French Air Force chief says it cannot wait until 2033 for more Rafale jets

The Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Force told senators that his service needs additional Rafales well before the fighter’s next standard becomes available, and that taking more Rafale F4 jets would be preferable to waiting for the F5.

General Jérôme Bellanger appeared before the Senate foreign affairs, defense and armed forces committee on May 5, 2026, during hearings on the bill updating France’s 2024-2030 military programming law. The session was held behind closed doors, with the transcript being released by the Senate only in early August 2026.

F4 now rather than F5 later 

The updated programming law, definitively adopted by parliament on July 1, 2026, defers delivery of about 20 Rafale F4 fighters from 2031-2032 to 2033-2034 so they can be produced directly to the F5 standard, which is to carry the ASN4G hypersonic nuclear missile from 2035. 

The fleet target is unchanged at 225 combat aircraft by 2035, 185 for the French Air and Space Force and 40 for the French Navy.

“I am going to need more aircraft quickly,” Bellanger told the committee. “If we are not in a position to produce the F5 standard before 2033, we will have to choose the F4, which is already a very fine aircraft, unless the operational contracts of the Air and Space Force on the fighter segment are revised.”

80% of the fighter fleet in the air

French Dassault Rafale fighter jet armed with ASMPA nuclear missile (Credit: Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace)The Senate committee itself challenged the decision in a report, citing the strain on the French Air and Space Force’s fighter fleet, the advanced age of the Rafale Marine aircraft equipping the French Navy’s three fighter squadrons, and mounting operational commitments constraining aircraft availability.

Arguing the postponement appeared to be motivated more by budgetary considerations than operational choices, the Senate warned that it could deepen the capability gap at a critical time. 

A month before the hearing, close to 80% of the French fighter fleet was airborne at the same time for the first time, a peak Bellanger attributed to Operation Poker, the quarterly Strategic Air Forces nuclear raid exercise, and intensive deployments in the Near and Middle East, where French Rafales were helping defend Gulf countries against Iranian drones and missiles. 

“We are overusing the Rafale,” Bellanger said. “Versatility does not mean ubiquity.”

A broader nuclear posture demands more aircraft

Bellanger said France’s expanding nuclear posture would further increase its aircraft requirements. The larger arsenal announced by President Emmanuel Macron at Île Longue on March 2, 2026, would “mechanically” force France to reconsider the number of nuclear-armed Rafale B, the single-seat Rafale C assigned to protect them, and potentially its tanker fleet, which remains capped at 15 A330 MRTTs under the updated law. This would be a major issue for the next programming law, he said, adding that “many more” aircraft would be needed. 

“If we expand the nuclear arsenal, it is not so the weapons can sit in storage,” Bellanger summarized.

RELATED

Macron offers nuclear forward deterrence. Can France’s Rafale fleet deliver it?

Allied participation in France’s new “forward deterrence” concept would supplement rather than reduce those requirements. Bellanger said cooperation with willing countries could range from observing French nuclear exercises to joining training operations or accompanying nuclear raids [conventional support for nuclear operations, CSNO – ed. note]. The French Strategic Air Forces would retain complete autonomy, he stressed, with allied aircraft acting only as additional forces.The post French Air Force chief says it cannot wait until 2033 for more Rafale jets appeared first on AeroTime.

Go to Source