However, the year 2023 came to an end without any announcement, but onJanuary 12, the Ministry of the Armed Forces announced that the General Directorate of Armaments [DGA] had just notified Dassault Aviation, Safran, and MBDA of the contract "for the 5th production batch of the Rafale program."
This includes the production of 42 aircraft in the single-seat F4 standard for the Air and Space Army. This order is made possible by the LPM 2024-2030. The first aircraft of this 5th batch will be delivered as early as 2027. The value of this new order amounts to at least 5 billion euros.
With the F4 standard, the Rafale enters the era of collaborative combat, boasting "enhanced data exchange capabilities" and improved protection against "cyber" threats. The Rafale F4 incorporates the SCORPION helmet sight [provided by Thales], an improved firing system to maximize the potential of the long-range Meteor air-to-air missile [which can be "managed" by another aircraft than the "shooter"], and an more powerful active electronically scanned array [AESA] RBE-2 radar and an upgraded Rafale Self-Protection and Evasion System [SPECTRA]. Additionally, it features new functionalities such as the Ground Moving Target Indicator [GMTI] mode for the detection and tracking of ground targets.
The aircraft in this 5th production batch will be upgraded to the F4 standard, the development of which was launched in 2018 This standard includes the integration of the Contact radio station, the MICA NG missile, and the digital autonomous jammer [BAN] integrated into the Rafale's SPECTRA self-protection system. These fighter jets will also be designed to evolve towards the F5 standard in the 2030s.
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