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| Dassault Receives First Payment from UAE for 80 Rafale Deal |
International Military - April 20, 2022 to be exact, French-based military jet manufacturer Dassault Aviation received its first payment from the United Arab Emirates. This payment relates to the procurement of 80 Rafale fighter aircraft to the Middle Eastern country.
This contract has been signed since December 3, 2021 in the presence of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The agreement between the two countries proves Dassault Aviation's expertise and technology as well as the Rafale's unique operational qualities.
It also illustrates the strength of the strategic partnership between the United Arab Emirates and France. “Rafale demonstrates his proven operational qualities and export success, that he is today a real game changer in the global geopolitical scene. And become an important instrument for the security and sovereignty of a country,” said Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation.
"Dassault Aviation is fully committed to supporting the United Arab Emirates in its sovereign strength, strategic challenges and ambitious vision of the future," he added.
The United Arab Emirates prefers the French Rafale over the US F-35
The United Arab Emirates has long shown interest in acquiring the US-based Lockheed Martin fifth-generation stealth fighter F-35. This is evidenced by the USD 23 billion contract for 50 F-35 units that have been delivered since the Donald Trump Administration.
However, the agreement was canceled by Joe Biden's government, which is now in power. An important reason why this is happening is because the US is worried about selling advanced F-35-class fighters to countries with ties to China. And in more detail, the United Arab Emirates' relationship is with China's well-known telecommunications company Huawei in 5G technology.
The US set a number of conditions for the United Arab Emirates, to be able to have the F-35 they must cut ties with the China-based company, Defense Security Asia quoted. Because it was considered ridiculous and unfair, the United Arab Emirates chose not to comply with these conditions and chose to cancel buying the F-35 fighter.
And as a replacement, the United Arab Emirates chose to acquire 80 Rafale fighters from Dassault Aviation for $19 billion.