Dassault Aviation delivers Rafale F3R fighter aircraft to French MoD.

According to a PR published by Dassault on December 29, 2022, the company’s Mérignac plant delivered Rafale B359 (F3R standard) to the Direction Générale de l’Armement (French defense procurement agency).

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Rafale B359 (F3R standard) fighter aircraft.  (Picture source: French MoD)

This event marks the resumption of Rafale deliveries to France after an interruption of four years.

The Rafale B359 is for the French Air and Space Force. It is part of the “tranche 4” order for 60 aircraft awarded in 2009. In accordance with the various Military Programming Acts, deliveries to France were interrupted for budgetary reasons.

The Rafale production line was then dedicated to export orders.

A further 27 Rafale are still to be delivered for tranche 4, plus 12 Rafale ordered by France in 2021 to make up for the 12 aircraft sold to Greece. Tranche 5 should be awarded in 2023.

About the Rafale fighter jet

The Dassault Rafale is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Equipped with a wide range of weapons, the Rafale is intended to perform air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike and nuclear deterrence missions.

The aircraft's canards also act to reduce the minimum landing speed to 115 knots (213 km/h; 132 mph); while in flight, airspeeds as low as 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) have been observed during training missions.

The Rafale is fitted with two Snecma M88 engines, each capable of providing up to 50 kilonewtons (11,000 pounds-force) of dry thrust and 75 kN (17,000 lbf) with afterburners.