France Bets on “Super Rafale” to Challenge American F-35’s International Dominance
Beginning this year and continuing through 2030, France will embark on the development of a more advanced variant of the Rafale fighter jet.
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Beginning this year and continuing through 2030, France will embark on the development of a more advanced variant of the Rafale fighter jet.
Reluctance from the United States to sell the fifth-generations F-35s to wealthy Gulf nations and Germany’s veto on the sale of Eurofighter Typhoons to Saudi Aarabia appears to have opened up opportunities for France’s Dassault Aviation to strengthen its position in the region with its Rafale fighter jets.
Concerns regarding the progress of the 6th generation fighter aircraft development program, known as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), have led France to approve a budget of US$5.5 billion (RM24.75 billion) to acquire 42 Rafale fighter jets.
If France does not produce the Rafale fighter jet, its defense industry will struggle to compete with “new” players in the industry such as South Korea, Turkey, and Israel.
Saudi Arabia is reported to be considering a proposal to acquire a total of 54 Rafale fighter jets manufactured by France for its air force after its efforts to obtain Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets were blocked by Germany.
Saudi Arabia is reportedly exploring the possibility of procuring between 100 and 200 Rafale fighter jets from the French aerospace firm Dassault Aviation, following the denial of its request to acquire the F-35 due to Washington’s steadfast commitment to uphold Israel’s military superiority in the Middle East.
Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets are fiercely competing to attract the interest of Bangladesh, which intends to acquire a squadron of Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) for its air force.
Nearly 10 years ago, Iran introduced to the world its “fifth-generation” fighter aircraft named Qaher-313 (Conqueror) in a grand ceremony in front of its then-president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.