United Arab Emirates made the first Down payment for the 80 Rafale Jets , Dassault Aviation acknowledged with Order Backlog !

On 3rd December 2021, we saw United Arab Emirates signing a $19bn deal with France to acquire 80 Rafale fighter jets and 12 military helicopters, after years of negotiations.

The on-off negotiations for the Rafale fighter jets took around 10 years , while France’s offer to supply 60 Rafale jets in 2011 was termed as “uncompetitive and unworkable”  by Abu Dhabi even though Abu Dhabi already had French Mirage 2000 Jets.

That is past ! Deal is done now, contract is signed, and today , first payment towards the contract has been made by the Gulf state, that will take the Rafale deal from the papers to the assembly line within years.

Dassault Aviation released it to press saying ,

Today, we received the first down payment of the contract for the acquisition of 80 Rafale by the United Arab Emirates.

The deal was seen as historic and also significant to regional stability, after Qatar bought 36 of the planes, and Egypt which ordered 24 in 2015 and 30 earlier this year.

Signed on December 3^rd, 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, this contract, by its exceptional scope, attests to Dassault Aviation's technological expertise and the Rafale's unique operational qualities.

The deal is also being seen as a signal of impatience as the US Congress hesitated on approving an F-35 deal amid concerns about the UAE’s relationship with China. 

UAE ranked as France’s 5th largest arms customer between 2011 and 2020 , which shows strategic partnership between the two, apart from Military Aviation.

It also illustrates the strength of the strategic partnership between the United Arab Emirates and France.

This contract testifies to the historical and privileged relationship between Dassault Aviation and the United Arab Emirates Air Force & Air Defence (UAE AF & AD) since its creation and reaffirms the Emirates’ satisfaction with Dassault Aviation fighters as demonstrated by the modernization of the Mirage 2000-9.

"The Rafale shows, through its proven operational qualities and its export success, that it is today a real ‘game changer’ on the global geopolitical scene and an undisputed instrument for independence and sovereignty.

Dassault Aviation is fully committed to supporting the United Arab Emirates in its sovereign power, its strategic challenges and its ambitious vision of the future", stated Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation.

Dassault see this as the largest ever contract obtained by the French combat aeronautics industry, and also excellent news for France and for its aeronautical industry, for the entire ecosystem of 400 companies, those contribute to the Rafale assembly lines.

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