Yeah, that'll certainly buy influence there's no denying that, money talks, but that 1.5 Billion is the equivalent of not quite 10 eurofighters, so relatively small beer in that market.
Dassault have been busy selling to Japan and India this year, ten times that Saudi figure, but that's not to say that Hollande (or Cameron or any of them), wouldn't do a sexy dance for that sort of money.
Which moves me on to another digression / thought, aid for India....ten billion dollars to spend on fighter aircraft, Mars mission, nuclear programme......