Rafale F5 R&D phase is lauched.
Communiqué de la Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA), 09/09/26 :
www.meretmarine.com
Statement from the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA), 09/09/26
The French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) awarded several contracts this summer in anticipation of the launch of the Rafale F5 standard development phase.
These contracts, awarded to
Dassault Aviation,
MBDA,
Safran, and
Thales, cover the development of several pieces of equipment and help secure the next Rafale standard.
Firmly committed to collaborative combat operations and first-entry capability, the
F5 standard represents a major mid-life upgrade for the Rafale, essential to preparing the aircraft to meet the challenges of the coming decade and beyond. This new standard is expected to be qualified by 2033, before entering service with the French Air and Space Force and subsequently with the French Navy.
Under the DGA's program management, the Rafale is continuously modernized through successive standards to maintain its technological and operational superiority, adapting it to evolving military requirements and emerging threats while preserving its export attractiveness.
The Rafale F5 mid-life upgrade will ensure the renewal of the airborne nuclear deterrence component through the integration of the fourth-generation nuclear air-to-surface missile (
ASN4G), as well as enhanced first-entry capability in hostile operational environments.
The F5 standard incorporates the improvements required to address evolving operational threats and rapidly embrace collaborative combat concepts. It will improve responsiveness in adapting to operational contexts through a more open mission system architecture, providing greater autonomy to armed forces. To secure the development of this critical standard for the armed forces, the DGA has awarded contracts covering the development of several systems that will subsequently be integrated by Dassault Aviation into the Rafale F5 aircraft:
- The ultra-low-drift Hemispherical Resonator Gyroscope (HRG) Inertial Navigation System, under a contract awarded to Dassault Aviation.
- The new Inter-Vehicle Data Link (IVDL) system, under a contract awarded to Thales. This communication system is the result of many years of upstream studies funded by the DGA. The connectivity of the Rafale F5 will be expanded through a new high-bandwidth, low-observable, and jam-resistant waveform. The IVDL will enable the Rafale to penetrate hostile environments where electronic jamming is widespread while maintaining optimal data exchange and communication between aircraft.
- The RBE2-XG (eXtended Generation) two-axis electronically scanned radar, under a contract awarded to Thales. The Rafale F5 standard will incorporate a major technological breakthrough through the deployment of this new radar. This system represents a significant evolution of the RBE2 AESA radar currently in service, leveraging a decade of operational feedback from French armed forces. The radar will benefit from a substantial increase in power, leading to greater detection range, as well as enhanced capability to identify targets with an extremely low Radar Cross Section (RCS). Its computing capacity will also be significantly increased to support greater integration of artificial intelligence.
Furthermore, the RBE2-XG will be designed for collaborative combat operations, with sensors capable of working together autonomously without pilot intervention. While maintaining the same footprint as the current RBE2 radar, the RBE2-XG will offer increased resilience, including against cyber threats, and will meet operational requirements through 2035 and beyond.
- The SPECTRA F5 self-protection suite, under contracts awarded to Thales and MBDA France. The aircraft's self-protection system will be upgraded and enhanced to address evolving threats. Detection and jamming capabilities will be significantly improved, notably through full digitalization, enabling a complete modernization of the electronic warfare core to cope with the densification and expansion of the electromagnetic spectrum, as well as the increasing complexity of threat waveforms expected by 2035.
- The M88 T-REX engine (preliminary design phase), under a contract awarded to Safran Aircraft Engines. The current M88-2 engine will evolve into the M88 T-REX, a major upgrade aimed at increasing maximum thrust by 20%, from 7.5 to 9 metric tons. This development builds on preliminary studies initiated by the DGA in cooperation with Safran Aircraft Engines and ONERA.
From a technical standpoint, the M88 T-REX will retain the modular architecture, structure, and operational advantages of the M88-2, including its low fuel consumption, while incorporating modifications to several modules. This modularity greatly facilitates maintenance by allowing rapid replacement of components without dismantling the entire engine, thereby reducing aircraft downtime and improving operational availability.
