France deploys Rafale fighter jets to protect UAE airspace
France said the aircraft are conducting air-security operations over a French base in the UAE after a drone strike hit a hangar, with Paris also moving reinforcements as the Middle East conflict widens.
- France has deployed Rafale fighter jets to conduct air-security operations over the United Arab Emirates.
- The mission's objective is to protect a French military base in the UAE that hosts French troops.
- This deployment is a direct response to a drone strike that hit a hangar at the French base on March 1, 2026.
France has deployed Rafale fighter jets to patrol the skies over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to protect a base hosting French troops after a hangar at the French base in the UAE was hit by a drone on Sunday (March 1), French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Wednesday (March 4).
Barrot told BFMTV, a CNN affiliate, that the aircraft were carrying out air-security operations over “our base”, but he gave no details about the mission. He did not say whether the squadron had taken part in shooting down any drones or missiles that might threaten the base.
France has criticised the US and Israeli strikes on Iran. President Emmanuel Macron said the operations were “outside the framework of international law, which we cannot accept”, as the conflict has rapidly expanded across the Middle East.
France has since moved additional forces into the region, sending the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its escort frigates to the Mediterranean Sea.
The Dassault Rafale is a twin-engine, multi-role fighter designed and built by France’s Dassault Aviation. Its key feature is that it can undertake almost every type of mission, including air superiority, interdiction, air reconnaissance, close air support, deep strike, anti-ship strike and nuclear deterrence. Dassault markets the Rafale as an “omnirole” aircraft, meaning a single aircraft that can perform every role.
