Egypt is set to order 24 Rafale fighter jets alongside a warship and other related equipment, according to President François Hollande, in what would mark the end of years of failed attempts to export the plane abroad.
France and Egypt have been negotiating since November last year on the sale of the multipurpose war planes, a Fremm naval frigate and MBDA air to air missiles in a multibillion-euro deal, according to people close to the talks.
“The Egyptian authorities have just let me know their intention of acquiring 24 Rafale planes, a multi-mission frigate as well as related equipment,” said Mr Hollande in a statement, adding that the deal would be signed by the French defence minister in Cairo on Monday.
“The equipment will allow Egypt to increase its security and play a role in promoting regional stability,” the Elysée said.
Eric Trappier, the chief executive of Dassault Aviation thanked Egypt for its “trust” and Paris for the “political support” for the export.
However, Egypt has had to contend with gathering security woes that have curtailed economic growth and many questioned why Egypt was purchasing such an expensive arms package.
Egypt’s armed forces commanders see themselves as the backbone of the country’s national identity and prosperity. They crave the prestige that comes with advanced weaponry and the potent armed forces of other regional hegemons including Israel, Saudi Arabia and Algeria.
They have long sought to phase out some of the air force’s fleet of Mirage jets and have also been annoyed by the reluctance of the US to provide certain arms, said Michael Wahid Hanna, an Egypt security specialist at the Century Foundation, a New York think-tank.
There are jihadis at both Egypt’s extreme east and its west. It faces a smouldering insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula that has staged devastating attacks on the armed forces. In January, a lengthy, multi-pronged attack on military bases in several cities showed the strength of militant groups drifting toward the tactics and ideology of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as Isis.
Cairo also sees a threat in Libya, where it has reportedly intervened several times with air power. There, a civil war pits allies of the Egyptian Islamist government deposed in 2013 against an internationally recognised government materially backed by Egypt and the UAE. The chaos paved the way for the arrival of extremist militant groups, including supporters of Isis.
But Mr Hanna noted that the country had yet to use its existing fleet of F-16s to their full extent and relied on Apache helicopters for counter-insurgency efforts in the Sinai. “When you think of the military challenges facing the country, they’re asymmetric threats. They need rapid force. They need intelligence. They need a whole host of capabilities that have nothing to do with fighter jets.
Dassault Aviation, the French group that plays the leading role in manufacturing the fighter jet, has for the past three years been in exclusive negotiations with India for 126 aircraft, but has so far failed to sign the final contract.
The deal would be a huge boon for the entire French defence sector as French defence electronics group Thales and engine maker Safran, along with about 500 smaller suppliers, play a role in making the aircraft.
It is also a coup for Mr Hollande, who has been keen to show off his pro-business credentials over the past year, hoping to kick-start economic growth and job creation as well as his dismal poll ratings.
The Rafale plane, which had a project cost of more than €40bn, has been deployed in Afghanistan in 2007 and in Libya in 2011.
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By Michael Stothard in Paris and Borzou Daragahi in Cairo http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/412136b6-b2f4-11e4-b0d2-00144feab7de.html?ftcamp=published_links%2Frss%2Fworld%2Ffeed%2F%2Fproduct&siteedition=intl#axzz3Rdts0zWR