The Egyptian Air Force has just celebrated 10,000 flight hours for its 24 Rafale fighter jets currently in service. In 2015, Egypt became the first export customer for the Rafale, and in 2021, the second country to confirm a second order. With a total of 54 aircraft, the Rafale will become Egypt's second fighter aircraft, behind the F-16.
During the week of February 27, 2023, the Egyptian Air Force celebrated the 10,000 flight hours flown by its Rafale fighter jets. The ceremony was held at Gebel el Basur Air Base (Beheira, Egypt), with representatives from Dassault Aviation attending. This base hosts all of Egypt's Rafales, as part of the 203rd Tactical Combat Wing. This is an important milestone for a combat aircraft, even more so for an aircraft exported abroad: it confirms the quality of the equipment exported and used in real operations.
In 2015, Egypt ordered 24 Rafales and 1 FREMM frigate for €5.2 billion, becoming the first Rafale foreign customer. The 16 Rafale DM (two-seat version) and 8 Rafale EM (single-seat version) were delivered between 2015 and 2019. In 2021, Egypt became the second country after Qatar to place a second order for Rafales. The total value of this agreement was estimated at 3.75 billion euro for 30 Rafales. Thus, with 54 Rafales soon to be in service, the Rafale will become the Egyptian Air Force's second fighter aircraft, behind the 207 F-16 Fighting Falcons in service in 2022 (26 F-16A, 6 F-16B, 138 F-16C, 37 F-16D).
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