Saudi Arabia is considering the purchase of 54 Rafale fighter jets from French manufacturer Dassault Aviation SA, according to a report in La Tribune.
The Gulf state has asked the company to submit a proposal for a potential deal by Nov. 10, the newspaper said, citing people it didn’t identify. The country has never before ordered French military planes.
Dassault Aviation is treading carefully around the potential sale because of the Royal Saudi Air Force’s historic reliance on F-15 jets made by Boeing and Eurofighter planes from BAE Systems Plc and its German partners, La Tribune said.
Saudi Arabia has been the top export customer for the Eurofighter in the past, but Germany suspended approvals for weapons sales to the oil-rich state after the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at its consulate in Istanbul. They had been in talks for an order for 48 jets.
Dassault Aviation has seen a blitz of export orders for Rafales in recent years.
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