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France to receive just two Rafales in 2027 as air chief warns of fighter strain
ByClement CharpentreauOctober 15 2026
French Air Force Dassault Rafale pilots. (Credit: French Air Force)
France’s Air and Space Force expects to receive just two new Rafale fighters in 2027 while retiring additional Mirage 2000-5 jets, despite its existing combat aircraft already being used more than 15% above their planned utilization rate.
The warning came from General Jérôme Bellanger, Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Force, during a hearing before the National Assembly’s Defense Committee on October 14, 2026, as lawmakers examined the proposed 2027 defense budget.
Bellanger illustrated the pressure on the fleet with an example from before summer 2026, when approximately 80% of France’s fighter aircraft were committed simultaneously to a nuclear deterrence exercise, operations in the Middle East, NATO’s eastern flank, and an exercise in Côte d’Ivoire, alongside permanent air policing duties.
“Overusing the fleet will no longer be enough tomorrow,” he warned.
The proposed 2027 budget allocates €4.4 billion in commitment authorizations and €1.8 billion in payment appropriations to Rafale procurement and modernization, including development of the F5 standard. However, Bellanger argued that the next military programming law must reconsider the overall size of France’s fighter fleet.
The warning follows similar concerns he raised before the Senate in May 2026, when he argued that France needed additional Rafales before the F5 entered service in 2033, even if that meant procuring more F4-standard aircraft in the meantime.
The planned expansion of France’s nuclear deterrence posture will add another requirement to that assessment, with implications not only for aircraft numbers but also for personnel, training, infrastructure, and support.
