Egypt is preparing to bolster its fleet of French “Rafale” fighter jets with a new order that may include 24 additional aircraft from “Dassault Aviation”, in a move that would raise the total number of French fighter jets in the Egyptian Air Force to 78 aircraft.
Hot Topics
According to Cairo has requested Dassault Aviation to submit a technical and commercial proposal for the acquisition of 24 new fighter jets. This does not yet constitute a final contract or a binding order, and the French company declined to comment on the matter.
The potential move comes more than a decade after Egypt became the first foreign customer for the Rafale fighter jet. In 2015, Cairo signed its initial contract to purchase 24 fighters, before bolstering its fleet in 2021 with a new contract for 30 additional aircraft , valued at approximately €3.95 billion.
Egypt is the first foreign customer for the Rafale fighter jet. In 2015, Cairo signed its first contract to purchase 24 fighters, before bolstering its fleet in 2021 with a new contract that included 30 additional aircraft, at an estimated value of €3.95 billion.
Thus, the number of Egyptian Rafale fighter jets is expected to reach 54 by the end of 2026. If the new deal is completed, the total will rise to 78 aircraft.
Upgrading the Egyptian fighter jet fleet
Egypt’s renewed interest in French fighter jets comes at a time when Cairo faces the task of modernizing part of its combat fleet, particularly its F-16 fighter fleet of about 200 aircraft, the oldest of which were delivered in the 1980s.
Replacing old fighter jets represents an important strategic opportunity for aviation and defense companies, at a time when China is also seeking to strengthen its presence in the Egyptian arms market and showcase its fighter jets to Cairo.
This puts Dassault Aviation in the face of increasing international competition to maintain its position in one of the most important arms markets in the region.
The moves regarding the potential Rafale deal coincide with the development of French-Egyptian relations, particularly after French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Egypt in April 2015, when the two countries elevated relations to a “strategic partnership,” with defense cooperation at the heart of this partnership.
Macron had praised Egypt’s historic decision in 2015 as the first foreign country to place its trust in the Rafale fighter jet, a decision that helped pave the way for the French aircraft to achieve a series of successes in foreign markets.
Previous deals were not limited to Rafale aircraft, as Egypt also signed contracts with French companies to provide equipment and systems related to the aircraft.
These contracts included MBDA, a missile specialist, and Safran Electronics & Defense, totaling approximately €200 million. This reflects the nature of modern fighter jet deals, which extend beyond the purchase of the aircraft itself to include armament, electronics, sensor systems, support, maintenance, and training.
The potential Egyptian deal comes at a time when the Rafale is experiencing increasing demand from foreign markets, after the French fighter jet struggled for years to penetrate international markets.
The potential Egyptian deal comes at a time when the Rafale is experiencing increasing demand from foreign markets, after the French fighter jet struggled for years to penetrate international markets.
Following the first Egyptian deal in 2015, Dassault Aviation was able to conclude contracts with a number of countries, including Qatar, India, Greece, Croatia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Serbia.
The company is also looking at additional deals, particularly in India, which in April 2025 signed an agreement to purchase 26 naval Rafale fighters, while there remains the possibility of completing a larger deal that could reach 114 additional fighters for the Indian Air Force.
At the same time, Dassault Aviation faces the challenge of high demand for the Rafale, and the company is working to expand its production capacity to meet the backlog of orders. The company aims to produce three Rafale fighter jets per month by 2026, then increase that rate to four aircraft per month by 2028 or 2029.
The company recently announced the completion of the manufacturing of the 300th Rafale aircraft, an indication of the major transformation that the French fighter jet has undergone from a project that suffered from weak external demand to one of the most prominent successes of the French defense industry.
If completed, the deal would constitute Egypt’s third order for the Rafale, and confirms Egypt’s continued reliance on the French fighter jet in the face of growing competition from the United States, China and other major exporters of combat aircraft.
Tags:
asiawest
