At Egypt Defense Expo (EDEX) 2023, Safran Aircraft Engines and the Egyptian Air Force announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the company’s new EngineLife® services solution. According to the terms of the agreement, this MoU will cover through-life support (TLS) for the M88 engines powering Egypt’s current fleet of 24 Rafale on a by-the-hour basis with guaranteed levels of availability.
Designed for armed forces operating the M88-powered Dassault Aviation Rafale, EngineLife® maximizes engine availability and reduces the cost of ownership through a set of services tailored to each customer. This includes the secondment of specialized personnel to support on-site mechanics and optimize maintenance operations; technical support by dedicated teams to optimize engine potential; and management of all logistics flows between Safran Aircraft Engines and the customer.
By sharing maintenance tasks between Safran Aircraft Engines and the user, this service offering will enable the Egyptian Air Force’s local on-base mechanics to benefit from the engine manufacturer’s experience in TLS, thereby strengthening their skills. It also allows M88 operators to optimize fleet availability and better control operating costs.
“We’re honored to sign this MoU with the Egyptian Air Force as part of the launch of our new EngineLife® offering,” said Christophe Bruneau, Vice President, Military Engines at Safran Aircraft Engines. “Egypt is a long-standing customer for Safran Aircraft Engines. In 2015, it was the first export customer to put its trust in the Rafale powered by our M88 engines. Following the successful service entry of the M88 with Egypt’s Rafale fleet, we’re now stepping up our support arrangements to ensure our customer has the highest levels of engine availability for its flight operations.”
“Safran Aircraft Engines has been a key partner supporting the Egyptian Air Force’s success for many years,” said Air Marshal Mahmoud Fouad Abdel-Gawad. “We’re delighted to be strengthening our long-term partnership with the company through this MoU and look forward to seeing the benefits of EngineLife® for our fleet availability.”
Egypt placed an initial order for 24 Rafale aircraft in 2015 for an original value of $5.2–6bn. The deal initially included the sale of eight Rafale-EM variants and 16 Rafale-DM variants.
By 2019, Dassault had completed the delivery of 24 Rafale fighter aircraft, and in May 2021, Egypt signed a follow-on order to acquire an additional 30 Rafale airframes, bringing the total number of Rafale ordered to 54 airframes. The new follow-on order for an additional 30 Rafale airframes is anticipated to cost $8.7bn and to be delivered by 2026. In 2021, Dassault Aviation’s contract to supply 30 additional Rafales was activated. According to Dassault Aviation, the contract sets a new milestone in the strategic partnership between Egypt and France, and strengthens the historical ties forged with Dassault Aviation for nearly fifty years.
Egyptian Rafales have been armed with MICA air-to-air missiles, HAMMER stand-off weapons, Al Tariq guided munitions, and SCALP cruise missiles.
Earlier this year, the Egyptian Air Force (EAF) Rafale fleet became the first export customer to reach 10,000 flying hours on the type, having flown the Rafale since 2015.
