October 23, 2025, 13:00 (UTC +3)
France clarifies Rafale fleet target: no additional orders beyond 225 for now
During a parliamentary hearing on the 2026 finance bill, Emmanuel Chiva, head of the Direction générale de l’armement (DGA), clarified that France is not ordering 61 additional Rafale fighters.
The figure of 286 aircraft mentioned in the budget documents refers to total cumulative deliveries, including aircraft already produced, those exported to Greece and Croatia, and two attrition replacements.
It likely also accounts for the progressive replacement of older airframes already in service, such as the French Navy’s Rafale M jets, which were delivered in 1999, although this has not been explicitly confirmed by Chiva.
The operational target remains 225 Rafales, 185 for the Air and Space Force and 40 for the French Navy, consistent with the current 2024–2030 Military Programming Law (LPM).
Only two Rafale replacements are planned under the 2026 budget, compensating for aircraft lost in 2024.
France’s 2026 finance bill confirms that the operational target for its Rafale fighter fleet remains at 225 aircraft, despite references to a 286-aircraft “program target” in official budget documents that initially suggested a larger expansion.
Speaking before the National Assembly’s defense committee, DGA chief Emmanuel Chiva clarified that the higher figure represents cumulative deliveries, not new orders.
“We have two additional Rafales planned by 2030 to compensate for attrition,” Chiva told lawmakers. “If there were an increase of 61 aircraft, that would require a compatible production program, which is not the case today.”
The clarification follows comments by French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this year, suggesting that an expansion might be considered in the long term, but this has not been formalized under the current LPM.
Maintaining the 225-aircraft objective
France’s Air and Space Force currently operates around 100 Rafale jets, 67 Mirage 2000D out of which 55 will be modernized under the RMV program, and just under 30 Mirage 2000-5F, some of which will be transferred to Ukraine.
Under France’s 2024–2030 Military Programming Law, the Air and Space Force is to field 185 Rafales by 2035, while the Navy will operate 40 Rafale M jets. The 286 figure published in the 2026 budget includes delivered aircraft, exports to Greece and Croatia, and likely also covers replacements for early-production airframes, such as the French Navy’s first Rafale M jets introduced in 1999.
The 2026 budget also allocates funding for the replacement of two aircraft following the loss of two Rafale jets in a collision in August 2024, as well as for simulator upgrades, configuration management, and airworthiness improvements.
Export successes reshape domestic planning
France’s fleet planning has been repeatedly adjusted to accommodate Rafale export deals with Greece, Croatia, and others. Between 2021 and 2022, the French Air and Space Force transferred 24 Rafale F3R fighters to Greece and Croatia from its own inventory to accelerate deliveries, temporarily reducing the number of aircraft available for training and operations.
At the time, Chief of the Defense Staff General Thierry Burkhard acknowledged that the Air Force would end up with 117 Rafales by 2025, instead of the 129 initially planned, until replacement aircraft were delivered. Deputy Chief of Staff Frédéric Parisot later warned that this reduction would primarily affect pilot training hours but described the situation as “acceptable” if deliveries remained on schedule.
A program spanning F4 and F5 standards
By 2030, Rafale deliveries will span both the F4 and F5 standards, as Dassault Aviation advances its modernization roadmap.
The F4 configuration introduced enhanced connectivity, networked combat capabilities, and improved sensors. In 2026, funding will support the integration of new Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) capabilities, expanded connectivity work, and technical investments at DGA test centers.
The F5 standard will formally enter its development phase, with entry into service expected around 2030. Designed to strengthen operational effectiveness, it will encompass advanced air-combat, networked operations, and nuclear deterrence missions. The 2026 budget also provides for the continued development of the UCAV program, derived from Dassault’s nEUROn demonstrator, which will act as a “loyal wingman” to the crewed fighter jet.
Together, the Rafale F5 and UCAV are expected to form the cornerstone of France’s future manned-unmanned combat system and operate with the ASN4G, a next-generation hypersonic, nuclear-capable ramjet missile set to become the air-launched component of France’s deterrent by 2035.
Budget documents also confirm continued infrastructure investments across Saint-Dizier, Mont-de-Marsan, and Orange for the Air and Space Force, as well as Landivisiau for the French Navy, including facilities for a new fighter squadron.
The proposal will now go before the French Parliament, where lawmakers are expected to debate whether to approve funding for 60 additional fighters at a time when most other government ministries face spending cuts.
