Rafale's new anti-Shahed weapon caught on camera at Istres

French Rafale Spotted with Laser-Guided Rocket Pod

A Rafale M was spotted with a pod for 68 mm laser-guided rockets, first unveiled at the Paris Air Show 2025 as a cost-effective solution against drones and asymmetric threats. A French Navy (Marine Nationale) Rafale M was spotted with at least one Thales 68 mm rocket pod installed under its port (left-side) wing. The photo would confirm that the French military has finally put in motion a long reported plan to give the jet a cost-effective capab…

Rafale's new anti-Shahed weapon caught on camera at Istres

A French Rafale fighter has been photographed at Istres carrying a Thales-supplied laser-guided rocket pod, according to images circulating on social media on April 16, 2026.   The sighting suggests that flight trials of the weapon, which the French Air and Space Force has been studying since autumn 2025 as a lower-cost counter-drone effector, have begun.  The aircraft was seen at Dassault Aviation’s flight test center in Istres, southern France…