Article

2015-02-14 Africa North

PARIS, FEBRUARY 12 - Egypt reached an agreement on Thursday with France to buy 24 Rafale fighter jets as well as a FREMM frigate and short and medium-range missiles produced by MBDA, a joint venture that includes Italy's Finmeccanica.

Not sure why they need Rafales except for the prestige factor. They're not going up against the Israelis any time soon, the Libyans don't have an air force, and a simple advanced trainer like a Hawk is perfectly capable of bombing terrorists in the Sinai. The Hawk is a lot cheaper and easier to maintain, too.

Reports were in the daily Le Monde, which noted that the five-billion-euro contract lacked only the final signature from the representatives of the two governments. The definitive signing is expected to come on Monday, said the Paris daily. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi will sign for Egypt and either Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian or President Francois Hollande will sign for France.

The contract is the first export one for the Rafale fighter jets, produced by France's Dassault and heir to the Mirage aircraft, and was stipulated in only three months. Facilitating the acquisition, underscored Le Monde, was the position that Egypt has long held as client of French armaments.

Cairo bought its first French fighter jet, a Mirage, in 1967, just after the Six-Day War.

Posted by Steve White 2015-02-14 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11131 views ] Top
File under: Arab Spring

#1 Not sure why they need Rafales
Could be as a foil for the run around they have been getting from the Admin for more/newer weapon systems.

Posted by USN, Ret 2015-02-14 00:53|| 2015-02-14 00:53|| Front Page Top

#2 I guess French given them better conditions than the Russians.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2015-02-14 06:48|| 2015-02-14 06:48|| Front Page Top

#3 They are kind of 'cool'.

Posted by Mullah Richard 2015-02-14 08:09|| 2015-02-14 08:09|| Front Page Top

#4 "Not sure why they need Rafales"
Because the French defence industries are like the American defence industries; they don't want to sell you what you need, they want to sell you something that makes back their investment.

Posted by ed in texas 2015-02-14 10:24|| 2015-02-14 10:24|| Front Page Top

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