French manufacturer Dassault signed today the biggest contract in its history, 80 Rafale fighters in the F4 variant with United Arab Emirates (UAE). Deliveries will take place between 2027 and 2031.
The total cost will be 16 billion €:
- 14 billion for the fighters
- 2 billion for an armament package that includes MICA NG and cruise missiles Black Saheen, a local variant of the MBDA SCALP
UAE becomes the sixth foreign operator after Egypt (54), Qatar (24), India (36), Greece (18) and Croatia (12). With this contract, the production line is guaranteed for years, and France will have more flexibility when ordering the next tranches. To put the 16 billion € into context, the cost of the Rafale program from 1989 to 2018 was 28.438 billion €, including operations and maintenance.
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| Rafale (Dassault). |
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| Statement by Dasssault. |
The F4 variant is currently being developed, and incorporates improvement in the AESA radar and SPECTRA system. It has also received a Scorpion helmet, better communications and new weapons.
References:
- https://www.dassault-aviation.com/en/
- http://www.opex360.com/
- https://www.lefigaro.fr/economie
- https://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance
