The Government of the United Arab Emirates has bought 12 H-225M "Caracal" military helicopters of European production. This purchase is linked to the contract stipulated with Paris, which also includes the contract for 80 Dassault Rafale warplanes, as well as the agreement to take possession of armaments and services of the company Mbda. The agreement was signed in recent days by French President Emmanuel Macron -visiting the Gulf country- and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. 

The formalisation of the contract had been awaited for several weeks and should have been announced during the "Dubai Air Show", which was held from November 14th to 18th. The agreement has an estimated value of 3 billion Euros. The twelve H-225M helicopters will be "entirely produced and assembled in France" at the Marignane plant, said the French Ministry of Defence, Florence Parly.

The H-225M "Caracal" is a transport aircraft that can carry out combat search and rescue missions, as well as medical interventions and medical evacuations. It is equipped with advanced avionics and is capable of operating at night. It is equipped with an in-flight refueling probe, an anti-missile system, an optronic sphere with thermo camera and laser telemetry. It can accommodate five men and reach a maximum speed of 324 km/h.

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