France sells 30 Rafale fighter jets to Egypt.

Egypt has signed a contract with France to buy 30 Rafale fighter jets. On May 4, country's armed forces spokesperson Tamer al-Refai confirmed on Twitter that an agreement was signed between the Egyptian Armed Forces and France’s Dassault Aviation SA. While he did not  mention the value of the deal, different sources report that the deal would be around $4.5 billion.

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Egypt was the first foreign country to purchase the Rafale fighter jets in 2015, buying 24  (Picture source: Dassault Aviation)

Besides the Rafale agreement, the deal agreed  between the two states also concerns two other contracts with the France-based missile manufacturing consortium MBDA and avionics firm Safran Electronics & Defense, with a total worth of €200 million ($240.8 million). This contract illustrates the strategic nature of the partnership that France maintains with Egypt, while the two countries are resolutely committed to the fight against terrorism and work for stability in their regional environment. 

The first aircraft will be delivered three years after the entry into force of this contract. This contract should generate a total of the equivalent of 7,000 jobs in France for three years.

The Rafale is a French-made twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Equipped with a wide range of weapons, the Rafale is intended to perform air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike, and nuclear deterrence missions. Introduced in 2001, the Rafale is being produced for both the French Air Force and for carrier-based operations in the French Navy.

The Rafale has been marketed for export to several countries and was selected for purchase by the Indian Air Force, the Egyptian Air Force, and the Qatar Air Force. The Rafale has been used in combat over Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Iraq and Syria.