Due to EU sanctions against Russia, France refused to deliver two Mistral helicopter carriers in 2014 and refunded the advance payments of 1.1 billion euros to Moscow. But what to do with the ships?
The motto was to sell as quickly as possible, and in mid-October Egypt’s head of state al-Sisi struck a bargain price of 950 million euros. Even before that, al-Sisi had proven to be a fan of French armaments: In February, he ordered 24 Rafále fighter jets and a French Fremm stealth frigate, and in August 2014, the purchase of four Godwind patrol corvettes was agreed. The total volume of the deals is likely to be more than eight billion euros, making Cairo France’s largest ever arms customer.
