Just a year ago, the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, announced the order for 18 Rafale fighter jets from France, including 12 second-hand taken from the Air Force and Air Force fleet. 'Espace, for an amount of € 2 billion. While the first aircraft, brought to the F3R standard, was officially transferred to the Hellenic Air Forces in July, the latter has just announced, during a speech given at the 85th Thessaloniki International Fair, the order for 6 additional devices, in order to bring the Hellenic fleet to 24 devices, thus responding the expectations expressed by the Greek military authorities, when the hypothesis leaked to the press last April.
The Greek Prime Minister gave no further information on this contract, his long speech having above all focused on important economic and social announcements resulting from the extraordinary economic recovery enjoyed by the country for 2 years, despite the Covid crisis which has severely damaged its tourism industry. We therefore do not know the schedule, or the amount of the contract, or even the standard to which the new devices will be delivered. Indeed, while the last deliveries of the current order will take place in September 2023, it is likely that the new Rafales ordered will not be delivered before 2024, which makes them eligible for the F4 standard, and even for the standard F 4.2 which will offer new development perspectives.
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