France and UAE revive joint Rafale fighter jet program

France and the United Arab Emirates have resumed plans to jointly develop an upgraded Rafale fighter aircraft, following a breakdown in negotiations earlier this year. The renewed cooperation comes after a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Abu Dhabi, where he met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to deepen strategic defense ties.

The project, which aims to develop the Rafale F5 standard, follows the collapse of a similar joint development plan between France and Germany. The UAE is the largest purchaser of Dassault Aviation’s Rafale jets. While previous negotiations stalled due to disputes over access to sensitive military technologies, such as optoelectronics, a new intergovernmental agreement has been signed covering future fighter standards, industrial cooperation, and military technology development.

Financing remains a critical factor. The French 2027 budget draft allocates approximately 3 billion euros to the program, while total costs were previously estimated at around 5 billion euros. While the UAE had previously indicated a willingness to fund a significant portion of the project, specific details regarding the exact financial contributions and technology transfers under the new agreement have not yet been disclosed.