Once adapted, the fighters will be delivered, with the first three in time for Egyptian pilots to fly the twin-engine fighter in Egyptian colors over the opening of a new waterway on the Suez Canal in August.
One of the Rafale upgrades to F3 standard in 2008 was the air-sol moyenne portée améliorée (ASMPA) missile tipped with the TN-200 nuclear warhead. That capability will be taken off the fighters for Egypt.
As Egypt is not part of NATO, the communication system will be adapted.
Egypt has started paying for its order for 24 Rafales, the first export win for the fighter jet.
Dassault will deliver five Rafales to France this year, and the first batch of three to Egypt, with a second three-strong batch in December or January.
Dassault has delivered 137 Rafales to France, with 43 remaining in the present fourth tranche. The company expects delivery in 2018 of the upgraded F3R version, adapted to fire the Meteor beyond-visual-range missile. Egypt will also receive that advanced version.
The French Navy has received two fighters upgraded to the F3 version from F1 with the remaining eight due to be modernized over two years.
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