ISTANBUL

France plans to significantly expand its Rafale fighter jet fleet, setting a new target of 286 aircraft under the 2026 defense budget, up from the current 225, according to official budget documents.

The Ministry of the Armed Forces is expected to order 61 additional Rafale jets for the Air and Space Force and the Navy to meet growing operational demands and evolving security threats, La Tribune reported on Tuesday.

The 2026 budget also includes funds for the replacement of two Rafales lost in a crash involving the Air Force in August 2024.

“The target of the program may be adjusted to ensure consistency with the fleet size defined in the Military Programming Law,” the Economy Ministry noted in its 2026 draft budget.

Until now, the overall Rafale fleet was capped at 225 aircraft, as outlined in France’s 2013 White Paper on Defense and the 2019–2025 Military Programming Law (MPL), comprising 185 for the Air and Space Force and 40 for the Navy.

However, the 2024–2030 MPL projects a fleet of 178 Rafales by 2030 and a gradual increase to 225 aircraft by 2035.

Produced by French defense industry company Dassault Aviation, the Rafale entered operational service with the Air Force in 1998 and the Navy in 1999. The multirole aircraft has become the backbone of French air power, capable of air superiority, ground attack, reconnaissance, and nuclear deterrence missions.