The Rafale will land there one day in Egypt? Not impossible
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is coming in France on 20 and 21 November.Major arms contracts are being negotiated between France and Egypt.
The visit to Paris Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on 20 and 21 November she will be an opportunity announcements of new contracts for the French armament industry? Possible, but not certain. In any case, French industrial and high state officials are doing everything possible to ensure that the ex-chief of the Egyptian army of staff may be in a position to make such announcements. And the stakes are enormous.Who could have predicted there a little over a yearso close between Paris and Cairo ...
One of the hottest issues between the two countries is the realization by DCNS of a new order for two new corvettes of 2,400 tonnes (500 million euros excluding arms), which were budgeted by the Egyptians. They were optional in the contract signed this summer between DCNS and Cairo which focused on the sale of four identical corvettes (1 billion euros). The naval group, which returned to the negotiating table at the end of Eid, now seems reasonably confident of a positive outcome of the negotiations, according to our information. Especially since DCNS have recently reached an important milestone.
Finally, DCNS negotiates a lot of torpedoes (150 to 200 million euros) to arm the first four corvettes. For its part, MBDA has already signed a small contract for the installation of fire on the first four corvettes Exocet MM40 missiles and VL-Mica (EUR 50 million). Especially the missile is currently negotiating with Cairo a lot of missiles (between 300 and 400 million euros) and waits for a command in 2015.
And why not Rafale?
Egypt is interested in the fighter from Dassault Aviation. By 24 aircraft. Cairo has expressed this interest during the visit in mid-September of Jean-Yves Le Drian. An application that is not new. For already at the beginning of summer 2011, the Egyptian military are sent to Paris had an "expression of interest" from 12 to 20 Rafale . Paris was then very embarrassed and Dassault not interested. However, Paris had begun to discuss with Cairo to understand the needs of the Egyptian military. Egyptian drivers even try the Rafale. But it does not go any further. Today, the demand of the Egyptians will be studied in more detail.
However, this issue is not yet ripe. Rather a folder
"medium-term" , said a source familiar with the matter. Especially that the Egyptians could ask France during the Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visit financing via Coface, to be able to offer 24 Rafale. What could further complicate this issue, which will be difficult to achieve. But not impossible.
Modernization of Mirage 2000
"It is possible" , provides, however, a source familiar with the matter. Possible, but there also complicated because the Egyptian military are still shared between programs to modernize their fleet and / or the purchase of new equipment. Meanwhile, back on the modernization of 20 Mirage 2000 EM / BM that Cairo had ordered in December 1981, which were delivered between 1986 and 1988, does not advance the absence of agreement on price.
If Cairo remains "
very concerned " by this, the Egyptians are
"too expensive and too long", says one to the Tribune. Dassault Aviation and Thales propose a modernization like India, without air-ground dimension, to keep costs down. A proposal that the two manufacturers were also in Peru (12 Mirage) . In Egypt, the bill would amount to 900 million euros, or over one billion, according to various sources. For its part, MBDA offers a lot of air-air Mica missiles to arm the Mirage 2000 Egyptians. That the European missile had done in India (493 Mica missiles IR / EM for 959 million euros).
An explosive issue on air defense
Finally, in Cairo MBDA offers solutions to retool the Egyptian army in the field of air defense (Air defense) of short and medium range. Like Saudi Arabia, Egypt currently has Rattlesnake missiles (Thales). An issue that could be very, very explosive between the two groups ... especially as MBDA CEO Antoine Bouvier is very interested in the estate of Jean-Bernard Levy at the head of Thales.
A hot topic because Libya is currently focusing all the difficulties of the region (civil war, arms trafficking, illegal immigration, Islamist radicalism and state failure) has porous borders with Egypt.
http://www.latribune.fr/entreprises...ra-t-il-un-jour-en-egypte-pas-impossible.html
