--- title: "France Holds Second Place in the World in Arms Exports: Rafale Becomes the Locomotive of the Defense Industry" description: "France has retained its second-place position in the world in arms exports: 2025 orders totaled 21.2 billion euros, and the Rafale fighter became the industry's main driver amid interest from India, Ukraine, and other countries." date: 2026-08-23T11:59:25.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/france-arms-exports-rafale-2025 tags: [france, rafale, arms-export, dassault-aviation, india, ukraine, sipri] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # France Holds Second Place in the World in Arms Exports: Rafale Becomes the Locomotive of the Defense Industry ![Rafale fighter jet taking off from aircraft carrier deck with other military aircraft in background](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/23/frantsiya-eksport-oruzhiya-rafale-2025/frantsiya-eksport-oruzhiya-rafale-2025-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - France's defense orders in 2025 totaled 21.2 billion euros β€” the third highest figure in history, below the 2022 record (26.9 billion euros). - According to SIPRI data, France accounted for 9.8% of the global arms export market in 2021–2025, holding second place behind the United States. - The Rafale fighter is the main driver of exports; India may become the largest customer, including a potential deal for 114 aircraft (~35 billion dollars). - Ukraine plans to purchase up to 16 Rafale, while Dassault is developing the F4 and F5 variants with the ability to interact with drones. According to data presented to the French parliament and published by The EurAsian Times, the value of France's defense orders in 2025 reached 21.2 billion euros. This figure is lower than the 2024 value (21.6 billion euros) and is the third highest in the country's history: the all-time record was set in 2022 at 26.9 billion euros, largely thanks to the United Arab Emirates' order for 80 Rafale fighters. Nevertheless, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), France accounted for 9.8% of the global market for major conventional arms exports between 2021 and 2025, cementing its second-place position behind the United States, while the total volume of French arms exports grew by 21% compared to the 2016–2020 period. ### Records, Statistics, and the Structure of Orders In 2025, Paris signed numerous defense contracts covering a wide range of weapons: from submarines, warships, helicopters and armored vehicles to artillery and missiles. Indonesia ordered two ScorpΓ¨ne Evolved submarines, Greece purchased a frigate, Morocco β€” Caracal helicopters, Belgium and Luxembourg β€” equipment under the Scorpion program, Slovenia and Croatia β€” Caesar artillery guns, while Romania, Denmark and Cyprus β€” Mistral air-defense missiles. However, the fighter jet Rafale made the largest contribution to the overall result, which, according to the French Ministry of Armed Forces, effectively meets the current and future needs of customers and helps maintain the domestic production chain. ### Rafale β€” the Locomotive of French Exports Jet sales have risen sharply against the backdrop of heightened geopolitical tensions and increased defense spending in many countries. As of July 2026, Dassault Aviation has received orders for 208 Rafale fighters, including 165 from foreign customers and 43 from France. The company is ramping up production to meet demand while simultaneously developing the F4 and F5 variants. Dassault CEO Eric Trappier stated that the Rafale F5 will be equipped with more powerful engines, enhanced survivability, and an improved data-link system, and will also be able to operate alongside unmanned aerial vehicles weighing more than 10 tons. ### India: Potentially the Largest Deal in History In 2025, India is set to become the largest customer of French military products: the volume of orders is estimated at approximately 6.9 billion euros, accounting for nearly a third of total exports. The key factor is the contract to purchase 26 Rafale Marine fighters for the Indian Navy's aviation, valued at roughly 7.5 billion dollars β€” this is the first export of the carrier-based version of the Rafale. In May 2026, New Delhi sent France an official request to purchase additional fighters for the Indian Air Force, and on July 29 Paris forwarded this proposal to the Indian Ministry of Defense, paving the way for negotiations. It is expected that around 20 aircraft will be produced and delivered in France, while the rest may be built in India; the deal is valued at approximately 35 billion dollars. If signed, this would become the largest Rafale export contract in history and make India the largest operator of these aircraft outside France. ### Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, and Other Potential Customers Ukraine also plans to purchase up to 16 Rafale fighters: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv will begin training pilots and technicians in France this year before receiving the first aircraft. Meanwhile, reports indicate that Saudi Arabia was considering purchasing 54 Rafale fighters, but interest apparently waned after Washington approved the possible sale of F-35 fighters to Riyadh. Indonesia has not yet decided on purchasing additional aircraft beyond the 42 already ordered, while Morocco is once again showing interest in the Rafale, and Colombia and Iraq have previously also expressed interest in this aircraft. ### Contradictory Data There are discrepancies in the sources regarding the scale of 2025. RFI, for instance, describes French arms exports as having once again reached a "record-high level," whereas the data from The EurAsian Times presented to parliament indicates that 21.2 billion euros is the third highest figure in history, lower than both 2024 (21.6 billion euros) and the 2022 record (26.9 billion euros). The differences are likely due to different calculation methods and time periods. In addition, the reporting windows cited in SIPRI's public materials vary: one report covers 2019–2023 (where Russia ceded second place in the list of exporters to France), while the 9.8% figure cited in the March report refers to the 2021–2025 period. In both cases, France consistently holds second place behind the United States, although the exact share figures and periods do not always match across publications. ## πŸ” Fact-Check Verification - [France retains its position as the world's second-largest arms exporter.](https://www.vietnam.vn/ru/phap-giu-vung-vi-tri-so-2-the-gioi-ve-xuat-khau-vu-khi) - ΠŸΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ устойчивоС Π²Ρ‚ΠΎΡ€ΠΎΠ΅ мСсто Π€Ρ€Π°Π½Ρ†ΠΈΠΈ Π² ΠΌΠΈΡ€ΠΎΠ²ΠΎΠΌ экспортС Π²ΠΎΠΎΡ€ΡƒΠΆΠ΅Π½ΠΈΠΉ, согласуСтся с Π΄Π°Π½Π½Ρ‹ΠΌΠΈ SIPRI ΠΎ Π΄ΠΎΠ»Π΅ 9,8% ΠΈ ΠΏΠΎΠ·ΠΈΡ†ΠΈΠΈ послС БША. - [French arms exports have once again reached a record-high level](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F/20260820-%D1%8D%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82-%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%86%D1%83%D0%B7%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D1%85-%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%83%D0%B6%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B9-%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%8C-%D0%B4%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B3-%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%BE-%D0%B2%D1%8B%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE-%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BD%D1%8F) - ΠŸΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ высокий ΡƒΡ€ΠΎΠ²Π΅Π½ΡŒ экспорта, ΠΎΠ΄Π½Π°ΠΊΠΎ Ρ„ΠΎΡ€ΠΌΡƒΠ»ΠΈΡ€ΠΎΠ²ΠΊΠ° Β«Ρ€Π΅ΠΊΠΎΡ€Π΄Π½ΠΎ высокий ΡƒΡ€ΠΎΠ²Π΅Π½ΡŒΒ» расходится с парламСнтскими Π΄Π°Π½Π½Ρ‹ΠΌΠΈ (21,2 ΠΌΠ»Ρ€Π΄ Π΅Π²Ρ€ΠΎ β€” Ρ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΠΈΠΉ ΠΏΠΎΠΊΠ°Π·Π°Ρ‚Π΅Π»ΡŒ, Π½ΠΈΠΆΠ΅ 2024 ΠΈ 2022 Π³ΠΎΠ΄ΠΎΠ²). РасхоТдСниС ΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π°ΠΆΠ΅Π½ΠΎ Π² ΡΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒΠ΅. - [SIPRI report for 2019–2023: Europe doubled its arms imports. Russia ceded to France ...](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D0%B2-%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B5/20240311-sipri-2019-2023-%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B0-%D1%83%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B0-%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82-%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%83%D0%B6%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B9-%D0%B2%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B5-%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%8F-%D1%83%D1%81%D1%82%D1%83%D0%BF%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B0-%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%B8-%D0%B2%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B5-%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE-%D0%B2-%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B5-%D1%8D%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2-%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%83%D0%B6%D0%B8%D1%8F) - ΠŸΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ высокий ΡƒΡ€ΠΎΠ²Π΅Π½ΡŒ экспорта, ΠΎΠ΄Π½Π°ΠΊΠΎ Ρ„ΠΎΡ€ΠΌΡƒΠ»ΠΈΡ€ΠΎΠ²ΠΊΠ° Β«Ρ€Π΅ΠΊΠΎΡ€Π΄Π½ΠΎ высокий ΡƒΡ€ΠΎΠ²Π΅Π½ΡŒΒ» расходится с парламСнтскими Π΄Π°Π½Π½Ρ‹ΠΌΠΈ (21,2 ΠΌΠ»Ρ€Π΄ Π΅Π²Ρ€ΠΎ β€” Ρ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΠΈΠΉ ΠΏΠΎΠΊΠ°Π·Π°Ρ‚Π΅Π»ΡŒ, Π½ΠΈΠΆΠ΅ 2024 ΠΈ 2022 Π³ΠΎΠ΄ΠΎΠ²). РасхоТдСниС ΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π°ΠΆΠ΅Π½ΠΎ Π² ΡΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒΠ΅. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What is the value of France's defense orders in 2025? **A:** According to data presented to the French parliament, it amounted to 21.2 billion euros β€” the third highest figure in history, below the 21.6 billion euros of 2024 and the record 26.9 billion euros of 2022. ### Q: Why is the Rafale fighter considered key to French exports? **A:** The Rafale makes the largest contribution to defense orders: in 2025, India became the largest customer (~6.9 billion euros), including 26 carrier-based Rafale Marine, and as of July 2026 Dassault has received orders for 208 such fighters. ### Q: Which countries are interested in purchasing the Rafale? **A:** Besides India, Ukraine plans to purchase up to 16 fighters; Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Colombia and Iraq have previously expressed interest, while Indonesia has already ordered 42 aircraft and is considering additional deliveries.