France Received 14 Rafale Fighters in 2024

The French General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) received the 14th Rafale fighter jet of 2024 on December 27 at Dassault Aviation's Mérignac facility in Gironde, France.

The aircraft, delivered to the F4.1 standard, is part of a batch of 39 Rafale jets planned for the Air and Space Force by the end of 2025. An additional aircraft, scheduled for early 2026, will be converted into a test bench for development testing.

The Rafale F4.1 standard, introduced in March 2023, marks an advancement in collaborative air combat. Enhancements include improved fire control for Meteor missiles, advanced threat detection algorithms, expanded data-sharing capabilities, and increased protection against cyber threats. The upgrade also integrates a Scorpion helmet sight, AASM 1,000 kg GPS/laser-guided weapons, and new functionalities for the Talios targeting pod, optronic forward sector sensor, and RBE2 radar. All Rafales in the French Air and Space Force and Navy will gradually be retrofitted to this standard.

Since the program began in 1993, the DGA has ordered 234 Rafale aircraft from Dassault Aviation, Thales, Safran, and MBDA. A new order for 42 jets under the fifth production tranche was confirmed in late 2023, with deliveries expected to begin in 2027.

Dassault Aviation oversees the program's industrial architecture, while Thales, Safran, and MBDA provide critical systems, including the SPECTRA electronic warfare system and RBE2 AESA radar.