Dassault Aviation ended 2022 on the right foot. The aeronautical manufacturer resumed, on December 29, the delivery of Rafale fighters to the French Air and Space Force, ending a four-year hiatus.
On 29/12, Dassault delivered to the Direction Générale de l'Armement (French defense procurement agency), the Rafale B359 (F3R standard), the first unit of the model delivered to the French government since 2018.
According to manufacturer, the aircraft is part of the “tranche 4” order for 60 aircraft, granted in 2009. In accordance with the various Military Programming Acts, deliveries to were halted for budgetary reasons. As a result, the fighter's production line became completely dedicated to aircraft for export customers.
In recent years, Dassault has won Rafale production contracts for Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia. Colombia announced at the end of 2022 that it has pre-selected the plane as its new fighter, but so far has not signed any agreement. The naval version of the delta-canard, Rafale M (Marine), was also selected by India.
is due to receive another 27 Rafale from the tranche 4 order, as well as another 12 aircraft ordered by the Air Force in 2021, to compensate for the “loss” of 12 aircraft that were sold to Greece. currently has 135 Rafales, 94 in the Air Force and 41 in the Navy. The contract for tranche 5 should be awarded to Dassault in 2023.
The company further states that, in the current strategic context, it is particularly proud to be a partner in equipping and ing the French air force, as it has done for over a century.
