Defence

A United Arab Emirates order for a new fleet of French-made fighters remains on hold, but an Abu Dhabi-based joint venture created in anticipation of such a deal is moving forward.

Since announcing their partnership last February, MBDA and Baynuna Aviation have completed the process of incorporating the joint venture, says Jean-Luc Lamothe, MBDA group director for export.

The new business is set up to first produce systems for MBDA weapons that would accompany a Dassault Rafale purchase, he says. It would eventually also perform final assembly work on weapons in the Rafale armament package, he adds.

Even though the UAE has not signed the Rafale's first export contract, the MBDA-Baynuna joint venture will start operations in January, Lamothe says.

"We anticipate we will have signed contracts not long from now," Lamothe says. "At this moment things seem be progressing rather well."

Standing up a new weapons manufacturing plant is a relatively slow process, requiring the joint venture to start operations even in advance of a signed contract, he says.

Beginning in the first quarter of 2010, the joint venture will start hiring and training workers, and acquiring the production tools.

The facility also can start doing business with the UAE military, with possibly some small contracts to maintain weapons already carried by the air force's Dassault Mirage 2000-9s.

The Rafale contract is not the joint venture's only sales target in the region. MBDA is proposing to arm the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 trainers and light attack fighters selected by the UAE earlier this year. Weapons for other potential Rafale buyers in the region, including Kuwait and Qatar, could be produced by the joint venture. The facility also could support the MBDA weapons package for the Eurofighter Typhoon, with Oman as a possible sales target.

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