Airbus sells H225M Caracal helicopters in the Middle East

By TOC

PARIS, ($1=0.89 Euros) – The United Arab Emirates signed a contract for the procurement of twelve H225M Caracal helicopters from Airbus Helicopters, learned BulgarianMilitary.com, citing FlugRevue. Defense Minister Florence Parly welcomed the mandate, which was signed during the visit of the French President.

Airbus sells H225M Caracal helicopters in the Middle East
Photo credit: Airbus

This contract is part of the strategic partnership between France and the United Arab Emirates. “It is a vote of confidence in European industry,” said Florence Parly. The export of armaments is part of the French defense and security policy.

Meanwhile, the Saudi civilian The Helicopter Company [THC] ordered twenty H145s with five-blade rotors and six ACH160s.

THC, which began operating in 2019, was founded by the Saudi Public Investment Fund as part of its strategy to establish new industrial sectors in Saudi Arabia that will support the vision of 2030 and generate long-term economic returns while meeting the growing demand for luxury tourism and satisfy air transport services.

THC has already signed an agreement to purchase ten Airbus H125 helicopters to improve access to domestic tourist destinations and provide services such as filming and aerial surveys. With the addition of the H145 and H160 to the fleet, THC is now expanding its services.

The purchase agreement is part of THC’s ongoing strategic regional alliances with industry leaders, including a recent partnership with The Red Sea Development Company [TRSDC], the developer of the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism project.

UAE buys 80 Rafale F4 fighters

As we reported on December 3, 2021, France and the United Arab Emirates signed a contract to supply 80 of the newest Rafale F4 fighters at once. This was reported by the press service of Dassault Aviation, which, however, did not disclose the cost of this contract and the delivery time of these aircraft. However, a source at BulgarianMilitary.com confirmed to the editorial office that the deal is worth $ 19 billion.

The French have only said that the contract with the UAE will load Dassault Aviation’s capacity for several years to come, and this product will require the involvement of more than 400 defense companies in France.

It should be noted that if this contract is successfully implemented, the United Arab Emirates will become the largest foreign operator of the Rafale fighter, although initially there was talk of supplying a maximum of 60 aircraft of this type. According to some estimates, France itself has up to 140 Rafale aircraft.

To date, Egypt has claimed the title of Rafal’s largest foreign operator, with 24 fighters of its kind and ordering another 30 such aircraft for a $ 5 billion loan in early May 2021.

It is also interesting that France has promised to sell the UAE the latest modification of this fighter – Rafale F4.

In March 2021, the French Air Force itself has just begun the transition to the Rafale F3R modification aircraft, the features of which Defense Express described in its publication.

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