Jan 21, 2024. Posted by Balkan Periscope - Hellas
The purchase comes as French lawmakers express concern over a Franco-German project to develop a successor to the Rafale.
The Future Combat Air system, as it is known, is not expected to enter service before 2045 or 2050, according to the French Senate's defense committee, writes Defense News.
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.
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