France’s Rafale F5 to Carry 18 Smart Cruiser Missiles to Defeat Enemy Air Defenses
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On June 23, 2025, the website Opex360 reported that the Rafale F5, the future evolution of Dassault Aviation’s multirole fighter, will be able to carry up to eighteen Smart Cruiser missiles. This information was made public during the latest edition of the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, where the French defense procurement agency (DGA) specified that this configuration is designed to saturate enemy surface-to-air defense systems. Developed by MBDA under the Future Air-to-Ground Weapon program (Armement Air-Sol Futur – AASF), the missile is expected to become a core component of the French Air and Space Force’s (AAE) arsenal to restore a key operational function: the suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD).Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The Rafale F5 will evolve into a central node in a system-of-systems, combining resilience, teaming, and coordinated strike capability (Picture source: French MoD)
Since the withdrawal of the AS-37 MARTEL missile in the 1990s, France has lacked a dedicated system for targeting radar sites and surface-to-air missile batteries. This shortfall has become more pronounced as potential adversaries have developed dense, integrated, and mobile air defense networks designed to deter or deny access to their territory, a dynamic commonly described as anti-access/area denial (A2/AD). In this context, the ability to engage and neutralize such systems in depth, from the early stages of a conflict, is once again a central operational requirement. It enables the creation of entry corridors for friendly forces and preserves the credibility of France’s deterrence strategy, including in scenarios involving last-resort nuclear strikes.
The Rafale F5 program was thus shaped around a significant capability upgrade. Initial operating capability (IOC) is planned for 2033, with full operational capability (FOC) expected by 2035. This new standard will bring major changes to the Rafale platform. In addition to the future ASN4G hypersonic nuclear missile, it will include the next-generation RBE2 XG active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, upgraded electronic warfare systems, and advanced data connectivity. The F5 variant will also be designed to operate in coordination with a heavy combat drone derived from the nEUROn demonstrator, which will be capable of carrying out jamming, reconnaissance, or strike missions in a coordinated fashion.
The integration of the Smart Cruiser into this framework goes beyond the simple addition of another weapon. This next-generation tactical cruise missile is specifically intended for SEAD and DEAD (Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses) missions, using a saturation approach and collaborative engagement concept. Each Rafale F5 will be able to carry three “hexalauncher” pods, each holding six missiles, allowing for the simultaneous deployment of up to eighteen precision-guided munitions. Operating as a swarm, these missiles will be able to disperse near the target area, adjust their trajectories mid-flight, and maintain data links with the launching aircraft to receive updated instructions. Built-in AI will allow real-time mission reconfiguration in response to battlefield developments.
Technically, the Smart Cruiser is designed within a network-centric logic. It does not function as an isolated munition but as part of a broader system of effectors, including unmanned remote carriers, with which it shares targeting data and threat assessments. The goal is not merely the destruction of a single radar but the systematic disruption of air defense architectures. By forcing operators to reveal positions or exceed their response capacities, the missile creates openings while minimizing exposure for manned or unmanned assets. In this way, it serves both as an entry enabler and as a tool for degrading adversary command and control structures.
The implications of this configuration go beyond its technical specifications. From a doctrinal standpoint, the Rafale F5–Smart Cruiser combination redefines France’s approach to offensive air operations. Where previous deep-strike capabilities relied on limited, high-value platforms, the new model emphasizes distributed, collaborative, and adaptive systems. This shift responds to the increasing complexity of modern threat environments while also reflecting a broader strategic objective: to ensure that France, acting alone or within a coalition, retains the ability to initiate operations in contested airspace and overcome enemy denial strategies.
In the long term, the Rafale F5 is expected to evolve beyond the role of a traditional combat aircraft. It will become a central node within a larger system-of-systems architecture, combining performance, electronic resilience, manned-unmanned teaming, and coordinated strike capabilities. Through the Smart Cruiser, MBDA is not simply delivering a missile, but a component of a new operational model aimed at redefining the balance of power in the contested air domains of the 21st century.
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On June 23, 2025, the website Opex360 reported that the Rafale F5, the future evolution of Dassault Aviation’s multirole fighter, will be able to carry up to eighteen Smart Cruiser missiles. This information was made public during the latest edition of the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, where the French defense procurement agency (DGA) specified that this configuration is designed to saturate enemy surface-to-air defense systems. Developed by MBDA under the Future Air-to-Ground Weapon program (Armement Air-Sol Futur – AASF), the missile is expected to become a core component of the French Air and Space Force’s (AAE) arsenal to restore a key operational function: the suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD).
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The Rafale F5 will evolve into a central node in a system-of-systems, combining resilience, teaming, and coordinated strike capability (Picture source: French MoD)
Since the withdrawal of the AS-37 MARTEL missile in the 1990s, France has lacked a dedicated system for targeting radar sites and surface-to-air missile batteries. This shortfall has become more pronounced as potential adversaries have developed dense, integrated, and mobile air defense networks designed to deter or deny access to their territory, a dynamic commonly described as anti-access/area denial (A2/AD). In this context, the ability to engage and neutralize such systems in depth, from the early stages of a conflict, is once again a central operational requirement. It enables the creation of entry corridors for friendly forces and preserves the credibility of France’s deterrence strategy, including in scenarios involving last-resort nuclear strikes.
The Rafale F5 program was thus shaped around a significant capability upgrade. Initial operating capability (IOC) is planned for 2033, with full operational capability (FOC) expected by 2035. This new standard will bring major changes to the Rafale platform. In addition to the future ASN4G hypersonic nuclear missile, it will include the next-generation RBE2 XG active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, upgraded electronic warfare systems, and advanced data connectivity. The F5 variant will also be designed to operate in coordination with a heavy combat drone derived from the nEUROn demonstrator, which will be capable of carrying out jamming, reconnaissance, or strike missions in a coordinated fashion.
The integration of the Smart Cruiser into this framework goes beyond the simple addition of another weapon. This next-generation tactical cruise missile is specifically intended for SEAD and DEAD (Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses) missions, using a saturation approach and collaborative engagement concept. Each Rafale F5 will be able to carry three “hexalauncher” pods, each holding six missiles, allowing for the simultaneous deployment of up to eighteen precision-guided munitions. Operating as a swarm, these missiles will be able to disperse near the target area, adjust their trajectories mid-flight, and maintain data links with the launching aircraft to receive updated instructions. Built-in AI will allow real-time mission reconfiguration in response to battlefield developments.
Technically, the Smart Cruiser is designed within a network-centric logic. It does not function as an isolated munition but as part of a broader system of effectors, including unmanned remote carriers, with which it shares targeting data and threat assessments. The goal is not merely the destruction of a single radar but the systematic disruption of air defense architectures. By forcing operators to reveal positions or exceed their response capacities, the missile creates openings while minimizing exposure for manned or unmanned assets. In this way, it serves both as an entry enabler and as a tool for degrading adversary command and control structures.
The implications of this configuration go beyond its technical specifications. From a doctrinal standpoint, the Rafale F5–Smart Cruiser combination redefines France’s approach to offensive air operations. Where previous deep-strike capabilities relied on limited, high-value platforms, the new model emphasizes distributed, collaborative, and adaptive systems. This shift responds to the increasing complexity of modern threat environments while also reflecting a broader strategic objective: to ensure that France, acting alone or within a coalition, retains the ability to initiate operations in contested airspace and overcome enemy denial strategies.
In the long term, the Rafale F5 is expected to evolve beyond the role of a traditional combat aircraft. It will become a central node within a larger system-of-systems architecture, combining performance, electronic resilience, manned-unmanned teaming, and coordinated strike capabilities. Through the Smart Cruiser, MBDA is not simply delivering a missile, but a component of a new operational model aimed at redefining the balance of power in the contested air domains of the 21st century.
