French Armeé de L' Air receives first new Rafale after four years

France has received its first new Rafale fighter jet in four years, Dassault Aviation has announced.

The company delivered the F3-R standard aircraft to the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) on Dec. 29,  The aircraft is included in the “Tranche 4″ order of 60 aircraft awarded in 2009, but which was then paused due to budgetary reasons.

For the past several years, Dassault has dedicated its Rafale production line to exports, as nations as Greece, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates have placed orders for the fighter jet.

France’s 2023 defense budget, included plans to order 42 new Rafale aircraft, including 30 aircraft that will be delivered under “Tranche 5″ order, as well as 12 additional aircraft to replace existing Rafales that France withdrew from its air force to sell to Croatia, in a 2021 deal.

Croatia is expected to receive the first six fighter jets in 2024, with the remaining six aircraft arriving in 2025, that will replace the Croatian Air Force’s Soviet-designed MiG-21s.

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