France Discusses Defence Cooperation With UAE, Buyer of 80 Rafale Jets
Key Facts
France is holding talks with the United Arab Emirates on defence cooperation, the Financial Times reported, as its defence plans with Germany falter. The UAE already has a contract to buy 80 F4-standard Rafale fighter jets, according to Dassault Aviation's official announcement. The contract is for the UAE Air Force and Air Defence and forms the backdrop to existing cooperation between the two sides in combat aviation. The talks reported by the newspaper are part of negotiations on French-UAE defence cooperation. The order announced by Dassault covers F4-standard jets and predates the future programme to develop the F5 standard.
On the industrial front, the UAE's EDGE Group announced a cooperation framework with France's defence procurement agency, laying the foundation for joint work. In its announcement, the group described the framework's scope as "industrial and technical cooperation between EDGE and the French defence procurement agency". The framework thus brings together an Emirati industrial group and France's defence procurement agency in a relationship focused on industry and technology. The parties to this framework differ from those involved in the UAE fighter jet contract announced by Dassault Aviation to equip the Air Force and Air Defence. The Emirati group's industrial plans also include establishing an engineering and manufacturing facility in the French city of Bordeaux, according to EDGE's announcement.
The original UAE arms package was worth 17 billion euros, according to a Reuters report on the contract announcement. The package included fighter jets and helicopters, making its value attributable to a range of aircraft purchases under the original agreement. The order for 80 Rafale jets was part of that package, which strengthened defence ties between France and the UAE. Dassault Aviation shares rose more than 9% when the original contract was announced, according to Reuters. The rise accompanied the announcement of the UAE's purchases at the time, reflecting the market's response to the company's contract to supply fighter jets to the UAE Air Force and Air Defence.
The UAE contract entered the execution phase when Dassault received the first down payment, which the company announced on 19 April 2022. Dassault said in its statement at the time: "We received the first down payment today", referring to the UAE Rafale contract. This was followed by the unveiling of the first UAE Rafale jet on 29 January 2025, according to another announcement by the French company. The aircraft's unveiling followed receipt of the down payment in the sequence of steps to fulfil the order, which includes F4-standard jets. The fighter was unveiled ahead of the delivery start date Dassault had set for the UAE, advancing the contract's execution from payment to the presentation of the first aircraft.
Progress on the UAE contract comes as Dassault Aviation's total order backlog reached about 45.4 billion euros at the end of June 2026, according to the company's financial results. The backlog included 208 Rafale fighter jets, alongside Falcon aircraft, according to the first-half results statement. It comprised 291 aircraft in total, including 83 Falcons, according to the company's breakdown. The backlog was thus split between the fighter jet and Falcon programmes, while its total value covered all Dassault programmes included in it. Rafales accounted for the larger number of aircraft in the backlog at the end of the period compared with Falcons.
Under its future combat aviation programme, Dassault plans for an unmanned combat aircraft to complement the F5-standard Rafale system after 2030. The company said the drone "will complement the future Rafale F5 standard after 2030", setting the timeframe for that integration. The drone's planned capabilities include stealth technologies, according to Dassault's programme statement. They also include autonomous control with a human remaining in the control loop, as well as the ability to carry payloads internally. The company's announced concept combines these features in the unmanned combat aircraft intended to operate alongside the fighter under a programme for the future Rafale standard.
The next step in executing the UAE contract is the start of Rafale deliveries, which Dassault has scheduled for the end of 2026. The date appeared in the company's announcement on the unveiling of the first UAE aircraft as the schedule for initial deliveries. The milestone concerns jets under the existing order for the UAE Air Force and Air Defence, built to the standard specified in the contract. On the parallel industrial track, EDGE intends to open the Bordeaux engineering and manufacturing facility, extending its announced cooperation with France's defence procurement agency. The UAE delivery date at the end of 2026 precedes Dassault's timeframe for integrating the unmanned combat aircraft with the Rafale F5 after 2030.