France continues its rise in the field of arms exports. With more than 18 billion euros in orders recorded in 2024, the country is achieving the second best performance in its history, the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, announced Tuesday during a press conference in Paris. “Nearly 10 billion relate to flagship platforms like the Rafale and submarines,” said the minister.
This performance, although remarkable, remains below the record of 2022, when exports reached 27 billion euros, boosted in particular by the sale of 80 Rafale planes to the United Arab Emirates for a contract exceeding 16 billion euros. However, it marks a strong increase compared to the 8.2 billion recorded in 2023, a year marked by growing geopolitical tensions and an increase in global military spending.
The Rafale, an export success
The sale of the Rafale combat aircraft continues to support French arms exports. Among the year's flagship contracts, Serbia acquired 12 aircraft at the end of August, while Indonesia finalized a total order for 42 aircraft in January, of which 18 were confirmed this year. “The Rafale is now establishing itself as a benchmark aircraft on the international scene,” comments an industry analyst.
The naval industry is not left out. The manufacturer Naval Group formalized, on September 30, the sale of four Barracuda submarines to the Netherlands. Although the exact amount of the contract has not been revealed, Dutch Secretary of State for Defense Christophe van der Maat indicated in March that the project represented a budget of around 5.6 billion euros.
2025, a promising year
“The year 2025 promises to be an excellent year, which starts off promisingly with the sale of 14 Caracal helicopters to Iraq,” underlined Sébastien Lecornu. The minister hopes that this dynamic will continue and that the current year can set a new record. He also cited the main defense equipment likely to attract foreign customers: defense and intervention frigates, submarines, radars, artillery, helicopters, as well as new generation SAMP/T anti-aircraft systems.
Our file on armaments
Beyond the figures, Sébastien Lecornu insisted on the strategic importance of arms exports for France. “Exporting our weapons is vital to developing our defense industrial and technological base. This is just as important for our trade balance and for creating jobs throughout France. But it is also a condition of our sovereignty,” he insisted.
