France Agrees to Sell Ukraine 100 Advanced Rafale Jets as War Continues

Landmark defense pact signed in Paris opens door for Ukraine to acquire sophisticated Western fighters, air defenses and drone technology by 2035.

Ukraine and France signed an agreement Monday that could allow Kyiv to purchase as many as 100 Rafale F4 fighters by 2035, marking a significant expansion of Ukraine’s access to advanced Western military equipment.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with French President Emmanuel Macron on Nov. 17 at a French air base in Velizy-Villacoublay to ink the Declaration of Intent on Cooperation in the Acquisition of Defense Equipment for Ukraine.

“This document enables Ukraine to procure military equipment from France’s defense industrial and technological base, including 100 Rafale F4 aircraft by 2035 for Ukraine’s combat aviation,” Zelensky said.

The agreement also covers MBDA’s SAMP/T ground-based air defense systems, air defense radars, air-to-air missiles and air-to-ground bombs. Additionally, the deal includes joint French-Ukrainian production of interceptor drones and technologies for integration into existing Ukrainian-made unmanned systems, with work beginning before the end of 2025.

The F4 is the latest iteration of Dassault Aviation’s Rafale fighter, offering all-weather air-to-air and air-to-ground capability, an active electronically scanned array radar and the Link 16 communications system used by NATO to share battlefield sensor data between aircraft, ships and ground forces.

More advanced Rafale F4.2 and F4.3 configurations are currently under development. Dassault is also developing a more-advanced F5 configuration that will have conformal fuel tanks, a more-powerful gallium arsenide/gallium nitride radar and additional weapons capacity.

“This is a big day,” Macron said in a post to social media site X.

The French president described the agreement as essential for both immediate war needs and long-term security. “This is a short-term, medium-term and long-term perspective, and all of it is necessary,” Macron said. “Even if peace were signed tomorrow, this would still be essential, because the guarantee of that peace is a strong Ukrainian army able to hold its ground.”

The declaration “provides for the possibility” of technology transfer and joint aircraft production in Ukraine, according to Kyiv.

The Franco-Ukrainian agreement follows a similar deal signed recently with Swedish airframer Saab covering the potential acquisition of up to 150 Gripen E/F fighters. Saab is exploring options to expand Gripen production capacity in support of a Ukrainian buy, including with some level of Ukrainian assembly and a new factory in Canada.

The Ukrainian air force is already flying an unspecified number of Dassault’s older Mirage 2000-5 fighter, used examples of which Paris began transferring to Ukraine earlier this year.

Some European countries have also pledged to transfer nearly 100 of their American-made Lockheed Martin F-16A/B jets to Ukraine, as they replace those jets with Lockheed’s newer F-35 stealth type.

At least 25 F-16s are flying with the Ukrainian air force, according to aviation analytics company Cirium. Five more jets are listed as being in storage, while two are known to have been lost in combat.

The signing of sovereign purchase agreements for Western fighters represents a significant step for Ukraine’s defense procurement capability, which has largely been reliant on allies approving the transfer of donated equipment from their own stores or at the expense of their own replenishment.

The long-delayed transfer of tactical jets like F-16s was a politically fraught issue under the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden, while the White House’s current occupant President Donald Trump has been a mercurial supporter of Kyiv’s war effort.

The ability to purchase sensitive equipment like Rafale and Gripen fighters directly from their manufacturers would mark a major advancement in Kyiv’s ability to replace battlefield losses and expand military capacity.

While Ukraine has proven adept at developing and producing small drones, long-range uncrewed aircraft and even long-range strike munitions, focus is increasingly turning toward high-end systems like cruise missiles and fighter jets needed to secure favorable terms for peace and deter future Russian aggression.

How exactly Kyiv will pay for such a sprawling purchase as 250 new fighter aircraft — in addition to crucially important ground-based air defenses — is less clear.

Military aircraft prices are notoriously opaque, but previous export deals indicate each Rafale costs over 100 million euros ($116 million), with the Gripen E running somewhat less, but still at least $85 million. Costs typically rise when adding on the sustainment support and weapons export customers will also need.

That means the full complement of 100 Rafale F4s and 150 Gripens would likely cost Ukraine north of $20 billion — a massive sum for a war-torn country, whose economy has lost as much as 40% of its prime aged workforce to emigration and military service.

In a video message recorded ahead of the deal signing with Macron, Zelensky noted that Ukraine had secured financing from several domestic and European banks, plus allied foreign governments, to support natural gas imports intended to offset the impacts of recent Russian air strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

He did not mention financing plans for armaments purchases.

In a press conference following the deal signing, Macron suggested a range of options, including loans financed by the seizure of Russian assets by G7 countries or the European Union’s new Security Action for Europe military procurement lending facility.

“Funding will come depending on deployment and will use our co-financing mechanisms,” the French president said.