“It will happen. It's imminent,” the source close to the matter said, adding that it was not clear if the deal would be sealed “this week or next week”.
Two industrial sources have told Reuters that Cairo is looking to buy 24 Rafale jets, a Fremm naval frigate and MBDA missiles in a deal worth 5 billion to 6 billion Euros ($5.65-$6.78 billion).
The Rafale is a twin-engine, canard delta-wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation.
Equipped with a wide range of weapons, the Rafale is intended to perform air supremacy, interdiction, reconnaissance, and nuclear strike missions.
Introduced in 2001, the Rafale is being produced for both the French Air Force and for carrier-based operations in the French Navy.
While the Rafale has been marketed for export to several countries, it has only been selected for purchase by the Indian Air Force.
The Rafale has been used in combat over Afghanistan, Libya, Mali and Iraq. Several upgrades to the weapons and avionics of the Rafale are planned to be introduced by 2018.
Source: Reuters; Wikipedia
