Taiwan Wants Dassault Rafale? CEO Hints at Interest—and a Big Diplomatic Catch
WARSAW, POLAND – More than 20 years ago, France’s Dassault Aviation lost two very hard-fought fighter competitions to the U.S.-made F-15.
Dassault tried to sell its Rafale aircraft to the Republic of Korea Air Force in 2002, and to Singapore in 2005.
Dassault officials were beyond discouraged at the time.
These losses forced the company to reorient its marketing strategy for export sales.
A joint test team including the Flight Test Division of the French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA/EV), the French Naval Aeronautics Experimentation Center (CEPA/10S), and the U.S. Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 are leading flight tests that will enable the French fighter jet Dassault Rafale to aerial refuel with naval aviation’s F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler. The tanker qualification partnership paves the way for an extended reach and enhanced interoperability for allied airpower. (U.S. Navy photo by Erik Hildebrandt) Erik_Hildebrandt
A French Air and Space Force Rafale C from Mont-de-Marsan, Fighter Regiment 2/30, Normandie-Niémen, receives fuel from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker from the 100th Air Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, England, during exercise Atlantic Trident 25 over Finland, June 26, 2025. Atlantic Trident 25 is a recurring multinational training exercise between the U.S., U.K. and France to train in an interoperable environment, refining operational integration and ensuring Allied forces can seamlessly secure the Euro-Atlantic region. Finland hosted this iteration of the training series for the first time. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christopher Campbell)
“We have an overall focus now for any attempts at future foreign marketing,” said a Dassault executive back then. “We will look for opportunities in those countries where there are little to no chances that those nations would ever be sold the U.S. F-35. We see our aircraft as the best possible alternative.”
For Dassault, that has turned out to be a winning strategy.
Since that time, the fighter has been winning sales throughout Europe, in addition to sales in Asia, particularly to Indonesia, and to major clients in the Middle East.
The fighter that for years seemed to be unable to make a sale anywhere now has more export orders than the company has capacity to build.
Recently, the CEO of Dassault, Eric Trappier, told the National Assembly, France’s parliament, that the company remains committed to supporting the fleet of Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft procured in the early 1990s and operated by the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF), or Taiwan.
The chief executive added that Taiwan is also interested in acquiring the Rafale, which is currently in production in the F4.3 configuration at Dassault’s Bordeaux facility.
The Mirage and the Rafale
Trappier appeared before the National Assembly’s Economic Affairs committee on Sept. 24. During the committee, lawmaker Marie-Noëlle Battistel asked about issues involving the maintenance and supply of parts for the ROCAF’s Mirage 2000s.
Trappier responded that the spare parts issues are related to industrial difficulties impacting the operation of all the aircraft – not just in France, but also those sold to other international customers. Problems were exacerbated once the fighter was no longer in production.
The Mirage’s role as chief frontline fighter is being taken over by the Rafale, which is now in the F4 configuration.
The aircraft is also being acquired by other nations that were Mirage 2000 customers – namely Greece and India – indicating the older model will eventually be withdrawn from service around the world.
The CEO added he is aware Taiwan would like to acquire the Rafale, but that he cannot make a sales decision on his own in a vacuum.
That response was interpreted as meaning any interest expressed by any Taiwanese representative regarding the Rafale was most likely expressed unofficially.
Any openly proposed acquisition of the Rafale would spark a diplomatic row between France and China.
Any Dassault Rafale Sale to Taiwan Involves Major Political Considerations
Any sale to Taiwan would be handled through the French government. If Paris agreed to incur the wrath of Beijing and entertained a Taiwanese request to procure the Rafale, Dassault’s role would be confined to the industrial and commercial aspects of any such sale, as well as fulfilling the resulting contractual agreement.
Battistel told Trappier that on the occasion of the lawmaker’s last visit to Taiwan — a trip made in her capacity as the chair of the French chapter of the Taiwan Friendship organization — she “gathered the concerns of both the government and the military about the operational maintenance of their Mirage 2000 delivered in 1992.”
Her visit took place on June 12, and the French delegation met with recently elected President Lai Ching-te.
Lai thanked the French National Assembly for making France the “first major country in the world to enact legislation to uphold freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait,” according to a press release from the presidential office.
Battistel also asked Trappier to comment on any measures taken by Dassault Aviation to “facilitate access to spare parts necessary for maintenance, which are delivered for some in extremely long delays, up to two years.” She added, “Are they essentially linked to political and diplomatic issues or are there technical considerations?”
Trappier appeared to confirm Taiwan wants the aircraft when he told the committee, “You know very well what the Taiwanese want. They want Rafale. It doesn’t depend on me. It’s not my responsibility. It’s the government’s.”
One observer familiar with the workings of Taiwan’s procurement system and the concerns of its political leadership suggested that the “Taiwanese have suggested that they would like to have the Rafale not because they really would procure it if given the chance to do so.”
“It is entirely possible,” he said, “that this is the ROC testing to see the degree to which they might be able to secure more support from France in the event that the U.S. wobbles in its program of military aid for the country.”
About the Author: Reuben F. Johnson
Reuben F. Johnson has thirty-six years of experience analyzing and reporting on foreign weapons systems, defense technologies, and international arms export policy. Johnson is the Director of Research at the Casimir Pulaski Foundation. He is also a survivor of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He worked for years in the American defense industry as a foreign technology analyst and later as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Defense, the Departments of the Navy and Air Force, and the governments of the United Kingdom and Australia. In 2022-2023, he won two awards in a row for his defense reporting. He holds a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University and a master’s degree from Miami University in Ohio, specializing in Soviet and Russian studies. He lives in Warsaw.
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