UAE and France resume plans to develop Rafale fighter jets

Officials said that France and the United Arab Emirates have revived plans for joint development of an updated version of the Rafale fighter jet, following stalled negotiations earlier this year, giving Paris a new opportunity to advance its flagship defense program.

The project, for which France allocated three billion euros in the draft of its 2027 budget, returned to the top of the agenda after France and Germany’s plans to jointly develop a next-generation fighter jet collapsed earlier this year.

French President Emmanuel Macron visited the region this week and agreed with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to strengthen a strategic defense agreement between the two countries.

Abu Dhabi considers Paris, which has military bases in the UAE, a particularly reliable partner during the current conflict in the Gulf, after Paris sent air defense systems to the country and shot down Iranian drones with its warplanes.

Macron told journalists on Wednesday, “This visit allowed us to strengthen defense relations with the UAE, where an important agreement was signed... to establish a joint strategy for the fifth generation of Rafale aircraft.”

Two sources familiar with the matter said that focus would now shift to the cost and technical details of the program during talks between the relevant industrial parties.

Before the project was halted earlier, the newspaper La Tribune reported in April last year that its costs amounted to five billion euros, with the UAE expected to fund about two-thirds of it.

While Macron pledged to accelerate rearmament in response to a more volatile security environment, officials are facing increasing scrutiny over how to fund long-term expensive programs, amid a large budget deficit and rising debt levels.

Budgetary pressures underscore the importance of the Rafale F5 program, also known as the F5 Standard, which aims to upgrade the fighter jet mid-life and is seen as the cornerstone of France’s future air combat capabilities.

This upgrade is expected to include the integration of new communication technologies and advanced weapons, ensuring the aircraft remains effective and relevant into the 2040s, while also serving as a bridge toward future European combat aviation projects.

Securing external partners and funding for the program alleviates pressure on the French defense budget while preserving vital industrial and technological capabilities.

Under the terms of any agreement, the UAE is likely to demand some technology transfer or local manufacturing of certain components on its territory.

Analysts say this has previously caused tensions with supplier countries and their defense industries, which have been reluctant to share strategic technical knowledge or transfer production abroad.

A senior French official said there is a strong commitment from Abu Dhabi to work with France currently, and that Dassault is working with the UAE-based EDGE Group, which specializes in defense.

Olivier Andries, CEO of Safran, which manufactures Rafale engines, said on Friday that the agreement was “very good news.”

In a phone call with journalists, he declined to specify which technologies or production transfers would be considered under the deal.

EDGE and Safran already collaborate in several areas, including defense electronics and smart weapons.