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PARIS, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- France signed a contract worth about 1 billion euros (1.11 billion U.S. dollars) for the sale of 30 military helicopters to Kuwait, the French Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday.
The deal would supply Caracal helicopters to the Kuwaiti army and national guard, the ministry said in a statement.
"The choice of Kuwait highlights again the quality of French defense industries," said French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who attended the signature ceremony in the Gulf state earlier in the day.
"We are side-by-side in the fight against Daesh (the Islamic State) in Iraq and Syria," he added.
The helicopters will be manufactured in the Airbus factory in Marignane, southeastern France, with the first aircraft to be delivered in 29 months, according to local broadcaster Europe1.
This new military contract is a part of a 2.5 billion euros package of deals that the two sides agreed last October.
The Eurocopter EC725 Caracal is a twin-engine aircraft used to transport soldiers. (1 euro = 1.11 U.S. dollars) Enditem
