France clips Rafale's wings, hopes for first export order

France will about halve its purchases of Dassault Rafale fighter jet planes over the next six years, under defence estimates today, and is counting on at last clinching the first sales abroad to keep production lines going.
French officials say that among potential clients are India, Qatar, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil.
The government, struggling to curb public spending, also made clear that there will be no change to the French independent nuclear deterrent which successive governments have treated as a vital issue of national defence.
Dassault Aviation, which builds the Rafale fighters, used to high-profile effect in fighting in Libya and Mali, was to supply 11 planes a year to the French defence forces.

This was intended to ensure an essential minimum amount of work for production lines while France tries to achieve the first sales of the aircraft abroad.
But the government, which is struggling to meet commitments to the European Union and to retain investor confidence by getting its public deficit under control, is crimping public expenditure including defence spending.

Under the draft defence estimates put before the cabinet today, the left-wing government will acquire only 26 of the planes during the next six years.
Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had said on June 11, that from 2016 Dassault Aviation would have to count on exports to underpin production of the plane which is able to fulfil several types of mission.

The minister said on Europe 1 radio today: "There are countries which today are really interested in buying the Rafale, I am thinking particularly of India, Qatar, of other countries, and I am very confident of the chances of exporting the Rafale in coming months."
France was in exclusive negotiations to sell 126 Rafale planes to India "and I have high hopes that this will be successful," he said.
Sources close to the minister said that the estimates were based in part on a hypothesis that at least one country among other potential buyers would place an order before the end of 2019.