France is expected to officially launch the development phase of the Rafale F5, which the report calls the “Super Rafale.” The report says the next-generation fighter is a longer-term effort and that the Rafale will need to remain France’s fighter-jet backbone into the 2040s.
From 2027, France is expected to begin the phase leading to the ACF prototype’s first flight. The report cautions that this does not mean the prototype will fly in 2027; it says Dassault had previously indicated a possible first flight around 2031–32. ACF is the French name for avion de combat du futur, translated in the report as “future combat aircraft.”
