Defence Sales Bonanza For France With US$55 Billion Deals In 2016

France has signed more than US$55 billion in large defence deals this year making one of the most lucrative periods in the country’s history of defence exports.

State owned firm DCNS today signed US$ 37 billion contract with Australian government in industrial town of Adelaide for 12 diesel-electric submarines. Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and France’s Minister of Defense, Jean-Yves Le Drian, inked the inter-governmental accord with the French shipbuilder DCNS to design and build Shortfin Barracudas submarines.

Similarly, during September, India and France have inked $US 8.7 billion deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighters. French Defense Minister Jean Yves Drain and his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar signed the deal. Heavily customized for India, the fighters would get 14 India-specific enhancements.

In April, several agreements with a combined worth of more than 2 billion euros were also signed between French companies and the Egypt.

The French government had confirmed that the contracts had been signed for the French companies Airbus Space Systems and Thales Alenia Space to build a military telecommunications satellite for Egypt's defense ministry.

"After discussions between French and Egyptian presidents and between the Ministers of Defense, the contract on a communication satellite with Egypt is signed," the Elysee Palace announced.

France also signed a $7.5 billion contract with Qatar for 24 Dassault Rafale fighters on the first day of the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX), held from March 29-31 2016.

The agreement included an order for 24 Rafale fighter jets, with an option on a further 12 and training of 36 Qatari pilots and technicians by the French military.

However, the good times for France started rolling in 2015 with Egypt signing deal for the two helicopter carriers. On 10 October 2015, DCNS signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence, Egypt for the supply of two Mistral-class Landing Helicopter Dock vessels (LHDs).

In February 2015, France has closed a EUR 5.2 billion ($5.9 billion) contract for the sale of 24 Rafale fighter jets to Egypt, in what is the first foreign order of the French-built warplanes

Cairo signed in 2014 a EUR 1 Billion contract with DCNS for the procurement of four GOWIND 25000 corvettes.