Dassault Rafale

The French Air and Space Force is forming a new squadron with the Rafale now that manufacturer Dassault has resumed deliveries of the fighter to France.

After a challenging start, France, Germany and Spain’s Future Combat Air System is progressing toward demonstrator flights.

A wave of new orders and investments in capabilities is giving Eurofighter a “golden moment.”

For more information about Aviation Week Intelligence Network’s (AWIN) 2024 Military Fleet & MRO Forecast and other Aviation Week data products, please see: https://pgs.aviationweek.com/forecast

Boeing executives harbor little hope for extending F/A-18E/F production beyond the last scheduled delivery to the U.S. Navy in 2027.

The title of Bill Sweetman’s self-published report is not subtle: “Trillion Dollar Trainwreck: How the F-35 Hollowed Out the United States Air Force.”

As the first Croatian Rafales arrive, neighboring Serbia lays out plans for its own procurement of the French fighter.

Croatia has become the fifth export operator of Dassault’s Rafale fighter following delivery of the first aircraft into the country’s capital of Zagreb.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has said a contract for a purchase of the French Dassault Rafale could be agreed by the summer.

France’s defense materiel agency has begun flight tests of a new optronics sensors system destined for the next upgrade package for the Dassault Rafale.

Of the 215 used fighters expected to transfer ownership in the coming decade, 132 of them (about 61%) will be F-16s, according to Aviation Week’s Fleet Discovery Military database.

Presenting the firm’s 2023 results to journalists here March 6, Trappier acknowledged some issues with Rafale supply chain delays.

Every dollar of aircraft production underpins at least another dollar of supplier activity in all tiers.

France’s military modernization is ambitious, expansive and well underway, according to data from Aviation Week Network’s Fleet Discovery Military tool.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

Government-backed export campaigns, weapon packages and a clear development road map are steering Rafale to export success.

France has placed a long-awaited order for 42 more Dassault Rafale combat aircraft to equip the country’s air force.

Indonesia’s government has contracted the third and final batch of its planned acquisition of 42 Dassault Rafales, the manufacturer has confirmed.

New concepts are in the works, such as military areas that move with the activity along a defined trajectory.

Despite the conflict in Gaza, the Middle East’s military modernization is continuing.

An ongoing software problem haunts Lockheed Martin’s production and modernization agenda for the F-35 as a raft of new competitors hit key milestones in 2024.

Safran may take the Italian government to court after Rome blocked its purchase of Collins Aerospace's actuation and flight control systems business from RTX.

The uncrewed combat air vehicles that may accompany the Rafale F5 standard will be designed to enter highly defended zones, Dassault's CEO said Dec. 5.

For more information about Aviation Week Intelligence Network’s (AWIN) 2024 Military Fleet & MRO Forecast and other Aviation Week data products, please see: https://pgs.aviationweek.com/forecast

As military needs evolve in airspace use, improved collaboration with civil users and more cross-border cooperation are to be expected.