The General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces announced this Friday (12) the order for 42 Dassault Rafale fighters for the French Air and Space Force. Valued at €5 billion, the order marks the 5th batch of Rafales acquired by the country.
Deliveries of Rafale from the 5th batch should begin in 2027. The 42 fighters will all be single-seat and in the F4 version, the most modern and still under development, but expected to be modernized to the future F5 standard, which will include compatibility with collaborative aerial combat drones. The contract not only involves Dassault, but also partner companies such as MBDA, Thales and Safran that produce armaments, avionics, systems and engines for the French delta-canard.
The Rafale F4 features a number of improvements compared to the F3-R currently in operation, including a new helmet-mounted display, AESA radar with 3D ground mapping, new 1 ton smart pumps, larger touch screens and others.
“On behalf of Dassault Aviation and the 400 companies involved in the Rafale program, I would like to thank the Ministry of the Armed Forces, the DGA and the AAE for their renewed trust. We are ready and determined to utilize our skills as a prime contractor and integrator of complex systems to serve our nation’s sovereignty.”, celebrated Éric Trappier, President and CEO of Dassault Aviation.
“This military-industrial sovereignty is an exception in Europe. It guarantees the superiority of our combat aviation. It is also an asset for diplomatic influence and an economic force in export trade.”, he said.
Although it was only announced today, the contract was signed in December 2023 and the purchase was already foreseen in last year's budget. Part of the planes will also replace the 12 Rafale sold to Croatia.
“This is excellent news for our sovereignty, our security and our armed forces who will benefit from extra Rafales with modernized operational capabilities”, said the new Minister of the French Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu.
With the order, Dassault now has 229 Rafale fighters in its order book, 70 of which are for and 159 for export. Just this week, Indonesia celebrated the istart of payment for the last batch of 18 Rafale, acquired by the Asian country in February 2022. The agreement, divided into three phases, comprises the purchase of a total of 42 aircraft.
The Rafale is modernized and adapted to the Air Force's new needs and new threats, with the aim of remaining at the best technological and operational level, by successive standards, says the DGA. The Rafales will be equipped with the most modern equipment, allowing militaries to benefit from greater connectivity and self-protection capabilities. With this order, a new step was taken towards collaborative and connected aerial combat, concludes the Directorate.
