On a dull, cloudy morning at the DGA engine test facility in Saclay, just outside of Paris, the ground starts to shake before anything can be seen. People in old blue overalls walk between computers and heavy cables, holding coffee cups. They move in the slow, steady way that people do when they are near dangerous machines. A Rafale engine starts up behind a thick glass wall, where it is bolted to a steel test bench. The sound doesn’t just fill the room; it pushes against your chest. A single mistake, like a blade that isn’t lined up right, could make the whole system stop working in an instant.
But no one is afraid. Instead of that, you see complete focus.
A twenty-something engineer moves closer to the glass and stares at the flame coming out of the exhaust. “Listen,” she says. “This is the only fighter engine in Europe that we can build all by ourselves.”
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She is talking about France.
And she’s pointing to something that most people still don’t see.
The Quiet Air Power Advantage of France
From a distance, Europe looks strong: Airbus is in charge of civil aviation, there are multinational fighter programs, shared budgets, and levels of cooperation. But if you look at the engine, which is the most important part of a fighter jet, the picture changes a lot. France is almost by itself.
Safran designed and built the M88 engine for the Rafale, with constant supervision from the DGA. The design, testing, and industrial control of this modern European fighter engine all stay within the country’s borders. No U.S. licenses You don’t have to have partners from Britain, Germany, or Italy. You can choose everything in France, from the digital model to the last turbine blade.
It’s not about being proud. It’s about getting ahead.
When you enter a DGYou won’t see a polished showroom in a test hall. Instead, there are thick concrete walls that have been stained by exhaust, old analog gauges next to ultra-high-resolution screens, and cardboard coffee cups on racks of sensors that cost millions. The M88, which is the heart of the Rafale, is in the middle. It looks small next to the loud noise it makes.
Engineers push the engine much harder than a pilot would ever try during test campaigns on purpose. Changes in the throttle that happen all of a sudden, fake bird strikes, eating sand, and temperature swings that are very violent. Cameras follow a single blade that is only a few centimeters long and spins at tens of thousands of times per minute.
When engineers change nature, the effects are often not clear right away.
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If that blade breaks, it’s not just a part that’s lost. It’s a plane. A pilot. A job. And how trustworthy a country is.
This is where the DGA’s job becomes clear. Not just an agency can give contracts the green light. This is the state’s main way of looking at defense. The DGA has very high standards for the M88 and the engine that will power the Franco-German SCAF fighter in the future. It keeps testing prototypes until only the ones that really work are left.
Even without DGA labs and test benches, Safran would still be a major engine maker. But France wouldn’t be the only European country that could completely control the whole chain, from design to materials to production to testing to certification to operational feedback.
When things go wrong, that small difference—who really owns the last bolt—becomes very important.
The French Fighter Engine’s Microscopic Accuracy
You need to look at it on a millimeter scale to see why this skill is so rare. When making a fighter engine, it’s not just about how much thrust it can make. It’s about tolerances that are so tight that a single hair would look thick in comparison. The DGA and Safran work together like watchmakers with flamethrowers.
A technician makes small changes to the cooling holes on a turbine blade during one workshop. You can barely see each opening because they were drilled into metal that was made at the atomic level to withstand very high temperatures. The DGA’s job is to make sure that “extreme” doesn’t get too hot and that it is measured correctly.
Here, you have to be right. That’s why a pilot can turn on the full afterburner and know that the engine will work perfectly.
There are a lot of skilled engineers in Europe, but only a few countries have full control over the whole chain. The EJ200 engine in the Eurofighter Typhoon is an example of a project that involves people from many different countries. Each country is responsible for a few modules, software parts, or areas of expertise. It’s strong, but no one city has full control over it.
France took a different path. The government always put money into a national engine lineage, which included the Mirage series and the Rafale. Even when money was tight and critics said it would be cheaper to work together, they did it anyway. The DGA wanted to improve the US’s materials, aerodynamics, digital simulation, and testing infrastructure. They kept facilities that many people thought were too big for a mid-sized power.
Most governments give up some control to save money. France didn’t. That determination is what sets the country apart from the rest of Europe today.
Recent events in politics have made this long-term choice stand out all of a sudden.
As tensions rise, export controls get stricter, and supply chains are used as political tools. We are more vulnerable because we need other countries’ permission to do things. Some European planes can’t be sold or upgraded without permission from outside Europe because one important part or line of code comes from outside Europe.
France talks directly to India, Egypt, and Greece about the Rafale and its M88 engine. The DGA can make changes, add new versions, and offer long-term support without getting permission from anyone else. France still works with other countries, but it keeps the keys to its engines when it needs them most.
In a quiet, technical way, that is what sovereignty means in 2026.
How the DGA stays ahead in technology
You have to keep moving to keep this level of skill. The DGA has a system that sends feedback between labs, test centers, and operational units all the time. Squadrons of Rafale planes that fly over deserts send back information about how their engines are wearing out. DGA analysis teams use that information to make test protocols better. This could mean anything from changing one piece of software to adding a new protective coating.
The cycle goes on and on. As a referee and archivist, the DGA keeps track of every failure, micro-crack, and other issue. Safran might recommend a new alloy or a part made with 3D printing to improve performance. The DGA responds by putting things through the worst conditions they can think of to see where and how they break.
The goal is clear: no surprises at 40,000 feet.
It might seem strict from the outside. From the inside, engineers talk about it in different ways. Many people remember taking tests late at night when the data suddenly spikes and everyone waits quietly for the systems to fail. There are no easy ways out at those times. The truth comes out.
States often make the same mistakes: they rely too much on foreign partners, don’t pay attention to boring test infrastructure, and let rare skills fade away without passing them on. On purpose, the DGA stays away from these traps. It pays for little-known doctoral research on high-temperature fatigue and advanced alloys, and it keeps databases of test results that are older than many of its interns.
From far away, it looks slow. It’s the only way to keep such a complicated craft safe when you’re close.
According to a DGA engineer, “People see the Rafale engine as a product.” “It’s really a living ecosystem of skills.” You can’t build one anymore if you don’t take care of it for five years. “You can buy one because you’re a country.”
The DGA decides what engines will be needed in the future based on what the Air and Space Force needs.
Safran takes those needs and makes plans for how to design and make things.
Operational units give real-world feedback to raise standards.
Test centers push engines to their limits so pilots don’t have to.
Research labs are getting ready to make big strides in stealth, heat resistance, and efficiency.
A Quiet Monopoly That Could Hurt Europe
When you learn how a fighter engine works, the map of Europe’s industries changes. France is the only country that can still design, build, and certify a modern fighter jet engine all by itself. Some people help and come up with new ideas, but they don’t have as much control over their own lives.
This fact makes things hard to understand. Should Europe put all of its eggs in one basket and rely on a few big programs more? Should every country pay more to keep some of its independence? Or is the French model—a long-term national investment led by a strong state actor like the DGA—a good example?
There are no simple answers. It’s clear that this technical detail will have a big impact on future combat systems, the ability to export, and making political choices.
The sound of a Rafale flying over Paris during the 14 July parade has a quiet message. It talks about a country that made the decision years ago to learn everything there is to know about every turning blade and never forget it.
Key Points
France is the only European country that has complete control over the fighter engine chain, from design to testing.
The DGA’s main job is to set standards, pay for research, make sure that extreme testing is done, and keep up with new developments.
Strategic effect: the ability to export, upgrade, and support engines without getting permission from other countries
