The United Arab Emirates' military has told France about its requirements for the Rafale fighter plane, the state news agency WAM has reported, as talks continue on the aircraft's possible first overseas sale.
'The Government of France has received the technical and operational specifications required in the French Rafale jet fighter from the UAE Armed Forces in the framework of the ongoing negotiations between the governments of the UAE and France,' WAM said in a brief report on Friday.
'The date of the signing the deal, which could be one of the most important export contracts of the aircraft so far, is to be set based on the results of the financial negotiations,' the agency said, without giving further details.
France's Dassault Aviation has been in talks with the UAE over the possible order for its Rafale plane, which would be the first sale of the aircraft to a foreign buyer.
Newspaper Le Parisien said in May that France was finalising the sale of 60 Rafale planes in a deal worth 6-8 billion euros ($8-11 billion). Dassault declined to confirm the figures and said an agreement may be reached this year.-Reuters