France has recorded €21.2 billion ($24.8 billion) in arms exports for the 12 months 2025, in response to a latest French parliamentary report.
French arms exports surpassed €20 billion in 2025 for the second time in a row, as revealed by the 2026 Parliamentary Report revealed on August 13 on the web site of the French Ministry of Armed Forces.
The orders for 2025 totaled €21.2 billion, barely under the €21.6 billion mark achieved in 2024. This marks the third-highest annual determine on document, after the height of €26.9 billion in 2022, when the UAE ordered 80 Rafale fighters.
Earlier this 12 months, a report from the Stockholm Worldwide Peace Analysis Institute (SIPRI) in March 2026 confirmed that France was the world’s second-largest provider of main typical weapons within the 2021–25 interval, with a 9.8% share of world exports, behind solely the US.
In response to this report, French arms exports rose 21% in contrast with the earlier five-year interval (2016–2020).
Though France secured a various vary of contracts, together with fighter jets, submarines, floor ships, helicopters, autos, artillery, and missiles, the Rafale plane was the biggest single contributor to its robust export efficiency.
In 2025, France obtained orders for 2 Scorpène Advanced submarines from Indonesia, for a protection and intervention frigate from Greece, a navy telecommunications satellite tv for pc from Luxembourg, Caracal helicopters from Morocco, Scorpion autos from Belgium and Luxembourg; Caesar artillery programs from Slovenia and Croatia; and, lastly, Mistral air protection missiles from nations like Romania, Denmark, and Cyprus, as famous in a recent report in Paris-based Le Monde.
Nonetheless, new Rafale orders remained the dominant power.
In 2025, India turned France’s prime buyer, producing roughly €6.9 billion ($8.07 billion)—almost a 3rd of complete exports—thanks largely to a contract for 26 Rafale Marine jets ordered by New Delhi for its service fleet.
This was the primary export of the carrier-capable naval variant, estimated at roughly $7.5 billion. In reality, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces famous that “the persistence of the Rafale’s success at export demonstrates its suitability to present and future worldwide market wants and maintains the peace of mind of an enduring manufacturing chain in France.”
The stories about Rafale making it large within the export market is per Dassault’s reporting of a surge in orders. Final 12 months, as an example, Dassault Aviation reported a rise in its full-year Rafale gross sales, attributing the expansion to geopolitical tensions and a world wave of rising protection spending, as EurAsian Instances reported earlier.
Rafale is France’s Biggest Success Story
The Rafale, a mainstay of France’s air power for over 20 years, has developed into one of many world’s most coveted fight plane. After a gradual begin within the export market, it has since emerged as a serious business success—It has been bought by the air forces of eight nations, together with Egypt, India, Qatar, the UAE, Greece, Croatia, Indonesia, and Serbia, along with the French Air and Area Forces.
The plane’s omnirole capabilities, relative independence from US export controls, and France’s willingness to supply expertise switch or native industrial participation have made it enticing in Asia, the Center East, and components of Europe, serving to France keep its place because the world’s second-largest arms exporter on the planet.
After inserting a serious order in 2025, India is more likely to account for the majority of France’s arms exports as soon as once more with its imminent buy of 114 Rafale fighter jets.
India issued a Letter of Request (LoR) to France in Might 2026 for a government-to-government deal to acquire 114 Rafale fighters. In response, the French authorities submitted its proposal to the protection ministry on July 29, paving the way in which for negotiations on the government-to-government deal to start. In response to stories, France would possible ship 20 plane in flyaway situation, whereas the remaining shall be manufactured domestically in India. The whole value of the deal is anticipated to be a whopping $35 billion.
As soon as the deal is signed, it would change into the biggest Rafale export order ever positioned, and the Indian Air Drive will change into the biggest operator of the plane kind after France.
As well as, Ukraine outlined plans to amass as much as 16 Rafale fighter jets from France, together with a bunch of different weapon programs, in July 2026.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky introduced that the coaching for Ukrainian pilots and mechanics to function Rafale fighter jets will start in France this 12 months. As soon as coaching is full, the primary 4 Rafale jets shall be delivered to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Zelensky mentioned, because the EurAsian Instances reported on the time.
Final 12 months, Saudi Arabia was reported to be mulling the acquisition of 54 Rafale fighter jets. On the time, Dassault CEO Eric Trappier mentioned preliminary discussions have been underway to promote the Rafale to Saudi Arabia, including that the ultimate resolution would depend upon political choices.
Nevertheless, Riyadh’s curiosity within the French fighter jet appears to have taken a again seat after it obtained approval from Washington to buy F-35 stealth fighters.
Equally, Indonesia signed a letter of intent (LoI) final 12 months that might have paved the way in which for buying extra Rafales past the 42 already ordered.
Nevertheless, the plans have now been put on the back burner, as Indonesian Protection Ministry spokesman Rico Ricardo Sirait informed the Jakarta Globe in April.
“There aren’t any technical particulars that we can provide for now. However to at the present time, [Indonesia] has not determined to amass extra Rafale models. The federal government continues to be reviewing the concept,” he said.
Regardless of these minor setbacks, the export curiosity within the plane stays excessive. Experiences in June this 12 months indicated that Morocco is eyeing a possible buy of the jet, and discussions have already gotten underway. The EurAsian Instances couldn’t independently confirm the claims, however we all know the nation beforehand thought-about buying the Rafale however finally determined to purchase American F-16s as a substitute.
A number of different nations, together with Colombia and Iraq, had additionally proven earlier curiosity within the Rafale.
As of July 2026, Dassault faces a backlog of 208 plane, of which 165 are for export clients and 43 for France. The backlog is anticipated to shrink with deliberate 2026 deliveries, nevertheless it may develop considerably if main potential orders materialize.
Final 12 months, Dassault Aviation introduced it could enhance Rafale manufacturing amid persistent provide chain issues triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
France can be gearing as much as market the extra superior F4 and F5 variants (at the moment underneath growth) to potential patrons.
The Rafale F5 variant, for one, is anticipated to incorporate new sensors, armaments, and a sooner, safer technique of communication. Often known as the ‘Tremendous Rafale,’ it’s considered essentially the most superior variant of the plane conceptualized thus far.
Dassault chief Eric Trappier earlier mentioned that the “F5 variant of Rafale can have extra highly effective engines, improved survivability and information hyperlinks, and shall be accompanied by an unmanned fight air car (UCAV) weighing greater than 10t.”
It should be famous that consultants count on curiosity within the Rafale F5 to develop, as US stealth fighters are topic to stringent export controls and are dearer.
Due to this fact, it’s protected to say that the Rafale has clearly change into the first driver of French arms exports and could also be effectively positioned to retain that function for years to come back.
