French order for 42 Rafales

The French Ministry of the Armed Forces has confirmed its intention to order 42 Rafale aircraft of the F4 version in 2023.

The order will be divided into two batches: one of twelve aircraft and a second of thirty. It will be budgeted by the defence finance law of 2023, which provides for 43.9 billion euros.

It is common knowledge that the first twelve planes will compensate for withdrawals from the Armee de l'Air et de l'Espace (Air and Space Force) stocks due to the export of second-hand planes.

Obviously the twelve aircraft mentioned here are the ones sold to Croatia.

The Ministry of the Armed Forces has planned three dozen new fighters to prepare for the future and continue making the French fleet the most rational and efficient. The Air and Space Force is preparing for the imminent end of the Dassault Aviation Mirage 2000.

The devices must be delivered between 2027 and 2030 and will be upgraded to the F4 standard currently under development.

Internationally, Indonesia has become the seventh largest export customer for Rafale, after Egypt (55), Qatar (36), India (36), Greece (18 + 6), Croatia (12 second hand ) and the United Arab Emirates (80).

According to information from the French newspaper La tribune, the order for the six Rafales has just entered into force because Jakarta has made the first payment.

Photo: Jean Francois Auran