TSAMTO, December 15. According to Greek media, the first batch of Rafale multipurpose fighters from the French company Dassault Aviation will be delivered to Greece in January 2022.
As reported by Ekathimerini.com, they will be part of the 114th Air Wing stationed at the Tanagra Airbase. The first six aircraft can be immediately used to perform their intended tasks, since Greek pilots have already been trained in France.
The remaining 12 aircraft of the first batch will be transferred to the Greek Air Force over the next two years.
In addition, it is expected that in the coming days the procedure for the purchase of six additional fighters will begin, which will increase the total number of Rafales in the Greek Air Force to 24 units and form a full squadron.
Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos has already completed the preparation of documents for the supply of additional aircraft, which will be submitted to the relevant committees of the Greek Parliament in the coming days.
It is expected that over the next few days, documents on the acquisition of three new French frigates of the FDI will also be submitted to parliament.
As reported by TSAMTO, in January 2021, Greece and France signed a contract to supply the Greek Air Force with 18 multifunctional Rafale fighters from Dassault Aviation, the cost of which amounted to about 1.92 billion. euro ($2.35 billion). Another 400 million euros are intended for the purchase of Meteor air-to-air missiles and the modernization of missiles in service with the Greek Air Force, including the Mika air-to-air missile, the Scalp missile and the Exocet anti-ship missiles, for use from the Rafale.
To reduce costs, the Greek Air Force purchased 6 new fighters and 12 aircraft from the French Aerospace Forces (10 single and two double). It was assumed that the first 6 aircraft from the French Air Force would be transferred one per month, starting in July 2021 (6 months after the signing of the contract), 6 new aircraft - by the 20th month after the conclusion of the contract, the remaining 6 aircraft from the French Air Force - by the 26th month (early 2023). Dassault Aviation handed over the first aircraft to the Greek Air Force Command on July 21. The first six aircraft at the initial stage before being sent to the Tanagra Air Force Base are used to train pilots in France.
In September 2021, the Minister of the Armed Forces of France, Florence Parly, confirmed the agreement with Greece on the additional supply of six Rafale multi-purpose fighters. It is assumed that the purchase of additional aircraft will cost 800 million euros.
