Taiwan Eyes Rafale Fighter Jet Sale Amid French Caution Toward China.

Dassault Aviation CEO Éric Trappier told France’s National Assembly on Sept. 24, 2025, that Taiwan has expressed interest in buying Rafale fighters to replace aging Mirage 2000s. Any export would be a political decision by Paris, as France continues supporting Taiwan’s Mirage fleet with maintenance and parts.

During a September 24, 2025 hearing before France’s National Assembly Economic Affairs Committee, Dassault Aviation CEO Éric Trappier confirmed Taiwan’s interest in acquiring the Rafale fighter aircraft. He stressed that any export decision rests with the French government. His remarks followed questions from MP Marie-Noëlle Battistel about Taiwan’s ongoing difficulties maintaining its Mirage 2000 fleet and securing long-term access to spare parts and support. The exchange is important because a Rafale option would alter Taipei’s airpower structure and test Paris’s approach to China while the United States continues to shape deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.
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The Rafale combines the RBE2 AESA radar, the OSF forward sector optronics, the Spectra electronic warfare suite, a helmet-mounted sight, and a weapons set covering air superiority, strike, and anti-ship missions. (Picture source: French MoD)

In its F3R and F4 standards, the Rafale combines the RBE2 AESA radar, the OSF forward sector optronics, the Spectra electronic warfare suite, a helmet-mounted sight, and a weapons set covering air superiority, strike, and anti-ship missions. The aircraft is designed as a true multirole platform, able to switch tasks during the same sortie if ordered.

Returning to the system architecture helps explain Taiwan’s interest. The delta wing with close-coupled canards gives the pilot a wide flight envelope, agility at high angles of attack, and stable handling in heavy configurations. Computational aerodynamics guided this choice early in the program to gain useful close-in maneuvering without sacrificing long-range penetration. At the core of the avionics, the modular MDPU architecture integrates flight management, data fusion, and fire control. The RBE2 AESA provides low-probability-of-intercept modes, simultaneous multi-target tracking, and real-time terrain-following maps. The OSF, a passive sensor, works in visible and infrared bands for identification at range. Spectra warns, jams, and deceives, with effectiveness enhanced by local threat libraries. The package is built for resilience rather than a simple sum of sensors.

For propulsion, two M88 2 engines provide the required thrust with controllability during transients. The 4E standard introduces improvements to the high-pressure compressor and turbine for durability and availability, a practical aim for an operator that flies often and for long periods. Figures remain in familiar ranges for data-sheet readers: length 15.27 m, wingspan 10.8 m, height 5.34 m, maximum mass around 24.5 tonnes, top speed near 1,800 km/h depending on configuration, and a combat radius that varies with profile but extends with external tanks and air-to-air refueling. The aircraft carries fourteen hardpoints depending on version, five of them dedicated to heavy stores and tanks, and it can perform fighter-to-fighter refueling in addition to tanker support.

The weapons fit follows this employment logic. In air-to-air, the Meteor and MICA IR or EM cover long and medium, to short ranges. In air-to-ground, AASM and SCALP offer modular or cruise options depending on the target and risk. At sea, Exocet remains a proven option, though AASM profiles against lighter vessels exist. The internal Nexter 30 M 791 gun, with a high rate of fire, remains the last resort and sometimes the first tool in air policing. The stores management system complies with Mil Std 1760, easing integration of customer-selected munitions.

There are three operational variants already in French service. The Rafale B, a two-seater delivered from 2004 to the Air and Space Force, used for complex missions and training. The Rafale C, a single-seater that entered service the same year and carries much of the alert duty. And the Rafale M, the naval version in service since 2002, reinforced for carrier operations, with a longer nose gear for catapult attitude, an arrestor hook, and carrier-landing aids. This version loses the forward center pylon to make room for the gear and has a slightly higher empty weight. Industrially, the variants share most systems, which simplifies logistics and software upgrades.

In Taiwan’s order of battle, if Paris authorized a contract, the Rafale would not replace existing fleets immediately. It would complement the modernized F-16V and the locally developed IDF-F-CK-1 while the Mirage 2000 5 fleet remains in service during the transition. Benefits would first show up in operational persistence and sensor diversity. A Rafale detachment armed with Meteor and supported by E 2K Hawkeye for long-range surveillance would reinforce air defense over the island’s western approaches. At sea, low-altitude interdiction profiles with discreet designation followed by Exocet or AASM release would complicate the advance of opposing surface groups. On land, AASM and SCALP would make sense only within integrated plans for air defense suppression, and outcomes would still hinge on maintenance, resupply, and training levels. No instant transformation. A solid addition if the support chain keeps pace.

Politics remains the key variable. French arms exports run through an interministerial process sensitive to diplomatic and economic balances. On Taiwan, Paris must account for its relationship with Beijing and coordination with Washington, Taipei’s main supplier. Hence possible sequencing if a path opens later: strengthened industrial support for the Mirage 2000, training exchanges, and only then an agreement specifying aircraft numbers, standard, schedule, and sustainment. If the door stays closed, planners will keep focusing on keeping the Mirage in condition until deliveries of new F-16 ease pressure, preserving aircrews and missile stocks, and pacing flight hours.