UAE and France Expand Rafale Arms Partnership

The United Arab Emirates and France signed an agreement to cooperate on the Dassault Rafale F5 standard during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Abu Dhabi. The deal deepens defence ties amid geopolitical uncertainty triggered by the Iran war.

The two countries also agreed on technical and financial specifications for industrial cooperation on future combat aviation. Their stated aims are strategic autonomy in defence and less dependence on third countries.

Defence industry ties

The UAE is working to localise defence manufacturing through Edge Group, a conglomerate of more than 35 companies. Founded in 2019, Edge develops technology for weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare. It has several industrial partnerships with French companies and recently signed a cooperation agreement with the French Defence Procurement Agency.

Macron visited an Edge industrial site. The Elysee Palace said the visit “reflects a shared commitment to strengthening industrial and technological co-operation and developing joint projects”. Edge played a key role in countering Iranian drones directed at the UAE during the war.

France’s Defence Ministry also signed an agreement with the UAE to improve interoperability between their armed forces, strengthen industrial resilience and advance cooperation in future-oriented technology, including artificial intelligence and space.

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 display high-tech weapons at the event.

Regional security agreements

After leaving Abu Dhabi, Macron travelled to Bahrain. 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. The UAE and Bahrain were among the Gulf countries France helped protect 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, energy and investment

The UAE and France signed preliminary agreements in energy, artificial intelligence and advanced technology to strengthen investment and economic ties. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Macron attended the signing in Abu Dhabi.

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. The agreements cover research, technological cooperation and the exploration of applications in several sectors. MBZUAI will focus on AI research and development with AMI Labs. G42 aims to establish a framework for strategic cooperation on cloud-computing infrastructure and AI models. Analog and AMI Labs will explore integrating AI models into robotics and physical AI applications, with the aim of developing intelligent systems and expanding their use in industrial and technology sectors.

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.