New purchase agreed: A total of 42 new Dassault Rafale jets

New purchase agreed: A total of 42 new Dassault Rafale jets

France's defense procurement agency has notified Dassault Aviation as well as equipment suppliers Thales, Safran, and MBDA of the contract for the fifth phase of the aircraft's production, the ministry reported.

"This is excellent news for our sovereignty and security as well as for our armed forces, which will benefit from additional bursts with modernized operational capabilities," said Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu.

The Rafale entered service with the French Navy in 2004 and the French Air Force in 2006, and has operated in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Iraq, and Syria. The latest contract brings the total number of Rafale jets ordered by France to 234, including a special order in 2021 for 12 fighters to replace aircraft transferred to Greece.

Export orders for the Rafale currently stand at 261 new aircraft, including Egypt, India, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia. In addition, Greece, and Croatia each bought 12 second-hand jet fighters from the French Air Force.

The planes are due to be upgraded to the F5 standard in the 2030s, according to the ministry. The Senate has called on Dassault Aviation to begin work on the upgrade — which could include a drone based on Europe's nEUROn combat drone program — as early as 2024 because of uncertainty over the Future Combat Air system. The FCAS could cost two to three times as much as the Rafale, while export would be subject to approval by the German partner, the senators said in a November report.

Until FCAS becomes operational, France will need a top-of-the-line fighter to provide the airborne component of its nuclear deterrent, the Defense Committee said.

The Rafale is considered a 4.5 generation fighter, like the Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab's Gripen, and includes basic stealth technology, the ability to maintain supersonic speed without the use of an afterburner and engage targets beyond visual range.

Dassault Aviation said existing Rafale orders, including the new contract, meant the aircraft production line would be active for at least the next 10 years.

The company received orders for 60 jets in 2023, including 42 to France and 18 to Indonesia, compared with 92 export orders in 2022, according to financial data released on Friday. Deliveries last year totaled 13 aircraft, ultimately one fighter less than delivered in 2022. The number of orders for the Rafale increased to 211 at the end of December, including 141 for export; at the end of 2022, the number was 164.

The latest agreement is the first major expenditure under French law on the military budget for the period from 2024 to 2030, the ministry announced, Jutarnji list reported.