Dubai: The Ministry of Defense of the Arab Emirates said the purchase of the French Rafale fighter jet will complete the planned agreement to buy an American F-35 fighter, which has slowed out due to Washington’s concern for Abu Dhabi’s relationship with China.
The Arabian Gulf state on Friday ordered 80 Rafales made by Dassault Aviation and 12 Caracal military helicopters made by Airbus helicopters in a weapon contract worth 17 billion euros ($ 19.2 billion).
Ibrahim’s main general Ibrahim Nasser Al Alawi, the UAE Air Force Commander and Air Defense, said in a statement about the WAM state news agency late on Saturday that Rafale Jets would replace the 2000 Mirage fleet built by France.
“This agreement is not considered an alternative to the upcoming F-35 agreement, it is a complementary agreement …
because we developed our air force capabilities,” Alawi said, adding UAE for some time has been looking to replace the Mirage fleet.
The sale of 50 F-35 fighter aircraft made by Lockheed Martin to the UAE has slowed amid fears in Washington for Abu Dhabi’s relationship with China, including the use of Huawei 5G technology in this country.
Last month, an official A.S.
Said the United States intends to move forward with sales but there must be a clear understanding of the “emirati obligation”.
The United States under President Donald Trump agreed to sell jets after the UAE last year set up a bond with Israel.
President Joe Biden’s administration said this year would continue sales.