Rafale - Sales
| state | date | winner | # |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 2013 | Gripen | |
| Croatia | 2021 | Rafale | 12 |
| Egypt | 2015 | Rafale | 55 |
| Greece | 2020 | Rafale | 24 |
| India | 2012 | Rafale | 126 |
| Indonesia | 2022 | Rafale | 42 |
| Japan | 2011 | F-35 | |
| Kuwait | 2015 | Typhoon | |
| Libya | 2009 | none | 0 |
| Malaysia | 202? | 12 TBD | |
| Morocco | 2009 | F-16 | |
| Oman | 2011 | F-16 + Typhoon | |
| Qatar | 2015 | Rafale | 36 |
| Romania | TBD | TBD | |
| Saudi Arabia | F-15 + Typhoon | ||
| Serbia | 2024 | Rafale | 12 |
| Switzerland | 2011 | Gripen | |
| UAE | 2013 | Rafael | 80 |
For decades Rafale's high price and limited capabilities had caused it to lose every foreign sale for which it had competed. French representatives tried to spin the Rafale's dismal performance in the global market to be the result US political pressure rather than the aircraft's shortcomings. There were concerns that the economic crisis hit defense spending in countries where the Rafale was competing for orders.
The RAND Corporation's "GRAY THREAT" study of 1995 noted that the EF-2000 [Typhoon] and Rafale were quite similar in several parameters, including gross weight, payload weight, number of store stations, physical dimensions, speed, and field lengths. The basic performance data relevant to aerial combat for the Typhoon and Rafale appeared to indicate a clear superiority in capability compared with the F-16C Block 40, and essential equivalence with the F-15 in important areas. In terms of air-to-ground capability, the new European fighters appear quite capable.
Although none of the European fighters is primarily oriented toward ground-attack operations like the F-15E, the Typhoon and Rafale are nonetheless particularly impressive in terms of quantity and variety of stores carried. Based on publicly available data, these two fighters appear to be considerably superior to the F-16 in these areas. Maximum external loads for the Rafale surpass 70 percent of the capability of the much larger F-15E strike/fighter. All three European fighters [including Gripen] possess important agility advantages that because of the static instability of their basic designs and their canard/delta configurations, combined with their advanced fly-by-wire flight control systems.
On 12 February 2015, Egypt and France reached a deal for the sale of 24 Rafale aicraft to Egypt. The deal, valued at US$ 5.7 billion reportedly also included the sale of a FREMM naval frigate and MBDA air-to-air missiles. The official signing was reported to be set for 16 February 2015. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on 10 April 2015 he had ordered 36 “ready-to-fly” French-made Rafale fighter jets to modernise his country’s ageing warplane fleet as neighbouring states upgraded their military hardware.
Dassault’s deal with Egypt may have helped break the logjam in negotiations with other customers, since they are now on notice that if they want to have Rafales they may have to wait for them. Since the Egypt deal, by April 2015 Dassault was in the “final stage” of negotiations to sell up to 36 Rafale warplanes to Qatar. The order of 24 jets will triple Qatar's fighter force, and when factoring in support, training and weaponry, it will bring $7B to French coffers. It was also in talks aimed at supplying 16 of the multi-role combat jets to Malaysia and had resumed discussions over potential fighter sales to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
It was reported on 31 January 2012, that India had selected the Dassault Rafale fighter jet as the winner of its MMRCA competition. Prior to this deal, France had not been able to sell the Rafale to a foreign customer, although the aircraft was flying in a handful of competitions.
After 20 years, the Rafale had gone from an export zero to export hero in 45 days. One common factor with all of the Rafale’s export customers is that they are are all prior Dassault customers - all fielded the predecessor to the Rafale, the Mirage 2000, in various configurations. The Rafale line, which had been significantly slowed to its minimum pace of about 11 jets a year due to reduced French purchases, still above French demand, will be stabilized and even expanded. France is one of the most ‘creative’ sources when it comes to aggressive finance offers, with very attractive loan terms. For countries with advanced aerospace industries, large industrial offsets can also be offered to sweeten a fighter tender.
At the end of December 2023, the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) awarded Dassault Aviation an order for 42 Rafale combat aircraft, known as “tranche 5”, for the French Air Force (AAE). The Rafale is a technical, operational and commercial success which continues to position France at a world-class level in combat aircraft. The Rafale has been designed to evolve by successive standards, in order to adapt the latest technologies to user needs. Standard 4, focusing particularly on connectivity, is under development. Standard 5, which is currently preparing for launch, will bring new capabilities in collaborative combat. “On behalf of Dassault Aviation and the 400 companies involved in the Rafale program, I would like to thank the Ministry for the Armed Forces, the DGA and the AAE for their renewed confidence. We are ready and determined to use our skills as prime contractor and complex systems integrator to serve the sovereignty of our nation. This military industrial sovereignty is an exception in Europe. It guarantees the superiority of our combat aviation. It is also an asset for diplomatic influence and an economic strength in export trade”, Éric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation said 12 January 2024.
The final tranche of 18 Rafale for Indonesia came into force January 8, 2024. It follows the entry into force, in September 2022 and August 2023, of the first and second tranches of 6 and 18 Rafale, thus completing the number of aircraft on order for Indonesia under the contract signed in February 2022 for the acquisition of 42 Rafale. “In choosing the Rafale, Indonesia has opted for a unique tool for sovereignty and operational independence that will help consolidate its role as a major regional power. This choice also consolidates ambitious industrial and academic cooperations. We are fully committed to making this partnership a success, with a resolutely long-term vision,” said Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation.
The Rafale is a success in the export market, with seven customer countries by the end of 2023. The order book, plus the new “tranche 5” contract, secure production activity for the next ten years. By early 2023 the total number of orders placed since the program began is 453 — 477 if you include the pre-owned fighters purchased by Greece and Croatia. Our export rate has reached 60%, which is better than the Mirage 2000 (50%) and not far behind the Mirage F1 (66%), which was typical of fighter export ratios during the Cold War. And we’re not done yet: many countries are in talks with us. We also expect to receive an order from the French government for a further batch of 42 fighters by the end of 2023, as provided for in the current French military spending bill.
The Rafales scheduled for delivery between 2023 and 2025 are mainly intended to fill an order placed in 2009 and staggered over time by the French government for budgetary reasons. Thereafter, we are aiming for a production rate of three aircraft per month. To achieve this ramp-up, we are actively recruiting new employees, on top of the 1,560 hired in 2022. Dassault was also working to secure its' industrial ecosystem in the face of the fallout from the war in Ukraine: issues such as energy, raw materials, components and inflation are affecting a supply chain that was already under pressure due to the Covid crisis.
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