At Egypt Defense Expo (EDEX) 2023, Safran Aircraft Engines and the Egyptian Air Force announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the company’s new EngineLife® services solution. According to the terms of the agreement, this MoU will cover through-life support (TLS) for the M88 engines powering Egypt’s current fleet of 24 Rafale on a by-the-hour basis with guaranteed levels of availability. Designed for armed forces operating the M88-powered Dassault Aviation Rafale, EngineLife® maximizes engine availability and reduces the cost of ownership through a set of services tailored to each customer. This includes the secondment of specialized personnel to support on-site mechanics and optimize maintenance operations; technical support by dedicated teams to optimize engine potential; and management of all logistics flows between Safran Aircraft Engines and the customer.
“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,” said Air Marshal Mahmoud Fouad Abdel-Gawad.
“We’re honored to sign this MoU with the Egyptian Air Force as part of the launch of our new EngineLife® offering/ Egypt is a long-standing customer for Safran Aircraft Engines. In 2015, it was the first export customer to put its trust in the Rafale powered by our M88 engines. 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,” said Christophe Bruneau, Vice President, Military Engines at Safran Aircraft Engines.
On 16 February 2015, Egypt became the Rafale’s first international customer when it officially ordered 24 Rafales, as part of a larger deal, including a FREMM multipurpose frigate and missiles, worth US$5.9 billion (€5.2 billion). The order comprised 8 single-seat models and 16 two-seaters. In June 2016, Egypt begun negotiations with Dassault to acquire 12 additional Rafales, intending to exercise an option of the first contract. An Egyptian delegation visited France in November 2017 for negotiations.[163] In May 2021, Egypt ordered 30 more Rafales in a contract worth $4.5bn. On 15 November 2021, Egypt confirmed that it will receive 30 Rafale F3R between 2024 and 2026. The Egyptian Air Force is interested in buying the Rafale F4 variant once Dassault prepares it for foreign buyers.
By sharing maintenance tasks between Safran Aircraft Engines and the user, this service offering will enable the Egyptian Air Force’s local on-base mechanics to benefit from the engine manufacturer’s experience in TLS, thereby strengthening their skills. It also allows M88 operators to optimize fleet availability and better control operating costs. Safran Aircraft Engines designs, produces, sells, alone or in partnership, commercial and military aircraft engines offering world-class performance, reliability and environmental-friendliness. Through CFM International, Safran Aircraft Engines is the world’s leading supplier of engines for short and medium-haul commercial jets. Safran is an international high-technology group, operating in the aviation (propulsion, equipment and interiors), defense and space markets.
