UAE, France renew defense pact after Rafale jets controversy
Last month, French newspaper La Tribune reported that the UAE had withdrawn from a proposal to jointly fund development of the Rafale F5 fighter jet.
The United Arab Emirates and France renewed a defense cooperation agreement on Tuesday, deepening military coordination even as strains emerge over the development of France's Rafale jets.
Catherine Vautrin, French minister of the armed forces and veterans, met with the UAE’s minister of state for defense affairs, Mohamed bin Mubarak bin Fadhel Al Mazrouei, on Tuesday in Toulouse.
Vautrin wrote in a post on X that the two signed “the renewal of the agreement on our defense cooperation, which reaffirms the strength of the French-Emirati strategic partnership and the excellence of our bilateral cooperation.”
À l’Hôtel de Brienne, j’ai accueilli Mohammed bin Mubarak Fadel al-Mazrouei, ministre d’État aux affaires de Défense des Émirats arabes unis (@modgovae).
— Catherine Vautrin (@CaVautrin) May 19, 2026
Nous avons signé le renouvellement de l’accord relatif à notre coopération en matière de défense, qui réaffirme la solidité… pic.twitter.com/INsassFvzO
A statement from the UAE’s Defense Ministry said that the renewal reflects the “depth of bilateral relations and the shared commitment to advancing military and defense collaboration between the UAE and France."
The ministry added that during the visit, the two ministers discussed “ways of strengthening defense and strategic relations.”
France and the UAE have a history of military cooperation, anchored by a mutual defense pact signed in 1995.
In December 2021, the two countries signed a $19 billion agreement to supply the UAE with 80 F4 model Dassault Rafale fighter jets. The UAE also agreed to purchase 12 Caracal military helicopters from Airbus, though Abu Dhabi later canceled the helicopter order in May 2023.
The UAE hosts France’s largest military footprint in the Middle East, with forces stationed at Al Dhafra Air Base, a naval facility and Zayed Military City. France has an estimated 750-900 military personnel based in the country. Its Rafale aircraft are stationed at the Dhafra base near Abu Dhabi.
But the partnership has faced strains recently.
Last month, French newspaper La Tribune reported that the UAE had withdrawn from a proposal to jointly fund development of the Rafale F5 fighter jet, leaving France’s Defense Ministry to shoulder the full cost of the program.
Paris had hoped to secure major Emirati backing for the next-generation Rafale F5 program, which is projected to cost roughly $5.7 billion, with Abu Dhabi expected to cover as much as $4 billion of the development bill. But according to the report, the talks unraveled in late 2025 after disagreements emerged during French President Emmanuel Macron’s December visit to Abu Dhabi.
Despite the breakdown in talks, France has continued to support the UAE militarily amid the US-Iran war. Iran has attacked US allies in the Gulf repeatedly during the conflict.
The UAE has borne the brunt of Iranian attacks on the Gulf. The Emirati Defense Ministry said on May 10 that it had engaged more than 2,000 drones, more than 550 ballistic missiles and 29 cruise missiles launched from Iran since the war began on Feb 28.
In early March, France said it had deployed Rafale fighter jets over the UAE to protect French naval and air bases in the Gulf state from Iranian attacks.
Later that month, during a visit to France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, Macron said that there had been “some interceptions” made by France against drones targeting the UAE.
Last Friday, France’s minister delegate for the armed forces said the Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group would soon arrive near the Strait of Hormuz.
