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Rafale - United Arab Emirates

A doctored social media video – falsely attributed to Al Jazeera – alleged that the UAE froze a $17 billion contract with France for Rafale fighter jets in retaliation for its citizen's arrest, putting the close military ties between the two countries at stake. Analysts were closely monitoring the situation for any further developments, particularly as this decision may affect other nations considering similar deals with France. It has been determined that the #Russian intelligence was behind the fake news. They even created a fake Al-Jazeera report to make it more.

The disinformation campaign began around 8:00 PM Moscow time 28 August 2024 with a leak on certain dubious Telegram channels. The publishers are not known for maintaining information hygiene, often spreading unverified fakes (that are sent to them by their followers) for the sake of hype and subscribers. The portal http://Avia.pro, cited by several Russian media outlets, published the news at 20:48, also without any reference to the original source. (Simply because there wasn't one). Andrew Korybko wrote :" If I knew it was connected to Avia Pro then I’d have never given it any credence since that’s an infamous fake news factory from the good ‘ole Syrian days! They’ve pushed tons of fakes about Russia allegedly plotting to shoot down attacking Israeli jets and even bomb Israel!"

Amir Tsarfati wrote "The United Arab Emirates has completely FROZEN the implementation of a contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France following the arrest of Pavel Durov!" Kim Dotcom wrote on X: “The French Govt just lost $17 billion over the arrest of Pavel Durov. The UAE froze a deal to purchase 80 Rafale fighter jets and says that the arrest of Pavel Durov is outrageous. Pavel is a citizen of the UAE and a close friend of Deputy Prime Minister Hamdan Al Maktoum.” From there, the fake started seeping into Twitter (X). The news was picked up by opposition opinion leaders (and even politicians!) in the US and Europe. Considering how rapidly it spread across credible public channels and being picked up by conservative opinion leaders who don't bother with verification, relying on each other, it's a blatant setup that damages right-wing and opposition thinkers.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) was reported to have unexpectedly canceled its US$20 billion agreement with France for the purchase of 80 Rafale fighter jets, a decision that has sent shockwaves through the global defense industry. The cancellation followed the brief detention of Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, by French authorities—an incident that has strained diplomatic relations between the UAE and France, despite Durov’s subsequent release on bail.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov was arrested on 24 August 2024 regarding 12 alleged criminal activities involving his widely recognized Telegram application, Durov was born in Russia, yet he spent much of his formative years in Italy. He holds citizenship in the United Arab Emirates, France, Russia, and the Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

The arrest of Telegram founder and owner Pavel Durov triggered a spate of conspiracy theories and disinformation campaigns on the internet. Amid the prevailing confusion in the wake of the high-profile arrest, which had allegedly ruffled some feathers in the UAE due to Durov’s Emirati citizenship, a doctored video surfaced on social media. The doctored social media video—falsely linked to Al Jazeera—claimed that the UAE had decided to cancel its deal with France for 80 Rafale fighter jets. The report stated that the decision was based on a diplomatic fallout between the two countries following Durov’s arrest. Additionally, media reports added that, in light of Durov’s detention, military-technical cooperation between the Emirati Kingdom and France could totally cease. The report also asserted that the UAE had requested consular access to Durov.

France had viewed the Rafale deal as a cornerstone for boosting its defense industry, with significant implications for both economic growth and international standing. The suposed freezing of this contract represents a major setback for French President Emmanuel Macron, who had championed the deal as a symbol of France's strategic partnership with the UAE. The decision also seemed to deliver a blow to Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of the Rafale jets, which now faced uncertainty regarding future orders. The UAE’s claimed cancellation of the deal is seen as a clear message that geopolitical tensions can rapidly influence major business agreements.

The United Arab Emirates agreed to buy 80 French-made Rafale fighter jets in a deal worth 16 billion euros (Dh66 billion), the biggest international order ever made for the warplanes, officials said on 03 December 2021 during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron. The French presidency said in a statement "This is an outcome of the strategic partnership between the two countries, consolidating their capacity to act together for their autonomy and security". The Rafale order is the biggest made internationally for the aircraft since it entered into service in 2004. The agreement was signed by Dassault Aviation director-general Eric Trapier as Macron held talks with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed on the first day of a visit to the Gulf. The fighter jets manufactured by Dassault Aviation will be delivered to the UAE between 2026 and 2031. The UAE will be the first user of the Rafale F4 outside France.

The UAE Air Force and Air defence had been operating MIRAGE 2000 for many years and had contracted with Dassault Aviation for the delivery of 30 new MIRAGE 2000-9 aircraft and for the modernisation of its existing fleet of 33 MIRAGE 2000 up to the latest-9 standard. The UAE will be the first 2000-9 operator following its $2-billion order for the aircraft. Delivery of the new 2000-9s was scheduled for late 2001.

In June 2008, the UAE said it was "seriously considering" the possibility that the Rafale could enter service in about 2013. By early 2010 it was reported that the United Arab Emirates and France were discussing the joint development of a more capable, new-generation Dassault Rafale strike fighter. The jets would replace the Mirage 2000-9s bought from France in 1998. The discussions had moved forward from buying the Rafale to co-developing the next-generation Rafale. The prospective new model would meet UAE requirements, and would be a big boost for the twin-engine fighter jet. Dassault Aviation had entered the Rafale in bidding for contracts in Brazil and India, and had offered it to Kuwait and Libya, but as of early 2011 failed to find foreign customers. The main upgrades for the UAE were an active electronically scanned array radar, frontal sector optronics and an electronic warfare suite, systems supplied by Thales, and a 9-ton-thrust M88 engine, up-rated from the 7.5-ton engine that powers the French Air Force and Navy Rafales.

One report suggested that Paris had agreed to buy back the Mirage 2000-9s for service with the French Air Force, putting its own Mirage 2000-5s on the secondhand market and retiring the Mirage 2000N nuclear strike variant. The consortium of French aerospace companies hoping to sell as many as 60 Rafale fighter jets to the UAE offered to set up facilities to make the aircraft in Abu Dhabi.

As of 2011 Dassault was still looking for customers to buy the Mirage 2000-9 aircraft that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) intended to replace with Rafales, Chief Executive Charles Edelstenne said March 19, 2009. A first delivery of the Rafale to the UAE would not be before 2012; and the UAE Air Force would probably need about three year's time to train aircrews on the new aircraft. "We have time to prospect," he said. DGA Chief Executive Laurent Collet-Billon said March 17, 2009 that the French Air Force would not be taking the Mirage 2000-9s from the UAE.

In September 2011, it was widely predicted that Rafale’s selection would be announced at the Dubai Airshow. But the UAE said in November 2011 that the offer for Rafales from France's Dassault Aviation was uncompetitive and opened up the tender to competition. The UAE has pressed for the aircraft's engines to be upgraded with extra thrust and for better radar.

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed was quoted by the UAE’s official news agency WAM in N0vmber 2011 : “Thanks to French President Sarkozy, France could not have done more diplomatically or politically to secure the Rafale deal. Bilateral relations have never been stronger and his constant personal intervention in this process has sustained Dassault at the forefront of our considerations. Regrettably Dassault seems unaware that all the diplomatic and political will in the world cannot overcome uncompetitive and unworkable commercial terms.”

Qatar and Kuwait were considering buying French Rafale fighter jets, but were waiting to see whether the United Arab Emirates would make a purchase first. French defence minister Gerard Longuet said 09 January 2012 that "They are in effect interested but they won't know for sure until the first one jumps in." The UAE was in talks with France to buy 60 Rafales. Industry experts have estimated that Kuwait needed 18-22 new fighter jets and that Qatar needed 24.

France could seal a long-awaited deal for Dassault to sell at least 60 Rafale fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates by April, turning around what appeared to have been a lost cause, French newspaper La Tribune reported in February 2012.

By early 2015 the United Arab Emirates had restarted talks on ordering the Dassault Rafale, with a planned major upgrade of the fighter jet in contrast to the off-the-shelf deals for Egypt and India. France had been in talks for more than five years on a sale of 60 Rafales, with the UAE requiring a more capable fighter with an extensive weapons suite. The Rafale would replace the fleet of Mirage 2000-9s.

UAE was looking at upgrades of the systems and engine of the Rafale. These might include active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, frontal sector optronic and an electronic warfare suite, systems supplied by Thales. A 9-ton-thrust M88 engine would be uprated from the 7.5-ton engine that powers the French Air Force and Navy fighters.

By November 2015 the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was said to be in the final stages of negotiations to buy French Rafale fighter jets. Separately, Abu Dhabi [one ofthe UAE Emirates], which was looking to purchase 60 fighters worth an estimated $10 billion, was studying the Dassault-built Rafale after rejecting the four-nation Eurofighter.

By November 2021 negotiations with Abu Dhabi were reportedly "very advanced" for the order of the French combat aircraft, most likely to the F4 standard, the version planned for the Air Force by 2025. If negotiations continue to advance at this rate, it could not be announced before the end of the year. The next tour of Emmanuel Macron in the Gulf, the last of his five-year term, was due to visit Abu Dhabi on December 2, followed by a trip to Doha (Qatar) and then to Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) on December 3 and 4.