Croatia has become the fifth export operator of Dassault’s Rafale fighter following delivery of the first aircraft into the country’s capital of Zagreb.
France’s defense materiel agency has begun flight tests of a new optronics sensors system destined for the next upgrade package for the Dassault Rafale.
Of the 215 used fighters expected to transfer ownership in the coming decade, 132 of them (about 61%) will be F-16s, according to Aviation Week’s Fleet Discovery Military database.
France’s military modernization is ambitious, expansive and well underway, according to data from Aviation Week Network’s Fleet Discovery Military tool.
An ongoing software problem haunts Lockheed Martin’s production and modernization agenda for the F-35 as a raft of new competitors hit key milestones in 2024.
Safran may take the Italian government to court after Rome blocked its purchase of Collins Aerospace's actuation and flight control systems business from RTX.
The uncrewed combat air vehicles that may accompany the Rafale F5 standard will be designed to enter highly defended zones, Dassault's CEO said Dec. 5.
For more information about Aviation Week Intelligence Network’s (AWIN) 2024 Military Fleet & MRO Forecast and other Aviation Week data products, please see: https://pgs.aviationweek.com/forecast
New-build deliveries of fighter aircraft are expected to eclipse 5,000 airframes globally, for a total value of nearly $460 billion USD. Lockheed Martin’s F-35 is expected to capture 34% of that total.
MBDA is working on its Smart family of weapons at its newly established Abu Dhabi-based Missile Engineering Center, set up in conjunction with the Tawazun Council.
France is to invest €6.41 billion ($6.75 billion) in the Dassault Rafale fighter program between 2023 and 2026 and has earmarked €5.36 billion after 2026.