UAE buys 80 French Rafale jets for $ 19bn worth of weapons | Equipment Issues

The signing of the agreement comes as French President Emmanuel Macron embarks on a two-day trip to the Gulf, where he will visit Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

The United Arab Emirates and France have signed a $ 19bn arms deal that allows the Gulf state to seize 80 Rafale warplanes and 12 warplanes.

The largest foreign deal for Rafale flights was announced on Friday as French President Emmanuel Macron embarked on a two-day visit to the Gulf, where he will also visit Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

“This agreement strengthens the alliance which is stronger than ever and directly contributes to regional stability,” the French president said after Macron and Prince Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) signed the agreement. Dubai Expo 2020.

Macron’s visit comes at a time when the Gulf Arab states have expressed uncertainty about the United States’ position on the region despite the fact that they are seeking more weapons from their top security chief.

The French leader has forged a good relationship with MBZ and the money flowing between the two countries.

The agreement will directly support 7,000 jobs in France and secure Dassault Aviation-based airline delivery by the end of 2031, a French official told reporters.

He added that the UAE agreement, which follows the agreement in Greece, Egypt and Croatia this year, will increase Rafale’s monthly increase.

Shares in Dassault Aviation SA, the manufacturer of Rafale, were up more than 9 percent.

French-Emirati Alliance

The F4 Rafales model, manufactured here, is offered from 2027.

Using military equipment, the UAE follows the lead of Qatar, which has purchased 36 aircraft.

Negotiations on Rafale warplanes lasted more than 10 years when Abu Dhabi openly criticized France’s offer of 60 Rafale jets in 2011 as “non-competitive and ineffective”. Abu Dhabi already has Mirage 2000 fighter jets built in France.

Security sources said Rafale would replace the Mirage 2000 ships but it would not be possible to remove the F-35 built in America as the UAE continues to defend its defense with two major retailers, France and the United States.

The agreement could be seen as a sign of impatience as the US Congress delays in approving the F-35 agreement between UAE-China relations, including the technological proliferation of Huawei 5G in the country.

Abu Dhabi also ordered 12 Caracal helicopters. With the French name for the H225M, a multi-team Super Puma fleet.

People traveling to the Louvre Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, November 6, 2017[File: Satish Kumar/Reuters]

France has deep ties with the UAE and is one of its largest arms suppliers, but has faced many difficulties in re-examining its trade due to a dispute between a Saudi-led military alliance with Houthi militants allied with Iran in Yemen, becoming one one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises.

“France is moving forward with the trade despite the UAE leading the way in a dangerous war led by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen,” Human Rights Watch said. he said in his own words.

“However, the UAE ranks 5th in the French arms market between 2011 and 2020. The French president must condemn human rights abuses in the three countries.”

French fighter jets and crews are also located at al-Dhafra Air Base, an important base outside the Emirati capital in Abu Dhabi where there are also thousands of US troops.

A few months after Macron was elected in 2017, he traveled to the UAE to establish the Louvre Abu Dhabi, built under a $ 1.2bn contract to share the name and art of the world-famous museum in Paris.

In September, Macron welcomed the Abu Dhabi prince to the historic Chateau de Fontainebleau history outside Paris, which was restored in 2019 with a UAE donation of 10 million euros ($ 11.3m).

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala fund sovereign wealth also pledged eight billion euros ($ 9bn) in French businesses, while the UAE branch of the Louvre art gallery expanded for 10 years until 2047.