]

More buttons and dials doesnt necessary equal better. For instance, did you notice the Rafale has no buttons around its LCD screens? Thats because its screens are touchscreen which make for a more intuitive interface, something neither grippen or eurofighter have. Also, on the Rafale all the important navigation, radar and defensive info seems to be presented to the pilot on one very large full colour LCD. On all the other planes, the pilot has to get that information from 2 or 3 different smaller displays. Dont you think thats the sort of thing that would speed up decidion making and make the pilot aware of his options much quicker?

[Fahad]

The Gripen Cockpit somehow looks more user friendly.

[Rostam]

Omar -

I'm not talking about functionality ... I'm talking about their respective aesthetic qualities.

[omar]

I guess aesthetics are a very personal preference. I always prefer clean and simple designs to anything overly complex. As for function, here's an extract from an article on the Rafale at www.jedonline.com :

Information from the Spectra EW suite, the radar, and the OSF are brought together through modular mission computers and presented to the pilot and back-seater via a modern cockpit with 160 square inches of active display space - a close second to the 180 square inches on the larger F-22 and rather more than the Typhoon.

The Rafale cockpit hardware includes a number of unusual or unique features. The large central screen, which normally hosts the main tactical-situation display, is collimated at infinity. The physical optics of the "head-level display" (HLD) are designed so that the top of the HLD is directly below the head-up display (HUD). (On most other fighters, there is a small up-front control panel under the HUD and above the main central display.) Imagery from the identification sensor can be displayed on a window in the HLD. This system allows the pilot to switch from the short- term HUD view to the larger tactical picture without refocusing his eyes or dropping his gaze below the head-up display (HUD).

Contrary to US or other European practice, the Rafale cockpit uses touch-screen panels. The 6-x-6-in. screens on either side of the HLD are touch-sensitive, and there is a touch-control cursor panel beneath the HLD. One advantage of touch-screen is that it provides more glass area in the same space by eliminating the ring of bezel switches around each screen. The Rafale pilot will be issued special silk-lined leather gloves, with no stitching on the fingertips, and a chamois insert, for wiping the screens, above the fingers.

The entire fighter is highly automated, with a single all-electric throttle for both engines and a single start switch. A direct-voice-input (DVI) system is incorporated, with a 50-300-word vocabulary, and Sextant's Topsight helmet- mounted display will be incorporated from the mid-2000s.

The fused tactical display is reminiscent of the F-22's, with a "god's-eye" view of the battle replacing separate sensor displays. Different colors and shapes are used to distinguish hostiles from friendlies, and targets are automatically prioritized. Complementing the god's-eye view is an inset display which shows the relative altitude of the Rafale and its targets.

[Umer]

another view of cocpits of Eurofighter & Gripen...........F16 too.

[Syed_Noor]

Rafale's throttle looks like another stick ...LOL

[Nicolas]

Rafale throttle looks like another stick because it's one !!!

Because of FADEC (Full authority Digital Engine Control), no need to have a throttle splitted in two, with one moving lever for each engine.

In case of emergency, you just shut down the faulty engine, or order it to idle, by a switch or touchscreen command.

And as it is an HOTAS aircraft, you have a hell of a lot of switches and levers on this one throttle...

[Sharjeel]

the Eurofighter cockpit is voice activated. companys these days are migrating to more userfriedly cockpits. so burden is relieved from pilots head hence giving him more time to combat. the rafale and typhoon cockpits are practicaly the same. only slight configurational difrences. they aim to achieve same goals.

To PAF the rafale cockpit is most suitable becouse of the stick location. the PAF pilots are used to this configuration. and also i think its better to have a small stick on the side rather then a big one in the midle. the G-forces have less effect on the sidestick design. also the typhoon does not have touchscreen becouse it has a tachnology where the comp knows where the pilots eyes are pointing to. so he just looks at a certain thing and shouts a command and thats IT.