France reports 184 combat aircraft and seeks review of Rafale fleet usage
Written by AI from 1 report listed below. Not checked by a person before publication. How we use AI
As of 31 December 2025 France operated 184 combat aircraft, comprising 112 Rafales, 50 Mirage 2000Ds and 22 Mirage 2000‑5Fs, and said its combat aircraft are being used more than 15% above planned levels to sustain air security, nuclear deterrence and overseas deployments.
France has sold 24 used Rafales to Greece and Croatia, ordered 42 single‑seat Rafales in the F4 standard (awarded late 2023 and announced in January 2024), and had 220 Rafales pending delivery at the end of 2025, of which 45 are for French forces and 175 for export; the Rafale F5 is planned for the 2030s with improvements and the ASN4G nuclear missile, and the FCAS Franco‑German future combat system program includes Remote Carriers and the Combat Cloud.
France called for a review of fleet size in the next military programming law to regain operational margin.