The high demand of Rafale fighter jets from France put the maker in great struggle. It is difficult to fulfill all demands, says a British think tank. All those countries that want to strengthen their air forces could be impacted through it. Especially those countries that are facing opposition in the Middle East and Ukraine. But who wants to avoid the political complications that come with buying Russian or US military planes.
Dassault Aviation, the company that makes the Rafale fighter jet, often tells potential buyers that they can start getting their aircraft just three years after signing a contract. But the International Institute for Strategic Studies has pointed out that with the company making a lot of Rafale sales recently, sticking to that three-year promise might be tougher and could even put some future deals at risk.
Overview of Rafale
The Rafale (“Squall”) is a type of jet fighter used or ordered by eight countries: Egypt, Greece, India, Qatar, Croatia, the UAE, Indonesia, and France’s own Air Force and Navy. This jet first took flight in 1986 and is known as a generation 4.5 fighter because it has some advanced features like limited stealth, the ability to fly supersonic without needing extra fuel, and the capability to fire long-range missiles like the Meteor and Mica.
There are 8 different countries that ordered the Rafale jet fighter. This includes: Egypt, Greece, India, Qatar, Croatia, the UAE, Indonesia, and France’s own Air Force and Navy. In 1986 this jet took its first flight and became famous as a generation 4.5 fighter. This is because it has many new features such as limited stealth. It also has the ability to fly supersonic without consuming extra fuel. Also has the capability to fire long-range missiles like the Meteor and Mica.
France is the nation that has bought 234 Rafales, and other countries have ordered an additional 261, according to Defense News. But the question is whether the manufacturer of this jet can fulfill the demands. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) estimates that Dassault has a backlog of 228 aircraft to produce. Things could get particularly tight between 2026 and 2033, when Dassault will need to deliver 174 Rafales to France, 42 to Indonesia, 80 to the UAE, and 10 to Egypt.
“The French aircraft maker planned to produce 15 Rafales last year but only made 13,” IISS mentioned. “The company hasn’t announced its production goals for 2024, but they might increase production due to high demand. Even so, it’s unlikely that they can produce 25 or more jets a year anytime soon.”
If the manufacturer can produce 20 jets per year in 2024 and very next year then there would still be 188 aircraft left to deliver between the year 2026 and 2033. In order to fulfill this requirement, Dassault would have to make nearly 24 jets a year during that period.
It is difficult for every aircraft manufacturer to build modern fighter jets including Dassault. For example, in 1944, at Ford’s Willow Run plant in Michigan, a B-24 Liberator bomber rolled off the line every 63 minutes. Fast-forward to 2024, and Lockheed Martin is struggling to produce about 100 F-35 fighter jets, with each jet taking around 40,000 hours of work to build. According to today’s age it is much more complex to build jets that fulfill all demands because it has thousands of parts sourced from suppliers around the world.
Aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia explained in September that the F-35 has the advantage of being produced globally with the support of multiple countries, while the Rafale is a national project with production limited by French resources.
Changings in the modern Rafale fighter jet
Dassault can make some changes, like shifting resources from building civilian aircraft to producing more Rafales, but bottlenecks are still likely. According to IISS, Dassault’s mostly domestic supply chain for Rafale gives it some protection from global supply-chain issues, but the company and its suppliers aren’t completely immune. They also noted that a shortage of engineering talent could hinder a significant increase in Rafale production. Realistically, Dassault would struggle to double its annual output.
Additionally, delivering only a few Rafales at a time isn’t a workable solution. IISS mentioned that most new customers with large orders would need at least six aircraft per year to properly train air and ground crews and to build up full squadrons. However, hitting that target might be too difficult for Dassault.
The fighter jets were not selling well from the last few years. After that many nations are expanding their air forces. At this time Lockheed Martin is trying to build enough F-35s that fulfill all demands. Furthermore, Russia is trying to rebuild its air force after losing aircraft in the Ukraine war despite sanctions from the West, and many countries are cautious about buying Chinese jets.
