Key Points and Summary – France’s Dassault Rafale has become a major export success due to its “omnirole” capability, allowing it to perform multiple missions in a single sortie, which makes it a cost-effective alternative to 5th-generation stealth jets.
-Its appeal is boosted by a proven combat record, a carrier-capable version, and France’s willingness to include technology transfers, offering nations a strategic alternative to U.S. or Russian hardware.
Dassault Rafale Fighter. Image Credit: Dassault.
Dassault Rafale. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-The upcoming F5 “Super Rafale” variant, planned for around 2030, will feature a more powerful engine, advanced electronic warfare, and drone control, positioning it as a direct competitor to the F-35.
Why Are So Many Countries Buying The Dassault Rafale?
France’s Dassault Aviation announced it has completed production of the 300th Rafale fighter jet. This marks a significant milestone in the progress toward building 533 aircraft on order from countries such as India, Indonesia, and Serbia, as well as France itself.
This outstanding aircraft has enjoyed great success on the open market, which should not come as a big surprise.
Many countries are buying the Rafale due to its so-called omnirole capabilities. It can perform multiple missions in a single sortie, which makes the Rafale cost-effective compared to stealthier fifth-generation fighters. It delivers proven performance in diverse environments, and added flexibility thanks to its carrier-capable version.
Geopolitical factors also drive Rafale sales. These include avoiding reliance on a single supplier (particularly the U.S. or Russia), and France’s willingness to include technology transfers in sales.
Meet The F-5 Super Rafale
Safran is developing an upgraded version of the M88 engine for the future Dassault Rafale F5: the M88 T-REX. This enhanced engine will offer a 20 percent increase in thrust compared to the current M88, reaching nine metric tons (19,841 pounds) of thrust with afterburners.
The M88 T-REX will improve the Rafale F-5’s performance without any changes to the aircraft’s airframe.
The F-5’s upgraded RBE2 radar and electronic warfare (EW) suite will provide improved levels of situational awareness, offering earlier detection and tracking of multiple targets, along with the capability to use several radar modes simultaneously.
The EW capabilities of this future Rafale aim at defeating enemy radar and jamming hostile defenses, in the process managing a “self-defense bubble”—a cutting-edge active protection system to shield the jet and allied assets from enemy threats.
A French Air and Space Force Rafale C from Mont-de-Marsan, Fighter Regiment 2/30, Normandie-Niémen, receives fuel from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker from the 100th Air Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, England, during exercise Atlantic Trident 25 over Finland, June 26, 2025. Atlantic Trident 25 is a recurring multinational training exercise between the U.S., U.K. and France to train in an interoperable environment, refining operational integration and ensuring Allied forces can seamlessly secure the Euro-Atlantic region. Finland hosted this iteration of the training series for the first time. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christopher Campbell)
Dassault Rafale Ready for Action. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Dassault plans to equip the F5 with the ASN4G hypersonic missile, a nuclear-armed weapon that will sit at the core of the F5’s offensive capabilities.
The F5 will also incorporate other new advanced missile systems, including the Future Cruise Missile (FCM) and Future Anti-Ship Missile (FASM). These will replace the aging SCALP/Storm Shadow and AM39 Exocet, delivering a devastating long-range strike capability against enemy warships.
Direct Competition With the US F-35 In Export Sales
Dassault has made it clear it plans to compete with the F-35. France lost most of Europe’s big contracts to the Lightning II, even as it carved out its own niche in the Middle East and Asia.
Dassault hopes the latest variant of its flagship fighter jet will help it reclaim export markets where it has lost serious ground, especially to Lockheed Martin’s F-35.
The F-35 is generally considered the most advanced, lethal, survivable, and connected fighter jet in the world. It gives pilots a critical advantage against any adversary.
Even as the Rafale F5 promises to be a significant advancement over the F4, Lockheed Martin isn’t standing pat. The F-35 is slated for major upgrades as well.
“There are techniques and capabilities … that were developed for [our NGAD bid] that we can now apply [to an upgraded F-35],” Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet said earlier this year. “We’re basically going to take the chassis and turn it into a Ferrari.”
Taiclet said souping up fifth-generation fighters might allow Lockheed Martin to deliver “80 percent of the capability” of a sixth-generation fighter “at 50 percent of the cost per unit aircraft.”
Turning back to Dassault, let’s look at the factors that make the Rafale such an attractive purchase.
Multi-role or Omni-role Capability
Dassault’s marketing of the Rafale as an “omnirole” aircraft emphasizes that it is designed to perform air superiority, ground attack, anti-ship, reconnaissance, and strategic nuclear strike missions in a single flight.
This versatility makes the Rafale a powerful asset for any air force, thanks to its blend of performance and adaptability.
Cost-Effectiveness and Reliability
The Rafale is often seen as a more budget-friendly and practical solution compared to some alternatives, particularly fifth-generation fighters.
The omnirole design also simplifies logistics and maintenance by reducing the number of different aircraft types in a fleet.
Technological Advancement
The Rafale is considered one of the most advanced 4.5-generation fighters in the world, with a highly integrated avionics suite, advanced automation, and a pilot-friendly interface.
Some countries are choosing the Rafale to reduce their reliance on the United States as a sole defense supplier, especially given political shifts and concerns about potential future restrictions on technology or parts.
While the U.S. is very picky about sharing technology with countries that use Russian or Chinese technology—it expelled Turkey from the F-35 program for buying the Russian S-400 anti-aircraft system—France is also quite protective of its own technology. France refused to give India access to the sensitive source code for its Rafale fighter jets. This prevents India from integrating its own indigenous weapons systems, preserving the integrity of French technology.
Proven Performance
The Rafale has a demonstrated operational track record in various environments and has proven its ability to operate alongside other major air forces in multinational exercises. The carrier-capable version, Rafale M, is the only non-U.S. fighter cleared for operation on U.S. aircraft carriers.
For some nations—Serbia included—the need to replace obsolete Soviet-era aircraft and an inability to secure new aircraft from Russia due to geopolitical factors made the Rafale an attractive and viable alternative.
Dassault has made inroads into the F-35’s sales as a 4.5-generation alternative to the American stealth fighter. For some countries, it is a more attractive option.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
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