Deal for Russian helos a blow to France
Russian defense export agency Rosoboronexport is expected to announce a $2.2 billion order from Saudi Arabia for Mi-17 and Mi-35 military helicopters today
Russian defense export agency Rosoboronexport is expected to announce a $2.2 billion order from Saudi Arabia for Mi-17 and Mi-35 military helicopters today.
The deal translates into another of a humiliating series of lost contracts for the French defense industry, which now appears certain to undergo a re-evaluation of its export policy.
The loss for Eurocopter comes on the heels of a recent setback for Thales in the same country. The Paris-based company had been for more than 10 years negotiating with the Saudis over Miksa, a multibillion-dollar border security project, without competition. Thales officials suffered their own version of shock and awe when they saw the Saudis launch an international tender last year.
