Rafale News
2018
12 November 2018 | Flight Global
F3-R-standard Rafale gains French approval
Dassault has achieved French military qualification for the F3-R-standard variant of the Rafale combat aircraft.
2017
28 March 2017 | Combat Aircraft
Dassault announces latest Rafale standard
French Minister for Defense, Jean-Yves Le Drian, authorized the start of development of the new Dassault Rafale F4 standard on March 20. As early as 2023, a first version of the F4 standard will follow the F3-R standard, which is scheduled for qualification in 2018.
2016
30 September 2016 | Defense-Aerospace
Eight French Rafale Carrier Fighters Strike ISIS Targets
ABOARD CHARLES DE GAULLE, At Sea --- French fighter jets took off from the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle on Friday for an operation against the Islamic State group in its Iraqi stronghold of Mosul, an officer said. Eight jets took off from the carrier in the eastern Mediterranean, an AFP pho...
23 September 2016 | Flight Global
India signs 36-unit Rafale contract
India has concluded a deal to acquire 36 Dassault Rafale fighters, with a contract signed in New Delhi by the nation s defence minister, Manohar Parrikar, and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian on 23 September.
13 September 2016 | Defense-Aerospace
India Finalizes Details of Rafale Contract But New IGA Needed
NEW DELHI --- Details of the multi-billion euro contract for 36 Rafale fighter aircraft have been finalised and the government is now working on the inter-governmental agreement (IGA) with France. Government sources said the cost, offsets and service details have been finalised and now the effort...
29 March 2016 | DefenseNews.com
Qatar, France Complete Dassault Rafale Fighter Jet Deal
France and Qatar completed the deal for 24 Dassault Rafale fighter jets at the opening day of the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference.
25 January 2016 | Flight Global
Dassault to work with India to build on new Rafale agreement
Dassault says it will go step by step to securing further Rafale orders from India after prime minister Narendra Modi today confirmed a deal to purchase 36 of the fighters.
2015
5 August 2015 | Flight Global
India ends MMRCA fighter acquisition
India’s defence minister Manohar Parrikar has informed Parliament that a request for proposals for the procurement of a new fighter under the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft programme has been withdrawn.
20 July 2015 | IHS Jane's
Egypt receives first Rafale fighters
The first three of 24 Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft for Egypt arrived in-country a day after being formally handed over on 20 July. The three twin-seat variant aircraft arrived in Cairo on 21 July, having been officially handed over during a ceremony at the Dassault Aviation Flight Test Centre
29 April 2015 | IHS Jane's
Qatar selects Rafale fighter aircraft
Qatar will sign for 24 Dassault Rafale combat aircraft to fulfil its fighter procurement requirement on 4 May. The upcoming contract, which was announced by Dassault on 30 April, will be signed in Doha during a visit by French President François Hollande. The deal follows French media reports
16 February 2015 | Flight Global
Egypt's order for 24 Rafales confirmed
Thales has confirmed that Egypt has ordered 24 Dassault Rafale multirole aircraft, following a selection announcement for an undisclosed number of the type on 12 February.
2014
1 December 2014 | DefenseNews.com
India, France Agree to Finalize Rafale Deal by Spring
India will fast-track the finalization of the US $12 billion plan to purchase 126 Dassault Rafale jets, according to a senior Indian Defense Ministry official, almost three years after India made Dassault its preferred bidder.
8 October 2014 | Flight Global
Stored Rafale M completes F3 upgrade
One of the French navy’s first Dassault Rafale M combat aircraft has been returned to the nation’s DGA defence procurement agency, following the completion of an upgrade activity to bring it to the latest F3 operating standard.
20 September 2014 | DefenseNews.com
Hollande: France Carries Out First Air Strike in Iraq
French jets carried out their first air strike against Islamic State militants in Iraq Friday, successfully destroying their target, President Francois Hollande announced, vowing that more operations would follow.
20 June 2014 | Defense-Aerospace
Qatar Close to Selecting Rafale
Dassault Aviation SA is poised to win a contract from Qatar for 72 Rafale jets, a French government official said, indicating the jet may have its first export contract before India signs a commitment for 126 units. A contract would probably come in two batches of 36 aircraft, the official said. ...
24 January 2014 | Defense-Aerospace
Rafale Flies with New Weapons Configuration
The Rafale has successfully completed its first test flights in a new heavily-armed configuration, comprising six air-to-ground precision AASM Hammer missiles, four medium and long range air-to-air missiles from the MICA family, two very long range METEOR missiles, as well as three 2,000 liter fuel tanks.
11 January 2014 | DefenseNews.com
France To Upgrade Rafale Arms, Electronics
France has signed a development and integration contract worth around 1 billion (US $1.4 billion) to upgrade the Dassault Aviation Rafale fighter with arms and systems, including a long-range missile, and make improvements on a targeting pod and active electronic radar, the procurement office said in a Jan. 10 statement.
10 January 2014 | Defense-Aerospace
France Launches €1bn Rafale Upgrade
During his visit of Dassault Aviation’s main production facility in Bordeaux-Merignac, French Defense Minister Jean- Yves Le Drian awarded to the participating companies the contract for the development and integration of a new standard of the Rafale, called "F3R standard." ...
2013
12 December 2013 | IHS Jane's
French president pledges 100% technology transfer to back Dassault F-X2 bid
French President François Hollande took advantage of an official visit to Brazil during the week of 9-13 December to re-open discussions on the sale of the Dassault Rafale in a bid to secure the contract for supplying the 36 F-X2 aircraft to the Brazilian Air Force. In doing so, Hollande
12 December 2013 | Defense-Aerospace
Rafale to Enter Indian Service in 2017: AF Chief
SHILLONG, India --- Browne said the 'Rafale' are expected to be inducted into the force by 2017, three years approximately after the contract is signed The Indian Air Force is negotiating with French aviation major Dassault Aviation's Rafale for 126 medium fighter jets in a multi-billion dollar ...
18 October 2013 | Defense-Aerospace
India May Finalise Rafale Deal By March
NEW DELHI --- India will finalise a $15 billion deal to buy 126 Rafale fighter jets from France's Dassault Aviation by March 2014, an Indian air force official said on Thursday, after the deal had been held up by differences over local manufacturing. New Delhi picked the Rafale for exclusive nego...
4 October 2013 | Defense-Aerospace
First Two 4th Lot Rafales Delivered to French AF
After being handed over to the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) on September 12, 2013, the two-seat Rafale registered B 339 – the first production 4th Tranche production aircraft- - arrived Sept. 17 at Air Base 118 in Mount de-Marsan. A week later, it was the turn of the second aircraft, regis...
20 September 2013 | Defense-Aerospace
Dassault Delivers First Lot 4 Production Rafale
PARIS --- The Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) took delivery on September 12, 2013 of the first aircraft of the fourth production tranche of the Rafale program. The sixty aircraft of this production lot are all fitted as standard with next-generation sensors, namely the RBE2 Active Electronica...
20 June 2013 | Flight Global
PARIS: First AESA-equipped Rafale heads for squadron service
With a first sensor already in the advanced stages of test and evaluation at its air force's Mont-de-Marsan air base, an operational French squadron will within the next few weeks receive its first Dassault Rafale equipped with a new active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.
16 May 2013 | Flight Global
Rafale to expand Meteor missile testing
Fresh separation trials involving the Dassault Rafale and MBDA's Meteor beyond visual-range air-to-air missile are due to be performed in late May, as the...
15 January 2013 | DefenseNews.com
France Bolsters Force in Mali To Battle Insurgents
France has committed 1,700 troops, of which 800 are on the ground, to the military intervention in Mali against Islamist and Tuareg rebel fighters, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Jan. 15. The French operation, dubbed Serval, will support the Malian government against the insurgents. It includes ground troops, light tanks, Mirage and Rafale fighter jets and Gazelle attack helicopters, backed by French military bases in Ivory Coast and Chad, Le Drian told a news conference on the fifth day of combat.
14 January 2013 | Defense-Aerospace
Snecma Upgrades Rafale’s M-88 Engine
The M88 jet engine built by Snecma (Safran), powerplant of the Dassault Aviation Rafale multirole fighter, has largely proven its maturity and operational capabilities, especially during the Harmattan operation in Libya, lasting eight months in 2011. With the latest M88-4E standard, incorporatin...
2012
12 December 2012 | Flight Global
Brazil keeps F-X2 fighter contest on hold until economy recovers
Brazil will keep a long-delayed acquisition of 36 fighters on hold until the national economy recovers from an ongoing slump ...
21 July 2012 | DefenseNews.com
India at Least 9 Months From Inking Rafale Deal
Negotiations to build Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force won't be complete for at least nine months, following news that the state-owned company tapped to build the jets in India has missed a deadline for filing its license production evaluation report.
21 June 2012 | Defense-Aerospace
Rafale Fires ASMPA Nuclear Missile in First Operational Test
On Tuesday, June 19, 2012, France’s strategic air force command successfully carried out the first operational evaluation launch of the integrated weapon system comprising a C135 tanker, a Rafale strike aircraft, and the ASMPA nuclear stand-off missile according to a scenario representative of a rea...
23 April 2012 | Defense-Aerospace
France to Upgrade 10 Rafale-Ms to Latest F3 Standard
The first ten Rafale Marine fighters delivered to the French Navy in the early 2000s will be upgraded from their current F1 standard to the latest F3 standard, according to Christophe Carpentier, head of the French defense procurement agency’s “Operation Rétrofit F1-F3”. Carpentier says that his...
30 March 2012 | DefenseNews.com
First Rafale To Be Equipped With AESA This Summer
Thales delivered in February a first series-production RBE2 active electronically scanned array radar to Dassault Aviation for the Rafale fighter jet, the electronics company said in a March 29 statement.
14 February 2012 | Defense-Aerospace
Brazil Likely to Revive Rafale Buy
SAO PAULO --- Brazil is "very likely" to choose France's Rafale fighter jet to refurbish its air force, government sources say, a decision that would award one of the emerging-market world's most coveted defense contracts to a jet whose future was in doubt only two weeks ago. President Dilma Rous...
2 February 2012 | MILAVIA News
Rafale Selected For Indian Air Force MMRCA
On January 31, 2012, Dassault Aviation issued a press release that its Rafale fighter has been selected by the Indian Ministry of Defence as its new medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) in an estimated $10.2bn deal for 126 aircraft.
30 January 2012 | Defense-Aerospace
Dassault Lowers Rafale Price; Hopes to Upstage Gripen
French aircraft maker Dassault has made a new offer to Switzerland for its Rafale fighter jets after the government decided in November to buy Sweden's Gripen planes instead, a report said Sunday. Dassault has sent a letter to parliament -- which has yet to approve the November decision -- offeri...
2011
21 July 2011 | Defense-Aerospace
Sagem Touts Rafale/AASM ‘Dynamic Duo’
As we have seen throughout recorded history, each new conflict seems to bring its own share of innovations. Recently, for example, the air strikes over Libya – Operation Harmattan for France, and Operation Unified Protector for NATO in the framework of the UN resolution 1973 – have spotlighted the u...
5 July 2011 | AviationWeek
Rafale's Multirole Capability
French air force and navy Rafale F3 combat aircraft are touted as true “omnirole fighters.” Military officials say there are multirole fighters that conduct reconnaissance, air-to-air combat, air-to-surface attack or deterrence, but only one at a time. The F3 can perform all in a single mission, they maintain.
23 March 2011 | Flight Global
PICTURES: French navy Rafales fly first missions over Libya
French navy Dassault Rafales have flown their first sorties in support of the coalition campaign against the regime of Libyan leader Col Gaddafi ...
2010
8 October 2010 | AviationWeek
French Form Rafale Training Squadron
France has stood up a squadron of Rafale F3 multirole fighters to train pilots transitioning to the new combat aircraft.
6 October 2010 | Key.Aero
French Navy Rafale OCU stands up
The French Fleet Air Arm has stood up its Rafale operational conversion unit.
6 July 2010 | Key.Aero
Rafale goes nuclear
The French Air Force's Rafale has been declared operational in the nuclear strike role.
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