If the term “late bloomer” could be applied to a fighter aircraft, Dassault Aviation’s Rafale would likely win the title. The design of the aircraft dates to the late 1980s, when early demonstrator versions of the aircraft flew at Le Bourget and other international air shows. The program was slow to gain traction in the export market, having lost previous competitions two decades ago in nations such as South Korea and Singapore.
However, in the past two years, the Rafale has collected more orders than any Western aircraft apart from the Lockheed Martin F-35. One of the largest of those contracts came from the UAE, whose 80-aircraft order shunted aside the F-35, negotiations for which the Gulf country previously had held with Washington.
The procurement will make the UAE the largest operator of the Rafale after the French Armée de l'Air. Since it entered production in the 1990s, Dassault has delivered or holds orders for 453 Rafales in its three different variants. Foreign sales account for roughly 60 percent of that number, following a Dassault tradition of exporting as many or more of its fighter models than it sells to its domestic military customer.
Besides the order from the UAE for 80 aircraft, Egypt has taken delivery of 24 Rafales and has placed an order for another 30 while Qatar has 36 in service and holds options for another 36. Both Iraq and Saudi Arabia have expressed interest in the aircraft. The latter has expressed a future requirement for 100 to 200 new aircraft.
Outside the Middle East, the Rafale has been ordered by India, Greece, Indonesia, and Croatia, while other potential customers include Serbia and Colombia. Consequently, France’s share of the world arms export market has increased from 7 percent in 2021 to 11 percent last year.
The India procurement ranks as one of the most important deals for Dassault after the UAE sale. New Delhi ordered 36 aircraft for its air force in 2012 and 26 Rafale M carrier-capable variants in July of this year for operation aboard the Indian Navy’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. India would become only the second nation to operate the carrier version of the fighter after France’s Marine Nationale.
Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier told journalists at the Paris Airshow in June that Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 could change the competitive balance for fighters. “Some countries do not want to buy Russian anymore, but also do not want American [jets],” he said. “So, France can be that country that traditionally is a little bit more neutral.”
Sanctions placed on Russia have also made it problematic for Moscow’s jet makers to support the aircraft still in service with foreign customers.
The Indian Navy chose the Rafale not just because of the neutrality issue but for other, more practical reasons. India has been a traditional customer of Dassault, having purchased the Mirage 2000 fighter before signing for Rafales. Meanwhile, the French company has created several major joint venture agreements with Indian industry as part of New Delhi’s defense procurement offset requirements.
The aircraft has also shown its capability in austere environments not only with its operation in India but also by virtue of its previous deployments by French forces operating in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, and Syria. The F-35, while stealthy and offering numerous fifth-generation attributes such as an internal weapons bay and its famous Distributed Aperture System, presents more of a maintenance and servicing challenge in such conditions.
Dassault’s marketing pitch has long stressed the ability of the aircraft to carry out multiple missions, calling it the "Omnirole" fighter. The Rafale's cockpit also features some of the most advanced automation in the design of the pilot interface, which includes a single power lever controlling the two engines. The latest active array (AESA) variant of the Thales RBE2 radar gives the operator full situational awareness of the battle space.
A French pilot at the Le Bourget show commented on this point, stating, “There’s just no comparison. The Rafale can be sent on so many different missions. As a pilot that’s extremely rewarding.”