Dassault Aviation has marked the completion of its 300th Rafale fighter, as the company works to increase output of the type to keep pace with international demand.
The production milestone was achieved “a few days ago”, the French airframer announced on 7 October. It declines to disclose which customer will receive the jet.
Dassault says the achievement “reflects the operational, industrial and commercial success of this combat aircraft”, deliveries of which commenced in 2004.
Produced for air forces in the single- and twin-seat C/B versions and in the M-model navy standard for use aboard aircraft carriers, the Rafale “has no equivalent in its category in terms of versatility and proven operational effectiveness”, its manufacturer claims.
Lifetime orders for the Rafale now stand at 533 aircraft for the French air force and navy and eight international customers.
Dassault currently holds contracts to produce 48 jets for the French air force, along with others for export buyers Egypt (26), the Indian navy (26), Indonesia (42), Serbia (12), and the United Arab Emirates (80).
“Production rates are planned to increase to four aircraft per month,” it states. The company earlier this year said that it expects to hand over 25 Rafales in 2025: 13 for the French air force; and the remainder for international buyers.
Data from aviation analytics company Cirium indicates that there are 280 Rafales in operational service currently, with these flown by six nations.
| In-service Rafale fleet | |
| Country (service) | Active |
| Croatia | 12 |
| Egypt | 28 |
| France (air force) | 104 |
| France (navy) | 41 |
| Greece | 24 |
| India | 35 |
| Qatar | 36 |
| Total | 280 |
| Source: Cirium fleets data |
It records another eight Rafales as having been lost during accidents, and one Indian air force example as destroyed during a clash with Pakistan earlier this year. Two others are listed as being in storage, while three are employed as test assets by France’s DGA defence procurement agency.
