Egypt signs contract to purchase 30 French-made Rafale fighter jets

Egypt and France signed a contract for the supply of 30 Rafale fighter jets, the North African country’s defense ministry said on its website early on Tuesday according to Reuters.

“Egypt and France signed a contract to supply 30 Rafale jets through the Egyptian Armed Forces and the French Dassault Aviation company, provided that, the concluded contract is financed through a financing loan of a minimum duration of 10 years,” the ministry said.

This comes as Greece reportedly wants to acquire six more of the powerful fighter jets after already signing an agreement to purchase 18 of them.

It is recalled that the Greek-French deal was made in January.

Regarding the Greece-France agreement already made, the first six used Rafale aircraft are expected to start arriving in July, while six new aircraft will arrive in the spring of 2022, and the last six used will be received on early 2023.

Greece and Egypt have close military coordination and frequently conducted joint exercises.

It is expected that this will only continue to foster, especially when the two countries acquire the powerful French-made fighter jet.

READ MORE: Greece is considering to purchase six more French-made fighter jets: report.