| Kippreport.com

“Getting information on different systems is fine,” General Jean-Paul Palomeros said on Sunday on the sidelines of the Dubai Air Show. “I know that the Emirates air force is very keen with Rafale, that’s for sure because they told me that they like the aircraft, they know how operational it is.”

The European arms consortium Eurofighter briefed UAE officials last month on the Typhooncombat jet, in a surprise overture likely to disappoint France as it tries to finalise a sale of Dassault’s Rafale at the Dubai Air Show this week.

In 2010, the UAE was reported to have requested technical details on Boeing F/A-18 war plane as well.

France is struggling to secure a foreign buyer for the aircraft, which is more developed than fourth generation combat aircraft but lags behind fifth generation multi-role fighters such as Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II.

The UAE has pressed for the aircraft’s engines to be upgraded with extra thrust and for better radar, industry sources have said, but Palomeros said UAE officials are satisfied with the plane.

“In terms of operational requirements, our friends in the Emirates air force are very happy,” Palomeros said.
He said the Rafale was the first aircraft to engage in NATO operations in Libya that helped topple Muammar Gaddafi.

Experts following the deal said that it was possible that the two countries are trapped in a bargaining loop.
French officials have made several positive statements about the prospects of signing a deal, but UAE officials have remained tight-lipped.

But the UAE’s former air force chief, Major General Khaled al-Buainnain, said he believed the current discussions were more about the cost of the aircraft rather than technical details.

“There’s no required enhancements,” al-Buainnain said on Saturday. “The UAE has always special requirements. I think the enhancement issue is over, the issue is now financial and contractual. This is a massive project that needs deliberate study.”

General Faouzi Abou Farhat, a former senior official of Lebanon’s air force, said the Rafale was more expensive than similar warplanes available for sale such at the Typhoon and F-16.

“The issue is they can’t agree on a price,” he said.

The UAE said in 2008 it was in negotiations with France to buy at least 60 Rafale warplanes to replace its fleet of Mirage-2000-9 warplanes, in a deal that could be worth 10 billion euros, according to experts. (By Mahmoud Habboush)