CAIRO: Egypt’s Defense Ministry said it has signed a contract with the French company Sagem for AASM Hammer air-to ground missiles to be deployed by Egyptian Air Force, Sagem reported Monday.
The contract was signed at Paris Air Show Tuesday while details of the deal including the number of missiles and the contract value have not been disclosed yet.
The first AASM Hammer missile, along with support services will be delivered to Egypt by the end of 2016, according to the company.
“The contract with Egypt covers all three versions of the AASM Hammer now in service: hybrid inertial/GPS guidance, inertial/GPS and terminal infrared guidance, and inertial/GPS plus laser terminal guidance,” said Sagem in a Tuesday statement.
According to the company, the missiles have the ability to conduct all-weather, day/night precision ground strikes against fixed or moving targets, while also reducing collateral damage; in adding that they offer a range exceeding 60 kilometers.
The contract came after Egypt’s acquisition of 24 Rafale fighter jets from Dassault Aviation, which were initialized on Feb. 12 and signed on Feb. 16.
Sagem said that the AASM missiles are to give Egypt’s acquired Rafales a “significant operational advantage.”