The Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan has denied media reports about the purchase of French Rafale fighters. Astana is acquiring Russian Su-30SM aircraft.
"In choosing between 'price' and 'quality,' we have currently opted for the Su-30SM aircraft," stated Deputy Head of Armaments for the Air Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan, Erzhan Nildibaev, on November 30, Eurasiatoday.ru reports.
According to the military official, in 2023, Russia sold four Su-30SM fighters, a Tor-2E SAM battery, and flight simulators for Su-25SM attack aircraft to Kazakhstan. In the following year, they will receive six more Su-30SM aircraft and another Tor-2E battery.
The possibility of Kazakhstan acquiring French Rafale fighters remains on the agenda of Kazakh-French relations during and after the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
French aerospace manufacturer Dassault Aviation aims to sell Rafale fighters to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, as reported by La Tribune last week. However, speculations were already made at that time that the company's prospects in Kazakhstan, compared to Uzbekistan, "seem much more distant." The success of the French aerospace manufacturer in Astana would be a huge surprise, as noted in the newspaper's report.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
December 1, 2023