Egypt, France anticipate $5.9 billion arms deal to be signed

World Today

Egypt’s decision to buy 24 Rafale jet fighters from France underscores its determination to diversify its sources of weapons and reduce its dependence on the United States, experts said.
The 5.2-billion-euro ($5.9 billion) deal is a historic first foreign sale of the Rafale for France, which is set to sign the contract in the Egyptian capital on Monday.

CCTV’s Adel El-Mahrouky reported this story from Cairo.

The multi-billion dollar arms deal is the second one for Egypt this year.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi secured a deal with Russia before he was officially elected.

Egypt’s capability to conduct air strikes will be significantly boosted with the 24 French Dassault Rafale fighter jets.

Traditionally, the country has gotten most of its military hardware from the United States and experts say these latest deals with France and Russia are a signal that times are changing.

“Definitely on top of the priorities of President al-Sisi is for Egypt to have an exit from relying on U.S. arms. Particularly the annual military aid that costs over a billion dollars. it made The Egyptian army confined with U.S. arms and with many restrictions that lead to limited development in the Army,” Strategic Analyst Khaled Okasha said. “Political ties between both countries are not at best and it seems that this gap will expand in the future. So this arms deal comes as part of Egypt’s recent efforts to diversify its arms sources.”

Egypt will be the first nation outside France to own the Dassault Rafale jets.

They’re expected to give Egypt a more strategic role when it comes to security in the Middle East.

“Egypt must be ready for the possibility of regional deterioration. The Armed forces must be ready for that, these planes will fulfill that and give Egypt leverage. This can sever Egypt’s partnerships, particularly in the Gulf and neighboring countries like Libya,” Okasha said. “The deal is a European partnership, so I expect to see more cooperation with Europe in regional crisis on top of which of course comes Libya.”

The jets are impressive, with a range of over 2,000 miles they will allow Egypt to quickly respond to any threat.

The planes are able to reach Kenya to the south or Algeria to the west.

The deal also benefits France, given the current economic climate in Europe.