BREAKING: France says the United Arab Emirates has purchased 80 French-made Rafale warplanes for 16 billion euros.
FILE - France's President Emmanuel Macron, left, shakes hand with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan, prior to a meeting, at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, Wednesday, June 21, 2017. Still reeling from the recent submarine deal rapture by Western allies, French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting the energy-rich Arab countries of the Persian Gulf on Friday Dec.
Manufacturer Dassault Aviation said the UAE is buying the upgraded F4 version of its multi-role combat aircraft. That will make the Emirates Air Force the first user outside of France of the Rafale F4, it said. France has deep ties to the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, particularly since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The UAE opened a French naval base in 2009 at Abu Dhabi’s Port Zayed. French warplanes and personnel are also stationed at Al-Dhafra Air Base, a major facility outside the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi that’s also home to several thousand American troops.
The UAE and France have also become increasingly aligned over a shared mistrust of Islamist political parties across the Middle East, and backed the same side in Libya’s civil strife.
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