Aircraft
Eurofighter, Rafale or Neither for UAE?
Has the Eurofighter Typhoon really unseated Dassault’s Rafale as the UAE Air Force’s fighter-of-choice for a 60-plane order?
French air force commander Jean-Paul Palomeros said the Dassault Rafale still has a good chance in the UAE fighter jet competition.
French air force commander Jean-Paul Palomeros said the Dassault Rafale still has a good chance in the UAE fighter jet competition.

Has the Eurofighter Typhoon really unseated Dassault’s Rafale as the UAE Air Force’s fighter-of-choice for a 60-plane order? After last week’s leak that the Typhoon team has received a surprise request for proposal (RFP) that would effectively re-open the contest, the French have maintained a certain insouciance after their top brass met the Emirati hierarchy here at the Dubai Air Show on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Americans know nothing about a formal RFP being issued, leaving observers to speculate that the two-page request for the Typhoon issued to the UK last week will serve only as a stalking horse, as negotiations for the Rafale continue, or even conclude successfully.