Big fighter orders are close to decision points in the Middle East, industry executives and government officials say, and the outcomes will be critical for the future of the competing aircraft. Although the Dassault Rafale's success in landing an order from Egypt-a noncompetitive sale secured with unusual speed-will help sustain its minimum production rate for a few years, the Eurofighter consortium is making a strong pitch for the Typhoon in Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Middle East market is increasingly seen as a Rafale-versus-Typhoon contest. The Lockheed Martin F-35 is not approved for export there. "I do not anticipate any near-term sales for the F-35 in the region," Frank Kendall, U.S. undersecretary of defense for acquisition, said Feb. 22 before the IDEX defense show here, according to Reuters. "I think it would be a very sensitive sale to try to bring about for a lot of reasons." The leading U.S. prospect in the region appears to be a possible Boeing F-15 sale in Qatar.
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