The United Arab Emirates signed a historic agreement on the acquisition of 80 French Rafale fighter jets, worth about 17 billion euros, on Friday. They will be built by the French group Dassault Aviation, on the occasion of the visit to Dubai of French President Emanuel Macron, the Elysee announced.
This is the most important order secured for the fighter jet since it was commissioned in 2004, with Paris selling Rafale to the wider Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean region. It currently has six foreign customers: Qatar (36 aircraft), India (36), Egypt (30 new, in addition to 24), Greece and Croatia.
“Apart from the presence of three French military bases in the territory of the Emirates, this mutual trust (between France and the Emirates) translates into the acquisition of 80 Rafale aircraft, 12 Caracal helicopters, and related elements. This is a major culmination of the strategic partnership.” “between the two countries,” the French presidency said in a statement.
The deal was signed by Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trapier as Macron discusses with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan at the World’s Fair.
With the United Arab Emirates, we are now sealing the sale of 80 Rafale planes and 12 Caracal helicopters. In confidence, we act together for our safety.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 3, 2021
The aircraft will be delivered from 2027 on the F4 model, an ongoing project of almost two billion euros deliverable in 2024 which is presented as a “technological, industrial and strategic leap”.
This order is intended to replace the 60 Mirage 2000-9 acquired by the Emirates in 1998. It takes place ten years after the fruitless negotiations of former President Nicolas Sarkozy. Since then, Rafale has opened internationally despite competition from American and European aircraft.
The Emirates is now the fifth largest customer of the French defense industry for the decade 2011-2020, with orders worth 4.7 billion euros, according to the parliamentary report on France’s arms exports.
In recent years, Paris has been criticized for using some of these weapons in the conflict in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and its allies have been accused of alleged war crimes by non-governmental organizations such as Amnesty International.
“With the United Arab Emirates, we now seal the sale of 80 Rafale aircraft and 12 Caracal helicopters. “We act together with confidence for our safety,” Emanuel Macron tweeted.
French Defense Minister Florence Parley tweeted the deal as “historic”, adding that it contributed “directly to regional stability”. It is noted that France maintains a military base in the UAE, while the France-UAE agreement will not displace the US F-35 purchase program, as military sources who spoke to France 24 commented that Abu Dhabi has always had two main sources of power, France and USA.
In addition to the 80 Rafales, the United Arab Emirates have signed a contract for the acquisition of 12 Caracal helicopters, fully produced and assembled at the Airbus Helicopters industrial site in Marignane. This is excellent news which will perpetuate hundreds of jobs in France.
– Florence Parly (@florence_parly) December 3, 2021
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