France Unleashes the “Super Rafale”—A Direct Challenge to the F-35

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – France has set its sights on revolutionizing aerial warfare with the development of the Rafale F5, an advanced evolution of its already formidable fighter jet.

Dassault Aviation’s Chief Executive Officer, Eric Trappier, expressed optimism about securing a development contract from the French government in the coming months, paving the way for the Rafale F5 program to progress towards its anticipated service entry by 2030.

This “Super Rafale” is designed to surpass the current F4 variant and go head-to-head with the mighty American-made F-35, as Dassault Aviation and the French defense industry push to reclaim their standing in global air combat dominance.

For too long, the Lockheed Martin F-35 has overshadowed the Rafale in the international market, seizing contract after contract. But France is striking back.

The Super Rafale is more than just an upgrade—it’s a statement of intent, a bold move to regain lost ground and reassert France’s technological and military prowess on the global stage.

Dassault Aviation was left reeling from repeated defeats in fighter jet competitions across Europe—even losing to its own neighbors.

Yet, while the F-35 has dominated in Europe, the Rafale has found its stronghold in the Middle East and Asia, securing landmark deals, including a major contract with Indonesia.

But Dassault isn’t content with partial victories.

The losses in Europe have fueled an unprecedented response—the birth of the “Super Rafale,” a next-generation war machine built specifically to take the fight to the F-35.

More than just a fighter jet, the Super Rafale is being designed as a force multiplier, operating in tandem with loyal wingman drones, including the highly advanced “nEUROn” unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV).

Pilots will command their drone wingmen in real-time, unleashing coordinated strikes with unparalleled precision, while the nEUROn retains its own autonomy, making the Super Rafale a true combat hive-mind.

But that’s just the beginning. The Super Rafale will be armed with:

• Next-generation electronic warfare capabilities—obliterating enemy radar and jamming hostile defenses.

• An impenetrable “self-defense bubble”—a cutting-edge active protection system shielding the jet and allied assets from enemy threats.

• New advanced missile systems—the Future Cruise Missile (FCM) and Future Anti-Ship Missile (FASM), replacing the aging SCALP/Storm Shadow and AM39 Exocet, delivering a devastating long-range strike capability.

The Super Rafale isn’t just about conventional warfare—it’s designed to carry the next-generation ASN4G hypersonic nuclear missile, a lethal successor to the ASMPA that will serve as France’s ultimate airborne deterrent.

But this isn’t just a fighter—it’s part of something far bigger.

French defense experts reveal that the Super Rafale will operate as a key component of a larger, integrated warfighting ecosystem, referred to as “Club Rafale”—a networked combat system where multiple platforms work in unison to dominate the battlefield.

According to Meta Defense, the Super Rafale will be far more than a traditional fighter jet—it will be an entire aerial combat system, fusing cutting-edge AI, advanced networking, and next-generation weaponry into a single devastating war machine.

Currently, the French Air Force operates the Rafale F3R and is transitioning to the Rafale F4. But the future belongs to the Super Rafale.

With development set to begin next year, and full deployment targeted for 2030, France is making a definitive statement: The era of the Super Rafale is coming. And it’s coming for the F-35.

— DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA