A Dassault Rafale in flight at Royal International Air Tattoo in 2009. France has awarded contracts to four companies for production of the Rafale 5, an upgraded version of the omnirole fighter. (Wikimedia Commons/Tom Felce/Air wolfhound)

French Military Issues First Rafale F5 Contracts to Four Companies

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France is aiming to have the upgraded version of the omnirole fighter jet in the air by the mid-2030s.

Just months after the Franco-German-Spanish Future Air Combat System (FACS) program abruptly ended, France is putting renewed focus on the capabilities of its 4.5 generation fighter. The French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) has awarded multiple contracts for the development of Dassault’s Rafale 5, an upgraded version of the omnirole fighter.

“Under the project management of the DGA, the Rafale is being modernized through successive standards in order to maintain its technological and operational excellence, adapting it to the evolving needs of the armed forces and to new threats, while maintaining its attractiveness for export,” the DGA said in a news release.

The DGA issued contracts to Dassault, MBDA, Safran, and Thales; it did not disclose the........

© The National Interest