Doha, May 5 (IANS): France and Qatar finalised a deal here on Monday for the purchase of 24 Rafale fighter jets by the Arab country for 6.3 billion euros ($7 billion).
By signing the agreement, in presence of French President Francois Hollande and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Qatar has become the third country to buy Rafale fighters from France, Efe news agency reported.
In April, Egypt purchased 24 Rafales in a deal valued at five billion euros, after which India announced that it would purchase 36 more aircraft of the same type. The value of the three contracts reaching a combined total of over 15 billion euros.
The contract signed here stipulates that the delivery of the aircraft will start by mid-2018, while the seller will be responsible for training 100 Qatari mechanics and providing Qatar the option to purchase 12 more fighter jets.