France begins work to train Ukrainian pilots on Rafale fighters

France has begun preparatory work to train Ukrainian pilots on the Dassault Rafale, the French minister responsible for Europe, Benjamin Haddad, said. In an interview on September 29, 2026, Haddad said talks with Ukraine cover sending Rafales to be flown by Ukrainian crews in Ukrainian airspace rather than by French pilots, and that training work has started for that reason.

That training is the immediate condition for the first aircraft to be handed over. A joint declaration published by the Élysée on July 14, 2026 set out a Ukrainian order for 16 Rafales and their weapons, part of the 100 aircraft covered by a letter of intent the two presidents signed at Villacoublay on November 17, 2025.

Four aircraft are to go to the Ukrainian armed forces once Ukrainian pilots and mechanics finish a training cycle that had been scheduled to start in France as early as 2026. Weapons named in the declaration include AASM bombs, laser-guided anti-drone rockets, and MICA and Meteor missiles.

Announcing the order, French President Emmanuel Macron said the jets were expected to fly in Ukrainian airspace in 2028 and 2029. Financing is to be sought through the 2026 and 2027 tranches of the European Union's Ukraine Support Loan.

A separate Swedish track is running alongside the French effort. Sweden's government said on May 28, 2026 that Ukraine would purchase as many as 20 Gripen E/F fighters and receive a donation of up to 16 used Gripen C/D jets. Saab signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration on June 30, 2026 for 16 Gripen E aircraft for Ukraine, with delivery planned in 2029 and 2030. Sweden has said pilot training would begin in 2026.