As Talleyrand liked to say, “If it goes without saying, it goes all the better by saying it.” In this case, the Minister of the French Armed Forces Florence Parly confirmed, in a speech to the national representation, that her ministry was going to order 12 new aircraft Rafale for compensate for the 12 second-hand aircraft sold to Greece, in a contract also including 6 new devices. In addition, the minister also confirmed the order for 10 “Special Forces” standard NH90 helicopters to equip the 4th Special Forces Helicopter Regiment based in Pau. The total amount of the order is estimated at €1,5 billion.
The announcement of the replacement of Rafale of the Air Force ceded to Greece is not a surprise, the director of the Directorate General of Armaments, Joel Barre, having already suggested this during a previous speech. The new aircraft will therefore replace the sold aircraft number for number, without affecting the delivery of 28 aircraft planned from 2022 (including one for Naval Aeronautics). The minister concedes, however, that the Air Force will face a temporary deficit of “5 to 10 aircraft” for a period not exceeding 2 years, especially since the 6 new Rafale Greeks have been integrated into the delivery schedule Rafale ahead of the execution of the French order, which will in fact be postponed by 6 months. However, it specifies that the progress made in terms of maintenance will make it possible to maintain the operational contract of the Air Force thanks to increased availability of Rafale in the park.
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