Egypt is the top export destination for German arms in 3Q2017, having purchased around EUR 300 mn worth of weapons during the quarter. Germany approved arms exports to Egypt and Saudi Arabia worth a combined EUR 450 mn in 3Q2017 alone, “more than five times the EUR 86 mn it sold in the same quarter of last year,” according to Deutsche Welle. While it remains unclear what Egypt has purchased, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been under fire for allowing weapons’ sales to both countries to grow this year, given the red flags surrounding their use in human rights violations domestically and overseas in neighboring Yemen.

In related news, Egypt has also placed an order for new MiG-35s from Russia, Bloomberg says. The new aircraft’s “range, greater weapons load, and reduced radar signature make it ideal for Middle Eastern countries,” the Director General of Russian Aircraft Corp. MiG, Ilya Tarasenko, said yesterday.