PARIS—France is to invest €6.41 billion ($6.75 billion) into the Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft program between 2023 and 2026 and has earmarked an additional €5.36 billion after 2026. 

In total, the spending commitment budgeted for the fighter jet program amounts to €11.7 billion. 

France continues to invest in its combat aircraft capabilities, particularly the Dassault Rafale, as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) will not be operational until 2040-45. 

The appendix to the country’s defense budget bill for 2024 shows the French Ministry of Armed Forces will spend €1.66 billion on the Rafale in 2023, €2.29 billion in 2024, €1.69 billion in 2025 and €764.8 million in 2026. 

The French government already has planned to spend €1.38 billion on the Rafale’s F4 standard between 2024 and 2026, with a focus on bolstering the platform’s connectivity. 

The F4 upgrade includes enhanced weapons capability, improved sensors, elevated cyber resiliency and better availability, the Thales Scorpion head-mounted display and the 1,000-kg (2,200-lb.) Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM) precision-guided bomb, among other equipment. 

The report also notes qualification of the F4.2 standard has been postponed to 2025 from 2024. The qualification of the F4.1 standard was announced in March 2023, instead of 2022. 

The F5 standard will require €211.9 million over the period. The budget will be used to continue risk-mitigation studies, as well as work on the Thales RBE2 XG radar. The F5 upgrade is aimed at maintaining proficiency for air combat operations and integrating a higher level of connectivity, while waiting for the Next Generation Weapon System, within the FCAS program. The Rafale F5 upgrade is seen as a precursor to the Next Generation Fighter that is part of the FCAS.

Funding additionally will be allocated for the preparation of a future uncrewed combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) to support the Rafale F5 at €128.09 million between 2024 and 2026.

An amendment to the French Military Programming Law specifies the Rafale F5 could include “the development of a drone to support the Rafale, based on the Neuron [UCAV] demonstrator.”

The French government launched the Neuron program in 2003 with Dassault Aviation as prime contractor in collaboration with Airbus Spain (formerly EADS-CASA), Hellenic Aerospace Industries, Leonardo (formerly Alenia Aermacchi), RUAG and Saab. 

By the end of 2023, France is expected to order 42 Rafales; negotiations are still ongoing with Dassault Aviation for this fifth batch. Deliveries initially were planned to start in 2029 but discussions are underway to deliver them starting in 2027.

Thirteen aircraft have been delivered in 2023, with 13 more to arrive in 2024, 12 in 2025 and one in 2026. The French Military Programming Law sets a fleet target of 178 Rafales—137 for the Air Force and 41 for the Navy—by 2030 and 225 by 2035.