Facing the deputies of the defense committee, the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, provided some examples of budgetary runoff, while also reassuring the Landes MP on the Rafale levies.
13 Dassault Rafale for Vaucluse
With a clearly increasing budget, Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces, put pedagogy and local illustration in his 2024 budget presentation. For the Air and Space Force, he mentioned the 84 million euros which financed the Rafale infrastructure at Orange air base 115, which will host the fifth Rafale squadron next year. The 13 Rafale delivered during the year will reach Vaucluse. Each Rafale pilot will benefit from 13 additional hours, he said, an increase of 10%. Deliveries of simple munitions (excluding cruise and nuclear missiles) will increase by 40%.
More flight hours for pilots and more ammunition
Airbase 123 will receive two additional Airbus A400Ms and each pilot will be able to fly 21 hours more, which is also an increase of 10%. The BA 123 will also benefit from a basic terrain track. For the Army, the 3rd RHC of Etain will receive two Caimans, and the site will see the construction of an operations and MCO building. Each Caiman pilot will fly on average five hours more compared to 2023. At the global level, the envelope devoted to munitions has increased by 200 million euros (+15%), with deliveries of Mica, VL-MICA, 155 mm shells (10,000), F-21 torpedoes for nuclear submarines.
Rafale punctures must remain the exception
Sébastien Lecornu also reassured the Landes MP Geneviève Darrieussecq who questioned him about the Rafale withdrawals (24, for Greece and Croatia). “ The Croatian and Greek markets helped us start the Rafale adventure in the Mediterranean, he observed. Delivery times were quick, with a desire to go through state-to-state contracts, we decided to levy on the forces. There are no new levies envisaged as I speak to you – such a procedure has been studied for the Indian Rafale Marines, Editor’s note – this must remain the exception, not the principle” he noted in recalling that “42 Rafales will be ordered by the end of the year”.
