Zelenskyy says Ukraine could buy up to 100 French Rafale fighters
In late October Kyiv signed a similar letter of intent for the potential purchase of scores of Swedish-made Gripen fighters.
In late October Kyiv signed a similar letter of intent for the potential purchase of scores of Swedish-made Gripen fighters.
Breaking Defense's Polish contributor, Bartosz Głowacki, presents a gallery of shots from the aerial exhibition above Le Bourget.
Gen. Anil Chauhan did not disclose the number of its aircraft that were shot down, but did push back on Pakistani claims that six Indian aircraft were shot down.
India initially selected the Rafale Marine in 2023 to replace aging Russian MiG-29 jets, and will be the first export user of the type.
Financing of the new rearmament plan will depend on “political and budgetary choices” with a war finance meeting, led by Lecornu and Eric Lombard, France’s economy minister, scheduled to take place on March 20.
President Aleksandar Vučić of Serbia was quoted by travelling press saying that his country will received nine single-seat Rafales and three two-seaters, delivered by 2029, with a price tag of €2.7 billion ($2.99 billion).
An agreement would represent a significant shift in the Serbian Air Force — a move to modern Western fighters as it divests of Soviet-era fighter jets, including MiG-21 and MiG-29 platforms.
Thales, Dassault Aviation and MBDA all conducted their annual investor events over the last two weeks, with the three firms collectively announcing revenues of €27.7 billion ($30.3 billion) in 2023, a massive haul for France’s defense sector.
For the army, the DGA procurement agency said it has signed a contract worth some €350 million ($378 million) with Nexter for 109 new generation Caesar (Mk II) truck-mounted guns.
The apparent confirmation that Riyadh has delivered firm requirements to the UK marks a major step forward on the path to closing the long delayed fighter jet deal.
Sebastien Lecornu, the French armed forces minister, said the order “is excellent news for our sovereignty, our security and our armed forces who will benefit from extra Rafales with modernised operational capacities.”
Germany had long blocked the sale of the fighters, but now the German foreign minister reportedly said the situation in the Middle East has changed.
Three different munitions — the Mk81, Mk82 and longer-range Mk83 guided bombs made by EDGE subsidiary Al Tariq — will all be integrated on the fourth generation plane in due course, Al Tariq CEO Theunis Botha told Breaking Defense.
“Germany is sticking to the joint [FCAS] project with France and Spain,” said a German MoD spokesperson. “Media reports that Germany is pulling out are false."