AeroTime
• Clement Charpentreau
France is pursuing a domestically developed successor to the Rafale after the FCAS partnership with Germany and Spain collapsed, with a target of fielding a new fighter by 2040. In the nearer term, plans center on the Rafale F5, as the air force warns its current fleet is being flown above planned levels.
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France is pursuing a domestically developed successor to the Rafale after the FCAS partnership with Germany and Spain collapsed, with a target of fielding a new fighter by 2040. In the nearer term, plans center on the Rafale F5, as the air force warns its current fleet is being flown above planned levels.
French Air and Space Force Rafale fighters and CN235 transports operated from civilian airports in Pau and Dinard in an exercise testing the service’s ability to disperse aircraft. The trial explores how military aircraft can continue operating when access to their usual bases is constrained.
AXIS Aviation has added a Dassault Falcon 6X in Austria and a Cessna Citation CJ in San Marino. The brief report provides no further details on the aircraft, timing or intended operations.
France intends to continue work on a next-generation combat aircraft without Germany and Spain, following the collapse of the three-country Future Combat Air System partnership. The government is targeting a new demonstrator development phase in 2027, though funding and industrial arrangements remain unresolved.
France is leasing a Falcon 8X to provide coverage while its government fleet undergoes maintenance. The available report does not specify the lease duration, cost or which aircraft are being maintained.
An AircraftForSale feature highlights a 2003 Dassault Falcon 2000 as a transatlantic-capable business jet. The aircraft is described as having a freshly retrofitted Collins Pro Line 21 panel and low total airframe hours.
Dassault Aviation has flown its second Falcon 10X prototype three times since the aircraft’s unannounced maiden sortie on Sept. 24, adding another jet to the ultra-long-range business aircraft’s test campaign. The flights mark the latest step in development, though the available reports provide no further details on test objectives or timing.
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