The catastrophe of the French fighter Rafale, which occurred in Egypt on the morning of January 29 during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Cairo, led to the fact that the Egyptian authorities are simply silent about the incident.
The Greek resource Ptisidiastima.com writes that the deceased pilot was one of the first to undergo retraining, necessary for piloting this aircraft, and he was considered the most experienced pilot in the Egyptian Air Force.
From January 27 to January 29, the President of the French Republic was in the capital of Egypt on an official visit. Among the issues discussed during the negotiations was the supply of 12 Rafale fighter jets.
The catastrophe will undoubtedly complicate negotiations on the acquisition of additional aircraft of this type for the needs of the Egyptian army. It should be noted that these negotiations are difficult.
What are the difficulties?
Delivery of fighters to Egypt has been discussed since November 2017, but for various reasons, the signing of documents is constantly postponed. Among the issues of concern was the question of crediting and the ban imposed by the United States on the delivery of the SCALP cruise missile to Egypt. The fact is, its structure includes elements produced in the USA, and this was the reason for the refusal.
Complicating the negotiations and the low reliability of the rescue pilot (catapult) "Rafal." After the accident occurred, there may be other questions. In particular, is this aircraft suitable for the needs of the Egyptian Air Force, if it requires such a painstaking treatment?
Recall: 02.16.2015, in Cairo, a package of documents was signed on the supply of French weapons to the Egyptian armed forces for a total of 5.2 billion euros. 50% of the amount will be financed by loans provided by French banks. The delivery of 16 double cars "Rafale DN" and 8 "Rafale EM" was provided. The cost of aviation equipment is equal to 3.6 billion euros.
The first batch of three double airplanes arrived in Egypt in July 2015. The following three - in January 2016. Three single-unit airplanes were delivered on April 4, 2017 and in 2018 the French side transferred nine aircraft. That is, it remains to put another fighter.
Egypt successfully tested the received equipment during an operation conducted against terrorists from the "Islamic State" (banned in Russia) operating in Libya.
Meanwhile
In 2015, the Egyptian Air Force ordered 52 MiG 29M2 fighter jets in the Russian Federation.
