Ukraine has signed a letter of intent to acquire up to 100 French Rafale multirole fighter jets along with air defence systems and drones during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Paris, the UK Defence Journal understands.
The Élysée said “a letter of intent for the future purchase by Kiev of up to 100 Rafale, anti-aircraft defence, and drones” was signed at Villacoublay air base. Zelenskyy called the agreement “historic” as he and President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a 10-year cooperation roadmap covering aviation, air defence and counter-drone capabilities.
The package includes eight SAMP/T air defence systems and 600 ASSM Hammer bombs. Ukraine intends to procure Rafale F4 fighters by 2035, alongside radars, air-to-air missiles and other systems. Macron said the plan forms part of the “regeneration of the Ukrainian army” aimed at helping Kyiv “deter any further incursions” by Russia.
Rafale would be a major upgrade for Ukraine’s air force, which still relies heavily on Soviet-era aircraft despite recent arrivals of F-16s and Mirage 2000s. Paris has signalled that jets may come from both existing French stocks and new production, though delivery timelines remain to be confirmed.
The Rafale intent follows an earlier agreement with Sweden for 100 to 150 Gripen-E jets. Some have already questioned how the two projected fleets would be balanced.
France has provided €8.6 billion in military aid to Ukraine since 2022. The new agreement signals a significant deepening of Franco-Ukrainian defence ties and a long-term role for French industry in rebuilding Ukraine’s air combat capability.
What’s It all add up to then £20 Billion ?
Makes you wonder when they are going to buy Eurofighters from the Uk as thanks for our support!
You’d have the holy trinity of canards : Rafale, Gripen and Eurofighter
It seems they prefer to give us a smack in the mouth
It’s been said before.
UK steps in early.
EU dragged feet.
Come the rebuild, the EU get to clean up.
No it’s pretty clear they are not going to buy anything from the UK. Seems pretty clear Ukraine expects free support from the UK but is willing to spend the money donated by us on French and American products.
Grippen was understandable but this is a massive insult to the UK and Germany.
France has dragged its feet on support from day one and spent half the war warming up to the Russians.
i don’t think Ukraine cares about what you think Jim, they have bigger worries at the moment
Thanks for wasting my tax money on the French produce not British.
Agree
ITAR Free components probably helped push this sale quite a lot. The US isn’t a dependable ally and god knows when it will be again
That’s a completely false assumption, they bought Grippen last week which has a US engine.
This is Zelenskyy giving two fingers up to the two countries that supported him the most
No the Gripen E/F is powered by the Volvo RM12 engine
I think purchasing Swedish and French weapon systems is a direct insult to the UK after the amount of support we have given them – we have very little left of our own reserves while these countries gave negligible amounts (by comparison).
I think the main issue here is the fact that the UK didn’t offer to sell the Eurofighter.. whereas France actually took the initiative and leap to sell them the Rafale. Not Ukraine to blame
Anything to back that up or are you just making it up?
usually the simplest answer is the correct one
Better look at what eu paid. And rafale is Iyad free
Itar*
believe it when i see when actual contract is signed. this is the same as Gripen, letter of intentions, not actual purchases.
pretty sure we will see similar letter of intent in future for Typhoon.
We aren’t the only country to have given Ukraine a lot of support. France has already given Ukraine some Mirage’s, so they’ve got experience with French fixed wing aircraft.
This. And perhaps some commentors would remember that the UK builds about the same percentage for the Gripen as it does for the Typhoon, but with assembly benefits on the latter, so a Ukrainian Gripen purchases indirectly benefits the UK.
sorry put previous remark in wrong place
but i will reply to your remark. France has fully supported Ukraine and has delieverd lots of equipment/munitions ranging from artillery, atgm, air to air defense, jets, armored vehicles, etc….as well as other military stuff the french govt does not make public
not to mention EU also provides a lot of financial support (France is the second contributor of that EU support after Germany yet somehow many ppl fail to take into account in the anglo saxon press)
on the other hand plenty of countries have made pledge annoucements but only about half of these pledges have actually been delivered/paid to Ukraine according to the Ukrainians themselves, as an example those 65 F16 that were promised back in 2023? we are almost in 2026, so far only the Dutch have delivered about a dozen, etc, etc
important to distinguish between those that talk and those that do.
Cheap and cheerful.
So rafale vs typhoon. Which one wins at top trumps I wonder
Err, hard to say.
The Typhoon is an air superiority fighter moulded into a multi-role jet, whilst the Rafale is a multi-role jet whose air superiority potential has grown significantly in recent years. This means that the Typhoon has the edge in kinematics, being significantly faster, having a greater altitude ceiling, et cetera – all things that contribute significantly to BVR combat capability. The new radar for the Typhoon, with its swash-plate mounting, is significantly better than the current system on the Rafale as well. The Typhoon has a greater capacity for air-to-air missiles like the Meteor, as well.
The Rafale excels in multirole operations – its range is better than that of the Typhoon thanks to a greater amount of ‘wet’ pylons (those capable of carrying drop tanks, it has a wider variety of available weapons, it’s cheaper to purchase and maintain, et cetera. It has a very well-regarded EW suite, Spectra.
This is probably the fundamental reason that the Typhoon has struggled on the export market – the Rafale can do everything the Typhoon can do, to about 80% of the efficacy of the Typhoon, whilst being significantly cheaper. Any nation that is limited in its budget will go for the cheaper (and for a while more technologically advanced) Rafale, whilst nations with larger budgets are able to go for the F-35A. This leaves the Typhoon with two potential customer bases: the nations involved in its production (Spain, Germany and Italy – the UK seems to have gone off the Typhoon) and wealthy states that are blocked from operating the F-35 (Turkey) or can afford to operate multiple aircraft fleets (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman). Austria is the outlier, and the jury is out on whether they will abandon the Typhoon for the Rafale in the coming years, or replace their current Tranche 1 aircraft with improved versions.
According to my fried Grok who was asked to compare the F4 vs the Tranche 4 :
Summary of Strengths
Eurofighter Typhoon wins on raw kinematic performanceBetter thrust-to-weight at combat weights
Superior high-altitude/high-speed interception envelope
Better instantaneous and sustained turn rates
Proven supercruise with combat load
→ Classic “energy fighter” — excels in traditional BVR and high-fast scenarios.
Rafale F4 wins on everything else that matters in modern air combat
Vastly superior integrated electronic warfare (SPECTRA is still unique in its active-cancellation capability)
Better low-speed/post-stall maneuverability and carrier-derived slow-speed handling
Much higher weapons load and hardpoint flexibility
Better sensor fusion and lower pilot workload
Lower observable features + better passive detection (new FSO-IR)
Proven ability to operate from austere bases and carry very heavy asymmetric loads
Verdict (purely technical specs, 2025)If the fight is a 1970s–1980s style energy-maneuverability duel at 40,000 ft, the Typhoon is marginally better.If the fight is anything resembling realistic 2020–2030+ air combat (electronic warfare, sensor fusion, first detection/first shot, survivability, heavy multirole ordnance, mixed air-to-air + air-to-ground), the Rafale F4 is clearly superior.So, based solely on known technical specifications in late 2025, I would pick the Rafale F4 single-seater as the better overall fighter aircraft today.
believe it when i see when actual contract is signed. this is the same as Gripen, letter of intentions, not actual purchases.
pretty sure we will see similar letter of intent in future for Typhoon.
Relax everyone….
This is never going to happen. It’s just an LOI…same as Gripen.
Ukraine cannot afford this, not now or in the future….the funds from seized Russian assets, if they ever come to fruition (and its very much not a done deal) are c$150bn….and there are a lot of calls on that money, from keeping the lights on and current war effort, plus post war rebuilding…and other arms purchases. The chances of there being $30bn free for this purchase and a similar amount, if not even more, for the proposed 150 Gripen are slim to non-existent…
Which means 2 things are likely true…
1) – This and the Gripen LOI are political moves to show long term ambition and to maintain support, good PR too, from the Ukrainian’s…
2) – Both were banking on funding from other nations, primarily European, to finance the purchases…
If 2) is true, and I cannot see any other way for a purchase to go ahead, then I cannot see both LOI’s going ahead….and the Gripen E order would be well in the lead in terms of potential support…Germany, UK, Italy, Spain and Poland will categorically not subsidise a purchase of French warplanes…and I suspect you could also add the Scandinavian nations and Netherlands and Belgium (the latter 2 I suspect would focus on support of F-16 and other things)….which realistically means France funding it on their own….and its worth while remembering that 100 Rafale would be over 50% of the number that they have purchased for themselves…and that France, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland all operate <200 fighters individually so the chances of Ukraine operating 150 Gripen and 100 Rafale are effectively zero….
crazy about how people are up in arms about this news instead of buying happy that Ukraine is finally getting good weapons from European countries
The EU has been channeling more funds to Ukraine than even the US, far more than the UK, and the majority of that money has been used to buy US armaments. I’d say the French, as well as others, can claim a larger share of the pie.
As for number of jet fighters compared to the UK, France, Germany etc, let’s not forget those countries are not at war, Ukraine is at war against a much larger military power, they need many more.
Good Evening, could somebody explain why they dont go for the Typhoon? Considering our large support for them in comparisin to the French?
Many thanks Nick
They already fly the Mirage, the Rafale is free of Itar, the Rafale is made by one country whereas the Typhoon requires the input of a whole consortium.