In October 2023, unable to procure 48 additional Eurofighter Typhoon / EF-2000 combat aircraft due to a German veto and despite its participation in the “Global Combat Air Program” project. [GCAP] led by the United Kingdom in collaboration with Italy and Japan aroused reluctance in Tokyo, Saudi Arabia sent a request for a “costed proposal” to Dassault Aviation with a view to possibly acquiring 54 Rafale F4 fighter-bombers.
We could then think that it was a maneuver to “unblock” the Typhoon file or to obtain concessions from the American administration, whose relations with the Saudi authorities were then very fresh. But it was nothing of the sort.
Indeed, exchanges between Riyadh and Paris then increased, to the point that the Saudi Ministry of Defense mentioned, last August, “promising cooperation opportunities in the field of military industry”, in particular with Dassault Aviation. .
That being said, the “competition” will not take long to react. In January, Germany announced that it would lift its restrictions on arms sales to Saudi Arabia, in order to relaunch discussions on the 48 Typhoons, led by the United Kingdom. Then, in August, the American administration indicated that it was preparing to do the same, with the objective of selling F-15 EX [ou Eagle II] to the Royal Saudi Air Force [RSAF].
Finally, last week, while President Macron was expected in Riyadh, the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, affirmed that the cooperation established around the GCAP could be extended to Saudi Arabia.
However, the Rafale still has every chance, even if no contract was expected during Mr. Macron's visit to Saudi Arabia. According to a source close to the matter, cited by AFP, the objective was “to achieve a decision in this direction”. Which, a priori, was the case.
“In terms of security and defense, we have very clearly improved things […] with the desire to move forward on the Rafale, which is a major change in the bilateral relationship and which for us also consolidates the development of this club,” Mr. Macron declared to the press on December 3 in Riyadh. . In addition, France and Saudi Arabia “have made progress on everything naval, air defense, satellites” and “expected contracts have been signed,” he added, without providing further details.
As a reminder, the “Rafale club” brings together the countries which have acquired the fighter-bomber from Dassault Aviation or which are about to do so, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, India and even the Greece.
However, as Sébastien Lecornu, the Minister of the Armed Forces, suggested during the presentation of the Military Programming Law 2024-30 to the Senate in June 2023, it is not excluded to involve the member countries of this club in the development of the Rafale F5 standard. In October, La Tribune reported “informal discussions” with the United Arab Emirates around “joint financing”, which, incidentally, would resolve the question of investments necessary for the development of the new M- reactor. 88 T-REX. Will Saudi Arabia follow?
