Rafale Jets and Submarines Boost France's Defense Exports to $19 Billion in 2024. defense news.

 Rafale Jets and Submarines Boost France's Defense Exports to $19 Billion in 2024

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with Dassault Aviation's CEO Eric Trappier (2nd L), in front of a model of the company's Rafale warplane at the Paris Air Show on June 19, 2023. (Ludovic Marin/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

PARIS — French defense exports had their second-best year ever in 2024, surpassing €18 billion (US$18.6 billion), driven by strong demand for Rafale fighter jets and submarines, Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced during his New Year’s address in Paris on Tuesday.

Lecornu expressed ambitions for 2025 to set a new record, fueled by exports of surface ships, submarines, radars, artillery, helicopters, and additional Rafale jets. He also emphasized promoting the latest French-Italian SAMP/T air-defense system, which is seen as critical to countering ballistic missile threats from nations like Iran and Russia.

France relies heavily on defense exports to support its strategic autonomy, which enables it to maintain capabilities like designing and manufacturing fighter jets and nuclear-powered submarines despite having a smaller economy compared to global powers like the U.S. and China. Between 2019 and 2023, France ranked as the second-largest arms exporter globally after the U.S., accounting for 11% of worldwide arms exports, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

“Exporting our weapons is crucial for strengthening our defense industrial and technological base,” Lecornu stated. “It is equally vital for our trade balance, job creation across the country, and, most importantly, our sovereignty.”

In 2024, France secured nearly €10 billion in orders for Dassault Aviation’s Rafale jets and Naval Group submarines. Total defense export orders more than doubled from €8.2 billion in 2023, though they fell short of 2022’s record €27 billion. Dassault Aviation also reported an increase in export orders, rising from 18 Rafale jets in 2023 to 30 in 2024, with export deliveries climbing from two to seven aircraft.

However, Lecornu cautioned that a failure to pass the 2025 budget in a divided parliament could jeopardize military funding. He urged lawmakers to approve the spending outlined in the 2024-2030 military budget to ensure France’s military effectiveness. He described the planned €3 billion annual defense budget increase as a “floor, not a ceiling,” warning against underfunding in the face of mounting global threats.

As global arms production intensifies, Lecornu noted that France must fully transition to a “war economy” to preserve its sovereign defense industry and compete with allies and rivals alike. He called for improvements in delivery times and pricing to make French defense exports more competitive, acknowledging that delays have cost France contracts in the past.

On the European stage, Lecornu criticized any EU defense spending that supports the production of U.S.-made equipment under license, arguing that such practices undermine Europe’s strategic autonomy. He called for EU programs to simplify the growth of European defense industries without imposing unnecessary constraints.

In 2025, France’s defense priorities will include deploying artificial intelligence (AI) across military operations, such as anti-drone warfare, decision-making systems, and robotic fire control. Lecornu described 2025 as a pivotal year for France to establish itself as a global leader in military AI.

France is also advancing its focus on quantum technologies, planning to deploy quantum inertial navigation systems in submarines and Rafale jets, as well as quantum atomic clocks in satellites. Additionally, space will be a key focus, with the military surveillance satellite CSO-3 set to launch aboard the Ariane 6 rocket in 2025. A military space summit will also be held to align defense priorities with the French space industry.

Drones and anti-drone systems are another area of urgency. Lecornu called for equipping every military unit, surface vessel, and aircraft with accompanying drones and anti-drone systems, favoring off-the-shelf solutions for speed over long development cycles. He also stressed the need for electronic warfare capabilities to counter drones, calling for advancements in jamming and detection systems by 2025.

“Our platforms and forward bases will increasingly be targets,” Lecornu warned, “and they must be equipped with their own electronic warfare capabilities to address these threats.”

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About Rudy Ruitenberg

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

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