France is set to expand its fleet of Rafale fighter jets to 286 aircraft under the 2026 defense budget, increasing from the current 225, according to official budget documents.
The Ministry of the Armed Forces is expected to place an order for 61 additional Rafales for both the Air and Space Force and the Navy to address operational needs and emerging security challenges, La Tribune reported on Tuesday.The draft budget also allocates funding to replace two Rafales lost in an August 2024 crash involving the Air Force. “The target of the program may be adjusted to ensure consistency with the fleet size defined in the Military Programming Law,” the Economy Ministry stated in the 2026 draft budget.
Previous defense planning limited the Rafale fleet to 225 aircraft, as outlined in the 2013 White Paper on Defense and the 2019–2025 Military Programming Law. That figure included 185 aircraft for the Air and Space Force and 40 for the Navy.
The 2024–2030 Military Programming Law envisions a fleet of 178 Rafales by 2030, gradually rising to 225 by 2035. The latest budget proposal indicates a significant acceleration of this schedule, reflecting France’s intent to reinforce its air combat capabilities.
Manufactured by Dassault Aviation, the Rafale entered operational service with the French Air Force in 1998 and with the Navy a year later. The multirole aircraft performs missions including air superiority, ground strike, reconnaissance, and nuclear deterrence.
