Egypt wants more Rafales

Egypt ordered its first 24 Rafales in 2015 and another 30 in 2021. All 54 aircraft are expected to be in service by the end of 2026. According toLa Tribune, Cairo has now sent Dassault Aviation a formal request for proposals concerning another 24 fighters. This is not yet a contract, but it is significantly more advanced than general political interest.

Rafale and the Egyptian Air Force

The Rafale is today the most capable combat aircraft available to the Egyptian Air Force. This is particularly important because Cairo must gradually begin replacing its very large and ageing F-16 fleet. More than 200 F-16s remain in service from approximately 240 originally ordered, while some aircraft date back to deliveries made in the early 1980s. Another 24 Rafales could therefore be the beginning of a much larger process rather than simply the expansion of the existing Rafale fleet.

There is also an important question of weapons. For decades, Washington refused to provide Egypt with AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles for its F-16s, with restrictions closely connected to the preservation of Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge. Egyptian F-16s therefore still lack a modern active-radar beyond-visual-range missile and remain dependent primarily on the older AIM-7 Sparrow for medium-range engagements.

The American position began to change in 2025, but only partially. Washington approved a potential $4.67 billion sale of NASAMS to Egypt, including 100 AIM-120C-8 AMRAAMs and 100 AMRAAM-ER missiles. However, these weapons were approved for the ground-based air-defence system, not for Egyptian F-16s. As of September 2026, there has been no publicly announced approval to integrate the AIM-120 with Egypt’s F-16 fleet.

The situation with the Meteor is different. Its precise numbers and operational status have never been publicly detailed by Cairo or Paris. Nevertheless, specialist defence sources now list Egypt as a Meteor customer for the Rafale. This potentially gives Egyptian Rafales a very-long-range air-to-air capability that the country’s F-16 fleet does not possess in comparable form. It is another reason why the Rafale occupies a special position in Egyptian combat aviation.

What about China?

At the same time, Egypt is not closing the door to China. During Eagles of Civilization 2026, Egyptian Rafales trained directly against Chinese J-16s. Even more interestingly, an Egyptian Rafale was publicly shown being refuelled by a Chinese YY-20A tanker. Egypt does not currently operate its own tanker fleet, so Beijing was able to demonstrate not only a fighter aircraft but an entire aviation package: J-16 fighters, KJ-500 airborne early-warning aircraft, Y-9LG electronic-warfare platforms, Y-20 transports and YY-20A tankers.

This matters because China is not offering Cairo only another fighter. It is showing how several aircraft can operate together as one system. The compatibility of the YY-20A with the Rafale is particularly useful for Beijing because it demonstrates a capability that could fill an existing gap in the Egyptian Air Force without requiring Egypt to abandon its French aircraft.

The timing of the new Rafale request is therefore noteworthy. There is no evidence that the exercise against the J-16 directly influenced Egypt’s procurement decision. However, the reported request for another 24 French fighters shortly after Eagles of Civilization shows something important that closer Egyptian military cooperation with China does not mean that Cairo is moving away from France. On the contrary, Egypt appears willing to work with both sides while keeping the Rafale at the centre of its most capable combat-aircraft fleet.