Ukraine Plans to Order 100 French Rafale Fighter Jets

Ukraine plans to order 100 French Rafale fighter jets in order to strengthen the Ukrainian Air Force.

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this in a comment to TF1 INFO.

Before the announcement, Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron signed an agreement on Ukraine’s purchase of defense equipment.

Back in 2021, reports indicated that Macron planned to offer Ukraine Rafale fighter jets to replace its Soviet-era MiG-29s during his visit to Kyiv.

However, it was only this year that the French company Dassault Aviation confirmed it is ready to supply Rafale jets to the Ukrainian Air Force.

It is likely that, along with discussions about the Rafale, the parties are also considering the modernization of the existing fleet of Mirage 2000 fighter jets that have already been transferred to Ukraine.

The company currently has firm orders from France and eight export customers for the delivery of another 233 Rafale fighter jets. Production is planned to increase to four aircraft per month.

Recently, Dassault Aviation opened a new production line for the first time since the 1970s amid rising demand for Rafale fighter jets.

More than 600 engineers work at the plant, enabling the annual production of 30–40 Rafale aircraft in the future.

The Rafale is an almost entirely ‘domestically produced’ product of the French industrial sector.

Dassault Aviation is responsible for the airframe and overall systems integration, Thales – for the key sensors and avionics, and Snecma (now Safran Aircraft Engines) – for the development and production of the M88 engines.

This approach has provided France with technological independence and full control over a strategic-level combat aircraft.