SHAH ALAM: IT was reported on Mar 29 that the Qatar and France had completed the deal to buy the Dassault Rafale fighter jet. The deal for the 24 Rafales was completed on the opening day of DIMDEX, a defence exhibition in Doha.

From Defence News.

“The fighter deal, which includes MBDA missiles, training for 36 pilots and some 100 mechanics, was earlier reported to be worth €6.3 billion (US $6.9 billion); however, it was announced Tuesday that the deal is worth €6.7 billion (US $7.5 billion).

The deal has been made for the same number of jets purchased by Egypt in 2014, but the Qatari deal is priced higher due to the provision of long-range cruise missiles as well as Meteor missiles.

In December, Qatar made a down payment, putting the contract in effect.

The sale to Qatar boosts sales for prime contractor Dassault, radar and systems specialist Thales, and engine-builder Safran. MBDA will supply the missiles.

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Khalid Al-Attiah, signed the final memorandum of understanding.”.

The signing of the contract culminated the deal originally announced in 2015. The next deal to be completed is the long-delayed Indian contract. The exact timing however remained uncertain at this moment in time.

It is must be noted that the countries which had signed or confirmed for the Rafale are current or former users of Dassault fighter jets.

— Malaysian Defence