Deliveries of the Dassault Aviation Rafale fighter jumped markedly in 2024 to 21 jets as the French airframer ramped up production to deal with a growing backlog.
Disclosing its order and delivery performance on 7 January, Dassault said it had shipped 14 aircraft to its French domestic customer alongside seven jets for export, up from the total of 13 handed over in 2023 (11 France/two export) and one ahead of guidance.
Although sales of the Rafale were modest last year – a combined 30 units for export customers Indonesia (18) and Serbia (12), compared with the 62 and 92 received in 2023 and 2022, respectively – the backlog for the multirole type stood at 220 at 31 December, versus 211 the previous year.
The 220-unit total includes 164 aircraft for export and 56 for France, against respective figures of 141 and 70 at the end of 2023.
It was a mixed picture, however, for the Falcon family of business jets.
Shipments stood at 31 units, short of the 35 guided for, but an improvement on the 26 aircraft handed over in 2023.
For the first time the total also included deliveries of ultra-wide-cabin Falcon 6Xs to customers following its service entry in late 2023.
Dassault also booked 26 orders for its business jet family – up against the 23 recorded in 2023 but down on 2022’s 32-unit total. The Falcon backlog stood at 79 aircraft at year-end, against 84 in the previous period.
