UAE-France Rafale Pact Deepens Iran-Era Defence Ties

The United Arab Emirates and France agreed to deepen cooperation on the Dassault Rafale F5 as uncertainty from the Iran war draws the countries closer on defence. They signed the agreement during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Abu Dhabi, alongside accords on military interoperability, defence-industry resilience and advanced technology.

The UAE’s Edge Group played a key role in countering Iranian drones directed at the country during the war, according to the article. Macron visited an Edge industrial site during his trip. The agreements add industrial and technological cooperation to a relationship shaped by regional security threats.

Defence cooperation and resilience

The Rafale F5 agreement covers cooperation within the French and Emirati Rafale programmes. Other agreements set technical and financial specifications for industrial cooperation on future combat aviation, strategic autonomy in defence and reducing dependence on third countries.

The French Defence Ministry and the UAE also signed an agreement to improve interoperability between their armed forces, strengthen industrial resilience and advance cooperation in future-oriented technology, including artificial intelligence and space. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Macron attended the signing in Abu Dhabi.

Edge has more than 35 companies and sits at the centre of the UAE’s effort to localise defence manufacturing. Established in 2019, it develops advanced technology for weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare. The group has several industrial partnerships with French companies and recently signed a cooperation agreement with the French Defence Procurement Agency.

Macron’s visit “reflects a shared commitment to strengthening industrial and technological co-operation and developing joint projects”, the Elysee Palace said in a statement. The article links the agreement to uncertainty triggered by the Iran war and cites Edge’s role in countering Iranian drones directed at the UAE during the conflict.

Gulf security ties

Abu Dhabi is preparing to host the International Defence Exhibition and Conference, or Idex, in January. Hundreds of defence companies from around the world are expected to attend and display high-tech weapons.

Macron travelled from Abu Dhabi to Bahrain. There, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Bahrain’s counterpart, Abdullatif Al Zayani, agreed to strengthen cooperation on the “peaceful uses of nuclear energy”, the French government said. France and Bahrain signed a defence cooperation agreement in February, during a visit to Paris by Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa.

France helped protect the UAE and Bahrain, among other Gulf countries, with air-defence and anti-drone assets during Iranian attacks this year. France also worked closely with Bahrain at the UN Security Council to seek a diplomatic solution to Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Technology and economic agreements

The UAE and France signed preliminary agreements in energy, artificial intelligence and advanced technology to strengthen investment and economic ties. France’s AI start-up AMI Labs signed three agreements with Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), Abu Dhabi’s G42 and computing company Analog.

MBZUAI will focus on AI research and development with AMI Labs. G42 aims to establish a framework for strategic cooperation in cloud-computing infrastructure and AI models. Analog and AMI Labs will explore integrating AI models into robotics and physical AI applications, aiming to develop intelligent systems and expand their use in industrial and technology sectors, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office.

In energy, Adnoc Gas and Schneider Electric signed an initial pact to assess advanced technologies and identify ways to improve operational efficiency and energy-system performance. Adnoc Refining and Technip Energies signed two contracts covering a refining-capacity enhancement project and a sustainable aviation-fuel project.

At the UAE-France Business Dialogue at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled said bilateral cooperation was essential “for ensuring reliable energy supplies and building resilience supply chains amid changes in the global economy.” More than 600 French businesses operate in the UAE, and France exports $4 billion worth of goods annually to the UAE, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.