Safran Aircraft Engines and the Egyptian Air Force have solidified their partnership at the Egypt Defense Expo 2023 by signing a MoU for the EngineLife services.
Tailored for the M88-powered Dassault Aviation Rafale, this agreement focuses on through-life support (TLS) for Egypt's 24 Rafale fleet, introducing a by-the-hour support model with guaranteed availability levels.
This agreement centres on Safran's EngineLife services, a solution specifically designed for armed forces operating the M88-powered Dassault Aviation Rafale.
Under the terms of the MoU, EngineLife will provide through-life support for the M88 engines propelling Egypt's current fleet of 24 Rafale aircraft. The by-the-hour support model comes with levels of availability, aiming to maximize engine uptime and minimize the cost of ownership.
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, according to GlobalData's intelligence on Egypt's defence market.
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.
EngineLife offers a set of services tailored to each customer, including the deployment of personnel to support on-site mechanics, optimization of maintenance operations, technical support by teams to maximize engine potential, and logistics management between Safran Aircraft Engines and the customer.
This collaborative service approach involves sharing maintenance tasks between Safran and the Egyptian Air Force, enabling local on-base mechanics to benefit from Safran's experience in TLS. The goal is to strengthen the skills of local personnel, optimize fleet availability, and exercise better control over operating costs for M88 operators.
Christophe Bruneau, vice president of military engines at Safran Aircraft Engines, expressed his honour in signing the MoU with the Egyptian Air Force, "We're honoured to sign this MoU with the Egyptian Air Force as part of the launch of our new EngineLife offering.
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."
With the procurement of Rafale Combat Aircraft, the Egyptian Air Force is anticipated to gain a capability edge in the region against its immediate neighbours, such as Sudan, with whom it has territorial as well as water disputes, according to GlobalData's "The Global Military Fixed Wing Aircraft Market 2023-2033" report.
Air marshal Mahmoud Fouad Abdel-Gawad, said: "Safran Aircraft Engines has been a key partner supporting the Egyptian Air Force's success for many years. 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."
