Greece orders Rafales amid broader procurement surge

Dassault is to supply 18 Rafale multirole fighters to Greece, to continue the relationship between the French aircraft manufacturer and the Hellenic Air Force.

The aircraft will be delivered as a mix of Rafale B two-seaters and Rafale C single-seaters.

Neither the delivery timescale nor cost details were disclosed but Shephard Defence Insight calculates a typical unit price of $100 million for Rafale.

Announcing the deal on 12 September, Dassault stated: ‘This announcement illustrates the strength of the partnership that has linked the Greek Air Force and Dassault Aviation for more than 45 years.’

Greece bought Mirage F1s in the 1970s, Mirage 2000s in 1985 and Mirage 2000-5s in 2000.

Dassault acknowledged the geopolitical dimension of the latest deal, noting that it ‘demonstrates the enduring strategic relationship between Greece and France’.

The Rafale deal for Greece also reflects ‘an export policy that I have been pursuing with conviction since 2017’, French Defence Minister Florence Parly claimed on 12 September.

Dassault confirmed on 23 July that it had already delivered seven Rafales to export customers in H1 2020, with initial deliveries to India following shortly afterwards. 

Greece is mounting a procurement surge amid renewed tension with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean. In announcing the Rafale deal, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also said the country is buying or upgrading four frigates and four helicopters; acquiring anti-tank weapons, torpedoes and missiles; recruiting 15,000 troops; and making further investments in the domestic defence industry. 

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