Dassault Rafale

Recent Peruvian Air Force shifts in recapitalization plans reflect the service’s effort to balance long-term modernization with immediate operational needs, emphasizing combat effectiveness and national emergency response as top priorities.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

India’s government has approved the purchase of new carrier-capable Rafale combat aircraft to equip the country’s naval air arm.

The comments came as Emmanuel Macron said two Dassault Rafale squadrons will be stood up at the base to replace the Mirage 2000 fighters based there.

The French Navy is working alongside the U.S. Navy to help the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force build expertise and knowledge on aircraft carrier operations.

The Mentor 2 program aims to modernize and rationalize the elementary flight training phase.

Dassault plans to deliver 25 Rafales in 2025, a 19% increase from the year prior when the aircraft-maker handed over 21 of the combat aircraft.

Even if the Middle East is no longer the only game in town for defense exports, it still has ample appetite for advanced equipment, from drones to transports.

France’s Dassault Aviation has rolled out the first Rafale combat aircraft for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), two years before deliveries get underway.

Dassault’s emphasis on Rafale exports has borne fruit for the company in recent years, as has their focus on non-European markets.

French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu says 2024 was the second-best year for defense exports in France’s recorded history.

Although CEO Eric Trappier had expected 35 Falcon deliveries in 2024, the actual figure stands higher than 2023’s total of 26.

China’s success as a defense exporter depends on its ability to convince customers that it is a power with which they want to be friends.

Syria returns to the headlines after a bloody year of conflict between Israel and Iranian proxies.

Aviation Week's defense team discusses the latest developments with Europe's combat air projects as governments there ramp up military spending.

The French government and Safran are in talks about upgrading the M88 engine for the Dassault Rafale combat aircraft, in part to sustain industrial know-how.

The program is currently in the assessment and risk reduction phase.

The armed forces will receive deliveries of some €10.6 billion of new equipment, including new aircraft, helicopters and uncrewed aircraft systems.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

France is pressing ahead with efforts to field an enhanced standard of its Rafale multi-role fighter and pair it with an uncrewed combat aerial vehicle (UCAV).

IAF sources told local media India Today that the exercise took place at Eastern Air Command “a few months ago.”

The contract was signed on Aug. 29 after more than two years of negotiations.

The contract is potentially worth €3 billion ($3.3 billion) for an unspecified version of the Rafale.

The two fighters were returning from a refueling training mission in Germany when the accident occurred around 12:30 p.m. local time on Aug. 14.

The OEM plans to establish a new MRO facility for Rafale and Mirage 2000 aircraft at Delhi Noida International Airport/Jewar International Airport.