Of the 60 aircraft in service with the Emirati Air Force, Abu Dhabi could, from 2027, sell half of its Mirage 2000-9E fleet to Rabat in return for the first Rafale F4 deliveries from Paris. An option judged four years ago as unlikely, which is now awaiting the green light from France
Far from being recorded in April, the transfer of 30 Mirage 2000-9E combat aircraft by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the Royal Air Forces (FRA) could be approved shortly, Emirati sources assure.
“This affair has been at the forefront since the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, to France last April,” they add.
This decision further strengthens military cooperation and diplomatic and economic relations between Rabat and Paris, continue the same sources relayed by Middle Eastern media. However, the transfer can only take place upon receipt by the Emirates of their first Rafale F4, scheduled for 2027.
As a reminder, the Mirage 2000-9 can be considered as a multi-mission combat aircraft, with its RBY-2 radar and its capacity to carry the Shehan laser designation pod [une variante du pod Damoclès]MICA air-to-air missiles, guided bombs, and the Black Shaheen cruise missile, which is none other than the “export” version of the SCALP-EG.
These devices could complement the FAR’s twenty Mirage F1s, upgraded to the ASTRAC standard between 2006 and 2011, with the integration of common equipment with the Mirage 2000-5, including the RDY-3 radar.
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