From Cergy to Mérignac, factories work in full performance. To guarantee the specific deliveries of the Rafale, Dassault Aviation has expanded the walls and made space to produce up to three planes per month from 2026, and plans to increase to 4 in 2028-2029. The French aircraft manufacturer recently completed the production of the number 300 specimen of its combat plane, which in a few years has become an export success, after a difficult beginning.
Delivering in 2004 to the French Navy and in 2006 to the Air and Space Force, the Rafale suffered some international failures (South Korea, Morocco, Singapore, Brazil), before reaching success.
Eight customers
In a decade, Rafale has achieved eight export contracts. It was Egypt who opened the round of export orders, in February 2015, with an order of 24 aircraft, closely followed by Qatar, also in 2015 (24 airplanes, then 12 more in 2017).
A year later, India closed a contract for 36 aircraft “ready to fly” (ready to fly), that is, without technology transfer, the epilogue of a long -term project to modernize the Fleet of the Indian Air Force.
The year 2021 is prosperous: Greece commits 18 aircraft, Egypt completes its fleet with 30 more aircraft, Croatia signs 12 used airplanes, but it is mostly the United Arab Emirates who are promoting the portfolio of export orders, with 80 copies (the first of which must be delivered at the end of 2026).
In 2022, Greece commissioned six more raffles and Indonesia signs for 42 aircraft.
If the year 2023 passes without signing any contract, La India, Dassault client since 1953 (with the acquisition of the Ouragan plane), confirms his choice of Rafale M to equip his naval aviation forces. The contract was concluded in April 2025.
In 2024, Serbia will become the third European country to opt for French combat aircraft and make a request for 12 planes.
The Rafale lost some contracts in Europe: Belgium, Finland and Switzerland had preferred the F-35 of the American company Lockheed Martin to renew their fleets, which were also composed of US planes (F-16 and F/A-18).
The perspective
Rafale’s export saga is not over; Dassault Aviation is actively looking to sign new export contracts. The head of the aircraft manufacturer, Éric Trappier, recently expressed his confidence in a new sale to India, which could acquire up to 114 combat planes.
He also recently raised at a parliamentary audience the possibility of selling raphales to Taiwan, even if the geopolitical context is not really favorable.
Source: BFM TV
