PARIS (Agencies): France has ordered 42 additional Dassault Rafale combat aircraft for the French Air and Space Force, according to the country’s Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu.
The EUR5 billion (USD5.4 billion) investment will come from the Military Programming Law (LPM) 2019–25 budget.
This announcement represents the fifth procurement tranche for the Rafale placed by the French Ministry of Armed Forces since 1993.
The first of these new F4-standard aircraft will be delivered from 2027.
The French Armed Forces have made a commitment to field and modernise the Rafale through to at least 2070, with incremental upgrade packages designed to keep the aircraft at the forefront of military capabilities.