The contract to deliver 30 more French Rafale fighter jets to Egypt has been confirmed by the Dassault Group, which manufactures the French Rafale fighter jets.
“This contract completes the first procurement of 24 Rafale aircraft, which was signed in 2015, and will bring the Egyptian Air Force’s total number of Rafale aircraft to 54, second only to the French Air Force, which operates & produce the Rafale,” Dassault Aviation said in a statement.
The sale of the Rafale fighter jets was valued at around 3.75 billion euros.
This military deal between the two allies Paris and Cairo will include two further contracts worth 200 million euros for MBDA and Safran Electronics & Defense
Later, the Egyptian army announced that the acquisition will be funded by a ten-year loan. According to the annual report of the French Parliament, French arms sales to Egypt surged considerably since Abdel Fattah El-Sisi came to power.
According to a report in the French newspaper La Tribune, Egypt’s contract with France to purchase fighter jets may conceal additional military needs, including a crucial weapon in the event of a battle outside Egypt’s borders.