Aviation
Why did the UAE place the largest Rafale order?
The UAE ordered 80 Rafale fighter jets and 12 military helicopters from France on Friday, bolstering economic and political ties with France through a 17 billion euro ($19.20 billion) arms purchase.
The largest-ever foreign sale of the French warplane was inked as French President Emmanuel Macron began a two-day trip to the Gulf, where he would also visit Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The UAE will become 6th international operator of the Rafale aircraft. In 2018 Qatar is ordered 36 rafael aircraft as of now February 2020, 25 were delivered.
The Rafale order is the largest placed for the aircraft on a global scale since it entered service in 2004.
By purchasing the Dassault Rafales, the UAE is following in the footsteps of Gulf rival Qatar, which has purchased 36 of the planes, and Egypt, which ordered 24 in 2015 and 30 earlier this year.
The F4 model planes will be delivered beginning in 2027, after a €2-billion development programme that is expected to be completed in 2024.
It is the biggest bulk purchase of the Dassault-made Rafale, other than by the French army, and comes after deals in Greece, Egypt and Croatia this year.
12 Caracal helicopters were also ordered by Abu Dhabi. It’s the French code name for the H225M, the Super Puma’s multirole military version.
The Rafale will replace the Mirage 2000 fleet, but it is unlikely to replace the American-built F-35, according to defense sources, as the UAE continues to hedge its security with two key suppliers, France and the United States.
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Nonetheless, the agreement might be interpreted as a sign of impatience as the US Congress considers whether or not to approve an F-35 purchase due to worries about the UAE’s relationship with China, notably the country’s use of Huawei 5G technology.
“Despite the UAE’s main role in the atrocity-plagued military operations spearheaded by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, France is proceeding with these purchases,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement. “The French president should condemn the breaches of human rights in these three countries.”
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Because of the fight in Yemen between a Saudi-led coalition and Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, which has turned into one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, Paris has been under increasing pressure to reconsider its military supplies.
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