Dassault’s Rafale: France’s High-Tech Jet is the Gulf Region’s Bestseller | Aviation International News

Dubai Airshow 2023

Dassault Rafale Is Gulf Region’s Best-selling Fighter Jet

‘Late bloomer’ now ubiquitous in Middle East

Dassault Rafale landing on carrier — India ordered 26 carrier-capable Rafales in July. (Photo: Dassault Aviation)

By Reuben F. Johnson

November 7, 2023

If the term “late bloomer” could be applied to a fighter aircraft, Dassault Aviation’s Rafale would likely win the title. The design of the aircraft dates to the late 1980s, when early demonstrator versions of the aircraft flew at Le Bourget and other international air shows. The program was slow to gain traction in the export market, having lost previous competitions two decades ago in nations such as South Korea and Singapore.

However, in the past two years, the Rafale has collected more orders than any Western aircraft apart from the Lockheed Martin F-35. One of the largest of those contracts came from the UAE, whose 80-aircraft order shunted aside the F-35, negotiations for which the Gulf country previously had held with Washington.

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