Where is the Rafale manufactured?

Dassault Aviation spreads Rafale production across several French factories, almost all inherited from the Mirage programs. In Argenteuil, north of Paris, the fuselage sections, the most complex part of the aircraft, are built. In Martignas-sur-Jalle, near Bordeaux, the wings are manufactured, and in Biarritz the composite-material parts, such as the fin and fairings. The Seclin and Poitiers plants supply machined parts and flight-control components.

Everything comes together in Mérignac, at Bordeaux airport, where final assembly, systems integration, and acceptance flights take place. From there, aircraft head out to French air bases and to export customers, who receive their Rafales as the production line completes them.

The Rafale is a three-industry program. Safran Aircraft Engines builds the M88 engine, an afterburning turbofan rated at about 75 kN (16,900 lb), at its Villaroche and Gennevilliers facilities. Thales supplies the RBE2 active electronically scanned array radar, the Spectra electronic-warfare system (with MBDA), the front optronics sensor, and much of the avionics. MBDA provides the Mica, Meteor, and Scalp missiles, and Safran the AASM guided munitions.

The Mérignac line historically delivered one or two aircraft a month. With export contracts signed since 2021 (the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Greece, Croatia, Egypt, and Serbia, among others), Dassault has raised the rate toward three aircraft a month and has announced a goal of reaching four. There is no assembly line outside France; industrial cooperation agreements with India or the UAE are limited to components and maintenance.