In recent months, Dassault Aviation has recorded a series of orders for its Rafale. There are firm orders, those of Egypt and Qatar, each, for 24 aircraft, and then there is that of India, who in April announced the purchase of 36 combat aircraft, though for the moment nothing has been signed even if things are going in the right direction.
On September 1st, the Indian Ministry of Defence in effect gave the green light to the continuation of negotiations. All that remains is for those concerned to agree on the purchase price. As for the acquisition of the 126 Rafales to be manufactured under license in India, the project was finally abandoned as we announced last June, however, in terms of its needs, India will probably order additional aircraft.
Among the potential buyers of the Rafale, there is always the UAE, Indonesia and Canada and above all Malaysia. Needing to renew its ageing fleet of Russian MiG-29’s, the Malaysian air force could well be interested in 18 Rafale. France has just put in an offer to the Malaysian authorities.
With all these firm orders, including the 40 or so aircraft yet to be delivered to the French Air Force, and other likely future contracts, Dassault Aviation are preparing to increase their production rate. In 2018, twenty units should be produced each year, against eleven today. Without divulging figures, the manufacturer states that recruitment is ongoing.
