Egypt To Buy Aerial Refueling Aircraft, Spy Satellite From France – Report

Airbus A330 MRTT, Paris-Orly Airport, 4 July 2019, By Olivier CABARET, Source: flickr.com/photos/48518396@N08/48196569261/

Egypt may soon announce a new deal with France which would include the purchase of aerial refueling aircraft and a spy satellite, La Tribune reported on May 6.

According to the French outlet, Cairo is planning to buy a spy satellite from defense giant Airbus along with two A330 MRTT [Multi Role Tanker Transport] tankers. The deal’s cost is estimated at around 1,4 billion Euros.

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Sources familiar with the matter told La Tribune that the purchase of the satellite and the tankers will be a part of a 5,4 billion package financed by French banks.

Around 4 billion from the same package will be used to finance Egypt’s purchase of 30 Rafale warplanes from France’s Dassault Aviation. The deal was officially announced earlier this week by both Egypt and France.

The Egyptian military bought billions-worth of French military hardware in the last few years. One of the recent deals included the purchase of four Ground Master 400 mobile early warning radar systems.

The fully digital active electronically scanned array 3D radar, made in France by ThalesRaytheonSystems, has a range of up to 470 kilometers.

Egypt has been working to diversify its weapon purchases since the outcast of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. The political translation marked the end of Cairo’s special relations with the US, which used to be the main supplier of the Egyptian military.

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