France has ordered 42 new Rafale fighter jets, the country's Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Friday, reports UNN.
A new decisive step has been taken with an order for 42 Rafale for the Air Force. This is great news for our sovereignty, our security and for our Army, which will benefit from additional Rafale with modernized operational capabilities
Details
The first of these will be delivered in 2027, writes AFP.
As noted, this is a five billion euro ($5.5 billion) order for the newest version of Dassault's aircraft, bringing the total number of Rafale jets bought by Paris to 234.
Lecornu said the order will support "more than 7,000 jobs in more than 400 companies" in France.
Supplement
Friday's announcement is the first major purchase under France's 413 billion euro military procurement plan for 2024-2030.
This is a 40% increase over the previous seven-year period, it was passed by Parliament last July.
"I want France to continue to have armed forces that set standards for Europe," President Emmanuel Macron said at the time.
The order comes as France, along with Germany and Spain, is setting up a program to develop the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) jet fighter to replace the Rafale from 2040.