Dassault in $7-bn Rafale fighter deal with Qatar

French aircraft giant Dassault Aviation is signing a deal with the State of Qatar to supply 24 Rafale fighter jets, which is expected to boost the military might of the Gulf nation in the volatile Middle East region.

The deal worth about $7 billion (€6.3 billion) is set to be signed on 4 May in Doha in the presence of French president Francois Hollande.

Hollande and the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has confirmed Wednesday that Qatar will acquire 24 Rafales, the French president's office said. The Emir had given his initial nod for the deal a fortnight ago during the French defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian's visit to Doha.

The deal also includes MBDA missiles, the training of 36 pilots and about 100 mechanics, according to the French defence ministry.

For Dassault, this is the third contract this year after years of unrelenting efforts to sell its advanced twin-engine fighter jets abroad.

In February, the company agreed to sell 24 Rafales to Egypt for €5.2 billion, while India announced the purchase of 36 aircraft earlier this month. (See: IAF to induct 36 Rafale jets in two years: Parrikar)

A bigger $25-billion deal for 126 air craft signed by India's previous UPA government would have to be renegotiated, the defence minister Manohar Parrikar said a fortnight ago. (See: Rafale deal to be renegotiated at govt level: Parrikar)

Expressing his delight over the deal Eric Trappier, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation said in a statement, ''This new success for the French team demonstrates the Rafale's operational qualities and confirms the confidence that countries, that are already users of the Mirage 2000, have in our company.''

Qatar has long been a customer of Dassault with its Mirage F1, Alpha Jet and the Mirage 2000 and the present deal underpins the historic relationship between the two.

According to Flightglobal's database, the gulf nation has an active inventory of 13 Mirage 2000s and six Alpha Jets.

Paris headquartered Dassault is a maker of military and civil aircraft with expertise in the design, development, sale and support of all types of aircraft, ranging from the Rafale fighter to Falcon family of business jets and military drones.

The company has nearly 11,600 employees and posted sales of €3.7 billion in 2014.

According to a French foreign affairs ministry official, the UAE and Malaysia are also interested in Rafale fighter jets.

Including the latest deal, Dassault has an order for 84 Rafales, coming closer to BAE-led consortium's Eurofighter Typhoon, which has an order book of 99 fighter jets.

The first delivery of the Rafale fighter is due in 2017, French news paper La Monde said.

Qatar has already established a new flight-training academy and chosen the Airbus A330 tanker to meet aerial refueling requirements.