As per news reports, the UAE is interested in a purchase of 60 Rafales with an agreement that France will help it to find a buyer for its 60 Mirage-2000-9s.
These are among the most modern Mirage-2000s around, and the history of the Mirage-2000-9 can be read here
Who might be the most likely buyer for these very capable machines ? Mirage-2000 operators such as India and Brazil are going through high-profile competitions for a new 4th generation fighter, so these Mirages will most likely not interest them. Smaller operators like Peru may not be able to afford such a large number of these Mirages, whereas Egypt is firmly in the F-16 camp now, with only a token amount of Mirages in service. Taiwan may be interested in purchasing these, since they’re desperately in need of new fighters and their request for 60 new F-16 C/D fighters is being ignored by the US Administrations..
Will Black Shaheen cruise missiles be sold alongwith these fighters, alongwith their stocks of Mica missiles, or will these be used on the future Rafale fleet ?
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June 23, 2009 at 9:56 pm