Egypt may receive 3 Rafale fighter jets from France by this summer for the inauguration ceremony of the new Suez Canal in August 2015, French newspaper Le Figaro reported Wednesday.
“The contract that was signed with Egypt came into force. We had received the first check earlier this week,” Dassault Aviation Company CEO Éric Trappier said Wednesday.
On Feb. 16, Egypt and France signed agreements whereby Paris will supply Cairo with 24 Rafale combat jets and a FREMM multipurpose frigate worth $5.9 billion.
“The contract with Egypt assures the delivery of one Rafale per month. But we have the possibility to send 2.5 Rafales per month if necessary,” Trappier continued.
In November, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi visited France, where he discussed means to upgrade Egypt’s fleet of 18 French Mirage jets.
