Dassault CEO says to raise Rafale production

Dassault Aviation Chief Executive Eric Trappier was quoted as saying by Reuters on Monday that he had made a decision to raise Rafale production in anticipation of further export orders for the fighter jet.

The trio of aircraft – all Rafale Bs – have been diverted from delivery to the French air force.

Egyptian authorities took charge of the planes at an air base in southern France, and they will be flown to Cairo by specially trained pilots on Tuesday.

The fighter jets are set to be used in securing the inauguration on August 6 of the 72 kilometere-long new canal being dug parallel to the Suez Canal, the military source said. After the Mirage 5, the Alpha Jet and the Mirage 2000, the Rafale is the fourth Dassault aircraft to fly in Egyptian colors, and Egypt is the first export customer for the Rafale, as it was for the Mirage 2000.

“The Rafale will tremendously increase the defense capacity of Egypt in our struggle against terrorism”, said Ehab Badawi, the Egyptian Ambassador to France. We are very pleased with this partnership, which over time has shown its solidity and ensured the durability of the historical links between our two countries.

Following the announcement of the deal in February, rights group Amnesty global criticized the sale of the jets and the frigate to a country like Egypt, which it accused of serious human rights violations.

More than 1,400 people have reportedly lost their lives and 16,000 others have been detained in the crackdown ever since Egypt’s first democratically-elected President Mohamed Morsi was overthrown by then head of the armed forces and current President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in July 2013.

Egyptian pilots, trained by the French Air Force, will fly the first three aircraft to Cairo.