Friday, December 03, 2021
Billionaire deal with France
Emirates are arming with dozen of fighter jets
During his visit to the United Arab Emirates, French President Macron concluded a lucrative armaments deal: Among other things, 80 Rafale fighter jets were sold to the desert state. In the future, billions more are to flow into French industry.
The United Arab Emirates is buying 80 French Rafale fighter jets. The contract with the manufacturer Dassault Aviation was signed during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Dubai, as announced by the Élysée Palace in Paris. According to the Defense Ministry, the armaments business with a volume of 16 billion euros is the largest export order for the fighter aircraft to date.
The Emirates are also buying twelve Caracal tactical multipurpose and transport helicopters from Airbus. The order has a volume of one billion euros. In addition, investments by the Emirates in French industry in the space, transport and renewable energy sectors to the tune of around ten billion euros have been agreed.
“In order to develop the technologies of tomorrow, to support our entrepreneurs with visions and to take a leap in space travel, we are entering into an important investment partnership with the United Arab Emirates with numerous players on both sides,” said Macron.
Macron traveled to Dubai on Friday to begin a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. He is accompanied by a business delegation and parts of the cabinet, including Economics Minister Bruno Le Maire and Defense Minister Florence Parly. The fight against terrorism, regional stability and the situation in Libya are just as focal points of the trip to the Gulf region as economic contacts, it said.