- WIADOMOŚCI
France wants more Rafales
France is trying to update its 2024–2030 Military Programming Law as the debate in Paris shifts towards a possible confrontation with Russia later this decade. The original LPM included €400 billion in budget credits and €13.3 billion in exceptional revenues. The government’s update, presented on 8 April 2026, would add €36 billion to the existing trajectory.
As Laurent Lagneau reports for Opex360, the Senate adopted a revised version of the update on 9 June 2026 by 297 votes to 33. The debate was not only about money because the Senate Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee argued that the additional €36 billion was still not enough in relation to the threat level and France’s commitment to move towards 3.5% of GDP in strictly military spending by 2035.
The most visible capability decisions concern the Air and Space Force and the Navy. Senators approved the acquisition of 30 additional Rafale F4 aircraft: 20 for the Air and Space Force and 10 for the French Navy. They also backed the order of three additional FDI frigates, with the objective of bringing them into service by 2035.
The Senate also supported launching studies this year for a successor to the Leclerc tank, creating a national catalogue of trusted drones and counter-drone systems, and opening the operational reserve to foreigners in specialist reserve roles. Another major change concerns personnel: the text points to 275,000 full-time equivalents by 2030, while the government had maintained a format of around 201,000.
The political problem remains unresolved, and very hectic as the whole Parliament. The Senate removed Article 2, which effectively blocked the government’s €36 billion increase in the current version of the text. The issue will now move to a joint committee; if there is no agreement, the National Assembly will have the final word. France is therefore discussing more Rafales, more frigates, drones, counter-drones and a larger force structure, but the central question is still the same: how much money Paris is actually ready to put behind this rearmament.
