Paris Air Show 2025: France showcases future Rafale
Standout features of the F5 version of the Rafale displayed at the Paris Air Show 2025 included CFTs and an ESJ jammer pod. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)
France has showcased the future iteration of the Dassault Rafale combat aircraft at the Paris Air Show 2025, displaying the aircraft alongside a host of F5-standard capabilities.
Featuring in the static coral of the Ministry of Armed Forces of France (Ministère des Armées), the French Air and Space Force Rafale was seen equipped with a series of potential mission fits and payloads that are being touted for the 2030–40 timeframe.
Specific features included shoulder-mounted conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) that have not been seen on a Rafale since being first mooted in the early 2000s and a stand-in jammer electronic warfare (EW) pod dubbed ESJ. Further to the Rafale aircraft itself, a new flying-wing unmanned aircraft system (UAS) adjunct that will serve as a ‘loyal wingman' was showcased in the coral.
Janes approached Dassault ahead of the event running from 16 to 22 June to request additional information on the current and future Rafale programmes, but did not receive a response.
SEAD/DEAD mission
The showcasing of planned features of the F4-standard of the Rafale came some three-and-a-half years after the French Air and Space Force first disclosed to Janes and other attendees at the IQPC International Fighter Conference 2022 that it was looking to equip its aircraft for the suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD)/destruction of enemy air defences (DEAD) mission from 2030.
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