The United Arab Emirates signed a $3.2 billion deal with Dassault Aviation last week for 30 Mirage fighter jets last week.

The signed contract solidifies the announced purchase of the Mirage 2000s last December when French president Jacques Chirac visited the UAE. The newly announced deal is more lucrative than the $2.6 billion deal of last year as more upgrades and newer equipment were added.

The country will also upgrade up to 30 older Mirage 2000s that the UAE purchased from Dassault nearly two decades ago.

Dassault was in competition with Lockheed Martin, to which Dassault lost a big fighter order last May. Lockheed sold the UAE 80 F-16 fighters, which beat out Dassault's Rafale and the Eurofighter Tycoon, for around $6-$8 billion, although this deal has since run into some final negotiations delays. Some say it is these difficulties that have prompted the UAE to reconsider the defense products of countries other than the US.