
France has launched its new variant of the Rafale fighter jet, F-4. The United Arab Emirates will receive the first F4 aircraft. The French aviation company said in a statement that a trial of the Rafale F-4 will be conducted soon at the Dassault Aviation test Centre, and it will start delivering the fighter jets to the UAE by the end of 2026. Dassault Aviation shared the first look of the fighter jet in a social media post on X.
The United Arab Emirates has agreed with the French company to procure 80 Rafale F-4 fighter jets. The fighter jets were showcased at Istres-Le Tubé Air Base during a ceremony.
“This first F4 Rafale for the UAE, produced in line with the contract schedule, will remain at Dassault Aviation’s Flight Test Center to perform flight tests in view of the first deliveries to the UAE Air Force & Air Defence which are scheduled at the end of 2026,” Dassault Aviation wrote on X.
Where the senior officials of both countries were present. After the French Air Force, UAE will become the second country to have Rafale F-4 fighter jets. The UAE had signed the agreement for 80 Rafale fighter jets in 2021.
The UAE will get the F-4 variant, while India, Egypt and Greece purchased the F-3 variant of Rafale jets. Dassault Aviation manufactured the fighter jets with 13 upgrades, which was India’s requirement. It was an advanced version of the original F-3 variant.
India purchased an F-3 Rafale fighter jet equipped with Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM) that can operate in all weather conditions. The jets are smart air-to-surface stand-off weapons developed by Safran Electronics & Defense. They can hit targets at a distance of over 70 kilometres.
The UAE will receive an upgraded variant of Rafale fighter jets. The F-4 Rafale jets will have upgraded features like Thales software-defined radio, satellite communication, RBE2, AESA, TALIOS targeting pod, and Front Sector Optronic System.
Dassault Aviation CEO, Éric Trappier, joined French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu and UAE Defense Affairs Minister Mohamed bin Mubarak Fadel Al Mazrouei in launching the new aircraft.
Al Mazrouei said: “Our defence partnership with the United Arab Emirates is based on a high level of interoperability between our armies, particularly in the air sector.”
The new fighter will add to the UAE’s existing Mirage 2000 fleet and future US-made F-35s.
It will be used for testing before the start of deliveries of the 80 Rafale ordered. These are expected to begin from 2027.
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