French Air Force strained by lack of stealth and munitions
The French Air Force operates modern Rafale aircraft, also sought after by international buyers. Although these aircraft have a strong reputation, the French Air Force's capabilities are limited by a lack of stealth aircraft. To add to the concern, the stockpile of aerial weapons is critically low—sufficient for only several dozen hours of combat.
France is among the few nations capable of independently producing almost all types of weapons—from intercontinental missiles and submarines to multirole aircraft, armoured weapons (at present without tanks), and airborne cruise missiles or hypersonic weapons. It is also one of the two European NATO members with its own nuclear arsenal.
Nevertheless, the French armed forces are not without issues, as highlighted in the latest report by the IFRI (Institut Français des Relations Internationales). Experts underscore significant challenges facing the French Air Force—known as the Armée de l’Air.
Weaknesses of the Rafale aircraft
The first challenge is the absence of 5th-generation aircraft. Although French Rafale multirole aircraft, classified as generation 4+, receive high marks and continue gaining new export orders, IFRI notes their lack of stealth capabilities.
This has led to a growing divide between the capabilities of France's air force and those of other nations—even allies—operating 5th-generation multirole aircraft. According to IFRI, this affects, among other things, the ability to penetrate enemy anti-access systems.
Insufficient precision ammunition
The second concern is the shortage of precision aerial ammunition reserves. France possesses very modern and well-regarded weapon systems like Meteor air-to-air missiles and SCALP air-to-ground missiles, but their inventories are minimal.
In terms of weapons used for targeting ground positions, stocks would last for approximately three days of combat. Consequently, after depleting precision ammunition, Rafale aircraft would need to resort to ordinary unguided bombs, exposing them to various anti-aircraft defences.
The situation is even grimmer for air-to-air missiles. Although Meteor missiles are among the best worldwide in their category, the stock of aerial ammunition would be exhausted after just a day of full-scale activity.
IFRI points out that this issue is not new—it was evident in the airstrikes conducted by France against targets in Libya, where operations were paused because the French air force ran out of precision weapons. Despite this, inventories were not just left unreplenished, but further depleted after part of the weapons were supplied to Ukraine.
