UAE signs deal for 80 French Rafale fighter jets
The United Arab Emirates has agreed to buy 80 French-made Rafale fighter jets, during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday signed a deal for 80 French-made Rafale fighter planes, officials said on Friday during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to the Gulf state.
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The French-made Rafale fighter planes will be delivered beginning in 2027 under the F4 program, a development project worth about $2.2 billion, scheduled to begin in 2024.
The French presidency said that, in addition to the jets, the UAE had also agreed to buy 12 Caracal military transport helicopters from Airbus.
In 2011, Abu Dhabi publicly rebuffed an offer by France to supply some 60 Rafale jets as “uncompetitive and unworkable”. That order was to replace 60 Mirage 2000-9 jets that the UAE bought from France in 1998.
The order is worth €16 billion ($18 billion). It represents the biggest bulk purchase of the aircraft since it entered service in 2004, and comes after 10 years of negotiations backed by former President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The French presidency considered the agreement a major achievement of the strategic partnership between the two allies.
Rafale has achieved international success despite competition from other American and European aircraft.
