France is to sell 24 Rafale fighter jets to Qatar, the third export order for the aircraft in less than three months after agreements with Egypt and India, reports The Financial Times.
The contract, estimated to be worth in excess of €6bn, underscores the recent revival of the Rafale’s commercial prospects amid dynamic French diplomacy in the Middle East.
The deal with Qatar is further evidence that Socialist president François Hollande’s efforts to clinch export orders for the French combat aircraft are paying off, after decades in which it failed to win a single contract under his centre-right predecessors Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy.
Mr Hollande will fly to Doha on Monday to sign the deal with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani — the Emir of Qatar — and defence companies Dassault Aviation and MBDA missile systems, the Elysée Palace said in a statement on Thursday.
“With this new export success, the Rafale jet confirms its qualities already tested in the French air force and navy,” the Elysée said. “This contract, which follows [contracts signed] with Egypt and India is, for the state that has pursued it for three years, greatly satisfying.”
The Rafale was developed 27 years ago at a cost of €40bn but did not secure its first export order until February, when Egypt agreed to buy 24 aircraft for an estimated €3.5bn, with the help of French financing.
This was followed on April 11 by a pledge by Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, to buy 36 Rafales for more than €4bn. The commitment, announced during a state visit to Paris, was due to an “urgent operational need” for the aircraft, Mr Modi said.