Dassault Aviation has unveiled its first Rafale fighter produced for the United Arab Emirates: its largest export customer to date for the multirole type.
Images posted by the French airframer on X show the lead example from the UAE’s 80-jet commitment to be a two-seat variant, with the serial number 1101 on its tail.
The aircraft was displayed in a hangar at Istres air base during a ceremony on 29 January. The event was attended by the airframer’s chief executive, Eric Trappier, along with French armed forces minister Sebastien Lecornu, and Mohamed Bin Moubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, the UAE’s minister of state for defence affairs.
The UAE announced a roughly €16 billion ($16.6 billion) order for the Rafale in December 2021, with shipments of its F4 operating-standard aircraft at that time expected to run between 2027 and 2031.
However, Dassault on 30 January stated: “This first F4 Rafale for the UAE, produced in line with the contract schedule, will remain at Dassault Aviation’s flight test centre to perform flight tests in view of the first deliveries to the UAE Air Force & Air Defence, which are scheduled at the end of 2026.”
