Dubai: BAE Systems will not rush into a contract with the UAE for the Eurofighter Typhoon, a spokesperson for the British company said, adding there was no deadline to close the deal.
“What we want to do is get the right outcome for us, the UAE, and United Kingdom. But these things take time. We can’t rush,” the spokesperson told Gulf News.
It was widely speculated that there would be progress on the $9 billion (Dh33.1 billion) deal to sell the Eurofighter to the UAE at the Dubai Airshow after a surprise visit by UK Prime Minister David Cameron last Saturday. The UAE is reportedly in discussions with Eurofighter and France’s Dassault Aviation for 60 fighter jets.
The BAE Systems spokesperson said discussions with the UAE government were continuing with “positive dialogue”.
Earlier a spokesperson for Eurofighter refused to comment on the possible deal.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is being built by BAE Systems, French-based EADS, and Italian company Alenia Aeronautica.
BAE Systems is responsible for the majority of dealings for the fighter jet.
The BAE spokesperson reaffirmed earlier comments made by the British government and EADS that the UAE would not purchase the Eurofighter in a straight contract. “There will be an industrial element to the deal but in terms of what we can’t really say anything,” the spokesperson said.
Speaking to reporters at the Dubai Airshow, on Sunday British Secretary of State for Defence Philip Hammond said there would always be an offset to manufacturer-selected components in the UAE.
At the Dubai Airshow the UAE secured deals with Boeing, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and GE Aviation to manufacturer and supply aviation components for the four companies.
The deals with Abu Dhabi-owned Mubadala to develop the UAE’s industrial sector are linked to Etihad Airways’ orders with the aviation manufacturing companies.
A spokesperson for UK Trade & Investment, a UK Government department working with British businesses in international markets, said the Eurofighter wanted to be a Gulf solution that would benefit industrial development iin the region.
