Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur Airbase: French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to accelerate the procurement of Rafale fighter jets while investing nearly 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) into a key airbase to equip the French military with cutting-edge nuclear missile technology.
Amid heightened security concerns following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump’s shifting stance on Western alliances, European nations are ramping up defense expenditures and reducing reliance on the United States.
Macron, who has already overseen a substantial increase in France’s defense budget during his tenure, is now pushing for an even greater expansion. He has called for defense spending to rise to 3-3.5% of GDP, up from the current 2%. Additionally, he has proposed extending France’s nuclear deterrence umbrella to other European countries.
“We haven’t waited for 2022 or the turning point we’re seeing right now to discover that the world we live in is ever more dangerous, ever more uncertain, and that it implies to innovate, to bulk up and to become more autonomous,” Macron stated.
Speaking to military personnel at the Luxeuil airbase in eastern France, a site with historical significance as a base for American volunteer pilots during World War One, Macron outlined his vision for transforming the facility into a strategic pillar of France’s nuclear deterrence program.
The Luxeuil base will house the advanced Rafale S5 fighter jets, which are set to be equipped with the next-generation ASN4G hypersonic nuclear-armed cruise missiles, expected to become operational by 2035, according to French officials.
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Macron also confirmed that the French Air Force would receive additional Dassault-made Rafale jets to replace the Mirage aircraft France has supplied to Ukraine.
“We are going to increase and accelerate our orders for Rafales,” he stated.
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French defense officials clarified that the 1.5 billion euros investment is part of the previously approved multi-year military spending plan. However, questions remain about how France will finance a significant increase in defense expenditure while simultaneously striving to reduce its budget deficit.
Macron’s announcement coincided with Germany’s parliamentary approval of a substantial increase in military spending, highlighting a broader European shift toward strengthening defense capabilities in response to evolving geopolitical threats.
