Sobre la inversión de Francia en el Rafale:
https://www.defense-aerospace.com/franc ... 35-report/Oct. 13, 2023
(Source: Defense-Aerospace.com; posted Oct. 13, 2023)
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PARIS --- France will invest over €13 billion in its combat aviation over the next decade, with major investments in the production of Rafale fighters for the French air force, the development of the next Rafale F5 version, and initial development of the next-generation SCAF fighter with Germany and Spain.
The armed forces ministry has earmarked €6.4 billion in the 2023-2026 defense program law to finance various aspects of the Rafale program, the French La Tribune website reported Oct. 12, with another €5.36 billion budgeted for the program beyond 2026. Total expenditure on Rafale over the next decade will total €11.76 billion.
Rafale F4 production and F5 development
This substantial amount will finance the development and production of the Rafale F4 version (€2.27 billion), which will feature improved connected collaborative combat capabilities, and whose latest F4.2 variant is already being developed.
The armed forces ministry’s 2024 budget also includes initial funding of €211.9 million for the next Rafale version, designated F5. This amount will also fund the development of the F5’s next-generation RBE2 XG radar, as well as related risk reduction studies. Rafale F5 will notably be able to operate with 'loyal wingman' unmanned aircraft, and Dassault is working to update its Neuron unmanned combat air vehicle for this purpose. The ministry has budgeted €128 million for Neuron in the 2024 budget, which adds up to €340 million for the F5/Neuron development just in 2024.
However, the largest investment in Rafale - €8.5 billion – is earmarked to pay for the delivery of additional production aircraft to the French air force. In 2023-2026, €3.7 billion will pay for 13 aircraft to be delivered in 2023 and 2024, La Tribune reported. These will be the final French F3R production aircraft, and will subsequently upgraded to the F4.2 version together with the entire French fleet.
In addition, the French armed forces ministry is negotiating a new order for 42 additional Rafale, which should be signed by the end of the year. This order will increase France’s Rafale fleet to 178 air force Rafale B/C and navy Rafale M aircraft by 2030, and to 225 aircraft by 2035. This was the number of aircraft planned when the program was launched, but had been reduced for financial reasons. This will bring the total of new orders by the French armed forces ministry to 55 aircraft.
Spending on SCAF to increase
In parallel, France is ratcheting up spending on its the Future Air Combat System (SCAF) program, together with Germany and Spain, and has budgeted €1.3 billion for the program over the next four years (2023-2026), La Tribune reported.
Most of that sum will go to pay France’s one-third share of the cost of the phase 1B of the SCAF program (Next Generation Weapon System). Awarded in December 2022, this 36-month contract amounts to over €3 billion, shared equally between Germany, Spain and France.
In addition, France has also budgeted an additional €300 million for additional SCAF-related activities beyond 2026, according to La Tribune, bringing the total budgeted for SCAF to date to €1.65 billion.
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