On Tuesday, France would begin delivering 30 Dassault warplanes to Egypt from 2024 in a 4 billion euro ($4.8 billion) deal, as it strengthens ties with a partner it considers vital in fighting Islamist militants.
In December, President Emmanuel Macron drew criticism from rights groups when he said he would not make the sale of weapons to Egypt conditional on human rights because he did not want to weaken Cairo's ability to counter the militancy region.
Egypt's military has expanded its domestic status and influence under Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a former army chief who has been president since 2014, waging operations against militants in the Sinai Peninsula.
The deal also covers contracts for missile provider MBDA and equipment provider Safran Electronics & Defence, worth another 200 million euros.
