Amman, Jan. 7 (Petra) – The French government has announced that the value of French arms exports exceeded 18 billion euros last year, making 2024 the second-best year in its history.

According to AFP, French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu stated Tuesday that approximately 10 billion euros of this total were related to major systems such as the Rafale fighter jets and submarines. Notably, 12 units of the Rafale jets were sold to Serbia, while Indonesia officially finalized the delivery of the last batch of 18 out of a total of 42 jets ordered two years ago.

On September 30, Naval Group also announced the sale of four Barracuda-class submarines to the Netherlands. While the contract value was not disclosed, the Dutch State Secretary for Defense at the time, Christophe van der Maat, stated that the project budget amounted to 5.6 billion euros.

French arms exports reached a record level of 27 billion euros in 2022, largely due to a contract with the United Arab Emirates for 80 Rafale aircraft, valued at slightly over 16 billion euros.

Meanwhile, global military spending saw its largest increase in a decade in 2023, reaching $2.4 trillion due to ongoing conflicts, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

//Petra// AF
07/01/2025 23:24:57