And how will this bode for the Indian Air Force MMRCA competition between Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon?
On top of Dassault’s failure to close a deal with Morocco last year, I think this is just more evidence that the MMRCA is Eurofighter’s to lose.
Hard to say since the UAE’s purchase was not exactly a competition like the Indian one. The F-16 makes perfect sense for them-already in service and more than adequate for Iran and their regional policing roles.
About India or Brazil, we don’t know if they want the kind of beefed up variant that the UAE was/is seeking. That being said, I agree with you on the Eurofighter for political reasons.
I might add that this may not be the end of the Rafale and could just be a negotiating tactic. The UAE has been courting more than one partner for a decade and with a new French military base, they could feel obliged to pay back Paris. Then there is the issue of sensitive technology like cruise missiles which they want and which Washington may not provide. The plan to develop an enhanced M-88 engine for the UAE is to enable the Rafale to carry up to 3 Scalp cruise missiles.