The Egyptian Air Force (EAF) has received three more Rafale fighters from Dassault Aviation as it gets closer to completing an order for 30 new Rafale F3Rs.
Photos appeared online on 26 November showing three single-seat Egyptian variants (EM12, EM13, and EM14) taxiing at Dassault Aviation’s Merignac facility ahead of delivery to Egypt.
In early October, a batch of three Rafales – two single-seaters (EM10 and EM11) and a two-seater (DM21) – were ferried to Gebel El Basur Air Base after test flights in France, joining the 203rd Tactical Fighter Wing and its 34th and 36th Tactical Fighter Squadrons.
In November 2021 Egypt ordered 30 new Rafale F3Rs in a roughly €3.75 billion deal. Deliveries began in late 2024 starting with EM09 (first seen in October last year), and are set to conclude by next year, at which time Egypt will have 54 Rafales in service (an additional aircraft was added to replace an airframe that was lost in a crash). To date, 41 Rafales have now been delivered from France, including 24 from the first contract signed in 2015 (for eight single-seaters and 16 two-seaters, which had been delivered by 2017).
The Rafale F3R model is equipped as standard with the Thales RBE2 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar; SPECTRA electronic self-protection system; infrared search and track sensor (IRST); helmet visor compatibility; and advanced mission management software. The aircraft can use target acquisition and designation pods such as the Thales Talios.
It is likely the Egyptian Rafales will be fitted with AASM-1000 Hammer guided bombs and NARANG in-flight refuelling pods – the F3R can also carry MBDA Meteor and MICAR air-to-air missiles, SCALP/Storm Shadow cruise missiles, GBU-series of guided bombs, and Exocet anti-ship missiles. A 30 mm cannon is also fitted internally.
Since entering Egyptian service, Rafales have been used operationally in Libya, and had reached 10 000 flying hours by March 2023.
Some Rafale components are manufactured locally in Egypt by the Arab Organisation for Industrialisation (AOI). During the EDEX defence exhibition in Cairo this week, a new contract was signed between AOI and Dassault to strengthen their partnership.
Major General Engineer Mokhtar Abdellatif, Chairman of AOI, said cooperation is strong in the areas of manufacturing certain components of Dassault products in accordance with international quality standards through AOI’s engine factory.
Annelise Dallut, General Manager of Dassault Aviation in Egypt, said the advanced manufacturing capabilities of the Arab Organisation for Industrialisation can serve as an industrial hub for increasing Dassault’s exports to Arab and African countries. She added that Dassault has strict requirements for quality, operation, and production, which are met at the Arab Organisation for Industrialisation’s engine factory.
At IDEX 2025, AOI displayed engine components and parts from the Rafale’s wing. The Egyptian company is also understood to manufacture components for Dassault’s Falcon business jets.
