The UAE has ordered two surveillance satellites from Astrium and Thales Alenia Space in a contract valued at $913 million, it emerged on 23 July.
Under the Falcon Eye agreement two high-resolution Helios-type military observation satellites and a ground station will be delivered to the armed forces including training for 20 UAE engineers.
In a joint statement France and the UAE said that the agreement comes as part of the strategic partnership framework discussed in January 2013 by the UAE president Sheik Khalifa and French President François Hollande.
‘The UAE and France have enjoyed a strong and effective bilateral relationship,