This is news that was more than awaited by the Greek fighter squadrons. On December 23, the Greek Ministry of Defense confirmed the signing of a contract worth nearly 260 million euros for the maintenance and the modernization of its Mirage 2000-5 fleet. This modernization will be carried out by Dassault Aviation, Safran for the M53 engine, and Thales for the on-board electronics and in particular the RDY-2 radar.
Greek mirages have often been called upon to oppose intrusions by Turkish aircraft, and in October 1996, one of them shot down a Turkish F16 with a Magic 2 missile. A few weeks ago, the French aircraft was also employed for repelling a massive intrusion attempt by Turkish aircraft in the Athens air control zone. But Greek planes had been suffering from a lack of spare parts for many years, and their systems were starting to date compared to more recent versions of F16s like the Block 52s used by the Turkish air forces.
This announcement also bodes very well for the conclusion of the agreement on the 2+2 FDI frigates intended for the Hellenic Navy. This means, in fact, that Paris and Athens have reconnected the threads of the contractualization of offers, in particular by finding solutions for the financing of these programs. In view of the tensions growing in the Middle East, and consequently in the Eastern Mediterranean, the strengthening of Greek forces finally represents good news for overall European resilience in the region, and the short-term response capabilities available on site.
Regardless, there is no doubt that the Greek mirage squadrons will have had a very good Christmas and end of year.
