By Pierre Tran Paris - The United Arab Emirates signed Dec. 3, 2021 contracts worth a total €17 billion ($19 billion) for 80 Dassault Aviation Rafale fighter jets, MBDA missiles, and 12 Airbus Helicopter Caracal H225M helicopters, the armed forces ministry said. The UAE Tawazun arms acquisition authority signed Rafale…
By Pierre Tran Paris - Industry and government are still in contract talks for studies on a technology demonstrator for a European fighter jet, Dassault Aviation said in a July 22 statement on first-half financial results. “The contract for phase 1B (under negotiation) is still to be signed,” the company…
By Pierre Tran Paris - The French, German and Spanish air chiefs were briefed June 17 and 18 by three companies leading the industrial effort on a European Future Combat Air System, the three nations said in a joint statement. The official visits were made just days before German parliamentarians…
By Pierre Tran Paris - The land weapons industry faced a double challenge with the pandemic crisis hitting defense spending and army projects competing with air force systems, which were due to receive higher funding, Franco-German joint venture KNDS said June 14. “The budgets of our most important customers are…
By Pierre Tran Paris - France last year won arms export contracts worth €4.9 billion ($5.6 billion), down from €8.3 billion in 2019, reflecting lock down and governments freezing military budgets in response to the pandemic crisis, Hervé Grandjean, spokesman for the defense ministry, said June 2. “This retreat is…
By Pierre Tran Paris - Croatia has opted to order 12 second hand Rafale fighter jets in a deal which points up the significance of European sovereignty, the French armed forces ministry said in a statement. “Croatia’s choice is a choice of sovereignty, resolutely European,” armed forces minister Florence Parly…
By Pierre Tran Paris - Naval Group has appointed Lilian Braylé as executive vice-president to run the Australian program to build 12 ocean-going Attack class submarines, the French shipbuilder said May 11. “Lilian Brayle will join Naval Group on 31 May as executive vice-president for the Australian Future Submarine Program,”…
By Pierre Tran Paris - France welcomed May 4 an Egyptian announcement of an order for a further 30 Rafale fighter jets and weapons from Dassault Aviation, MBDA and Safran, confirming a news report on Disclose, a French campaigning website. “The armed forces minister, Florence Parly, welcomes the latest export…
