"This is the biggest contract in our history" welcomes Emmanuel Macron on this record sale of the Rafale combat aircraft, the flagship of the French military industry built by Dassault Aviation.
The sale of these 80 aircraft amounts to more than 17 billion euros according to the Elysee, the contract of the century for Dassault.
Read alsoA French judge responsible for investigating the sale of Rafale to India in 2016
The Rafale entered service in 2004. It has been sold to Egypt, Qatar, India, Greece and Croatia. This new contract strengthens cooperation between France and the United Arab Emirates. "This is a major achievement of the strategic partnership between the two countries", welcomed the President of the Republic while the CEO of Dassault Aviation, Eric Trapper, hailed "a French success".
In France, several political actors have criticized this announcement: "France shames us when it arms authoritarian regimes which despise human rights and whose wealth has been built on fossil fuels", notably tweeted Yannick Jadot, the candidate. in the presidential election of Europe Ecology the Greens.
According to some NGOs, such as Amnesty International, these weapons have been used in the conflict in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and its allies are suspected of war crimes.
