2026 Budget and future plans
Planned deliveries for the air force in 2026 will just be one Rafale, one A330MRTT, one Beech 350 (last of the three) and two A400Ms. The air force is likely ordering two additional Rafales. After 2026 it is expected that another 52 Rafales will be ordered. Further plans include ordering more A400s, bringing the total from the current 26 to 37.
In 2026 the navy will see the delivery of the first three of twelve Falcon 2000 Albatros aircraft. Early 2026 the first one will go to CEPA for testing/certification, while 24F will receive their first operational aircraft in early 2027. From 2026, five of the Falcon 50s of 24F will go to 25F to replace their Falcon 200 Gardians. 25F will receive their own Falcon 2000 Albatros by 2030. The Falcon 10MERs of 57S will be replaced by the already ordered PC-24s from 2026. The ordered E-2D Hawkeyes will arrive in 2027, the E-2Cs will be retired in 2030. The last of eighteen modified Atlantiques, the so called Standard 6, will be delivered in 2026, while at the same time an order for its replacement will be made. Ten to twelve A321MPAs are likely to be ordered. The navy will also be looking for, together with the air force, a replacement for the EMB121 Xingu.
Next year the army will see the delivery of the first special forces NH90FS. Unit 4RHFS at Pau will get the first four of the eighteen on order. Also in 2026, the last six converted Tigres (from HAP to HAD standard) will be delivered. They plan to keep the Tigre flying till 2045. In 2026 3RHC at Etain will lose their last SA330 Pumas. The GIH (Groupement Interarmées d’Helicoptères) at Villacoublay will remain using the Pumas till 2028 when they will be replaced by Cougars. In the summer of 2026 the army will transfer their eight EC725 Caracals to the air force. The first of the Gazelle replacement, the H160M Guepard is expected in 2028 at the EALAT Le Luc and in 2029 with 3RHC at Etain. In the coming years the army will be looking into the replacement of the EC120s, Fennecs, TBM700s and PC6 aircraft.
