October 31,2008:
France has ordered another 60 Rafale jet fighters, to be delivered over
the next five years. Ultimately, France plans to buy 294, and 60 have been
delivered so far. Two years ago, the French Air Force activated its first
squadron of Rafale fighters. The navy had received ten navalized Rafales two
before that, for service on the nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. The
first prototype of Rafale was shown in 1986, and the aircraft should have
entered service in the late 1990s.
While one of
the more modern combat aircraft in the world, development of the Rafale was
delayed by technical problems, and shortages of money. Entering development
just as the Cold War ended meant that there was little enthusiasm to spend
billions on an aircraft that would face no real opposition. But, facing the
need to eventually replace all those Mirage fighters, development did get
restarted, creating an aircraft superior to the American F-15s and F-16s, very
similar to the F-18F, but inferior to the F-22 and F-35.
The
Eurofighter was another competitor for scarce export sales. By 2006, the French
armed forces have only ordered 120 Rafales (82 for the air force, 38 for the
navy), although eventually over 300 are expected to be ordered. The 28 ton
aircraft sell for about $100 million each, and so far, there have been no
export orders.