Dassault Rafale’s 2030s Revamp Targets Stealth And Firepower

Tony Osborne June 26, 2025
Rafale with UCAV mockup

Upgrade plans for the Rafale (background), framed by the full-scale mockup of the new UCAV, took center stage at Le Bourget.

Credit: Mark Wagner/Aviation-Images
France is gearing up its Dassault Rafale combat aircraft for a new era of high-intensity warfare. A midlife update for the 2030s is set to advance the aircraft with technologies developed for the pan-European Future Combat Air System (FCAS), boosting the Rafale’s performance, weapons options and...
Tony Osborne

Based in London, Tony covers European defense programs. Prior to joining Aviation Week in November 2012, Tony was at Shephard Media Group where he was deputy editor for Rotorhub and Defence Helicopter magazines.

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