Thursday March 28th, 2024
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Egypt to Spend 6 Billion Euros on French Rafale Fighter Jets

Industry sources have revealed that a deal between Egypt and France's Dassault to buy scores of fighter jets among other weapons is imminent.

Staff Writer

Egypt to Spend 6 Billion Euros on French Rafale Fighter Jets

Egypt seems poised to bolster its military arsenal as two industrial sources have told Reuters that a deal between Egypt and France for the purchase of Dassault’s Rafale fighter jets is “imminent."

Corroborating that this deal is in fact happening was French newspaper Le Monde, who reported on Tuesday that President Sisi has approved the deal. The French source talking to Reuters claims that both French and Egyptian defense ministers were sitting with Dassault to secure the sale of 24 Rafale jets, a Fremm Naval Frigate, and MBDA missiles worth 5 billion to 6 billion Euros.

"It will happen. It's imminent. For me the signature is certain," the source close to the matter said, adding that it was not clear if the deal would be sealed "this week or next week." However a second source close to the French Defense Minister said talks are to conclude in the next “several days,” but claims that Paris had not received any official confirmation. Dassault have not released an official statement, but its chief executive, Eric Trappier, told Le Figaro on Saturday that its first export deal was close to being finalised.

Despite an exclusive three-year deal to supply India, Dassault is looking for new foreign buyers for their Rafale jets, considered by many in the industry as one of the most effective, sophisticated, and most expensive fighter jets in the world.

It is not clear how Egypt intends on footing the bill, especially considering the massive debt incurred post January 25th uprising. Also not clear is if Egypt is gearing up for war, but what is clear is that Egypt has plenty of enemies in the neighbourhood. The real question is, are fighter jets really the best weapon in the fight against terrorism? Groups like ISIS have successfully shot down fighter jets, so the purchasing of jets is a questionable and expensive decision that may not help the battle against the on-ground guerrilla tactics of terrorist groups.