Dassault says supply chain issues have hampered the ramp-up in Rafale jet production

The aerospace industry's supply chain disruptions are still having an impact on Dassault Aviation's Rafale fighter jet production ramp-up.

CEO Éric Trappier said during a press conference on Tuesday night in Saint-Cloud, outside of Paris, that it is currently more difficult to increase the pace of Rafale production at the final assembly facility in in Mérignac, southwest France, to three per month. This is something that is more likely to happen next year than already.

Since the conclusion of the COVID-19 epidemic, aircraft manufacturers have been facing supply chain problems. Airbus, for example, last month lowered its 2024 commercial aircraft delivery projections due to a scarcity of materials, including engines and structural parts. Two less than expected, Dassault Aviation, which also produces the Falcon line of commercial planes, delivered 13 Rafale fighters last year.

According to Trappier, they were making every effort to deliver goods to clients on schedule, but the situation remained challenging.

According to the CEO, the business hasn't slipped too far behind, but they haven't made up for the slight delay in Rafale deliveries from the previous year. According to him, the company has to produce about two aircraft every month in order to meet its delivery objective of 2024.

In the first half of 2024, Dassault Aviation delivered six Rafale aircraft to the French Air Force, and the company reaffirmed its objective of supplying 20 of the fighters this year. According to company data, there were 223 Rafales orders at the end of June, including 159 fresh aircraft for export customers. This represents an increase of twelve aircraft from the end of December, when an order from Indonesia was received.

The company has been able to meet the monthly production requirement for three airplanes at its structural components plant in Seclin; however, Trappier asserts that final assembly was more challenging. The CEO compared final assembly to putting together a Lego kit, saying that if one component is missing, it cannot be put together correctly.