France will order 12 additional Rafale fighter jets (Archives) -
Mickaël Bosredon / 20 Minutes
The order must be placed "by the end of the year", says Florence Parly.
France will order 12 Rafale fighter jets to compensate for the levy of 12 second-hand aircraft taken from the Air Force inventory for the benefit of Greece, the Minister of the Armed Forces announced on Tuesday.
“We fully intend, by the end of the year, to place an order, in parallel with the orders that will be sent for Greece, for the needs of the Air Force and the Air Force. "Space up to 12 planes", said the minister during a hearing before the deputies of the Defense Commission.
A contract signed with Greece again in 2020
Faced with rising tensions with Turkey, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced in mid-September Athens' intention to acquire six new Rafale and twelve used Rafales in order to dispose of them more quickly and at lower cost. cost.
The contract with Greece, which must be signed by the end of the year, must therefore result in a levy as of next year on aircraft in service in the French Air Force.
"I would like to reassure you: we had agreed together on a crossing point in 2025 for our LPM (military programming law) for 129 Rafale aircraft and I fully intend to keep this commitment," said the minister to deputies.
The 12 second-hand aircraft for Athens will therefore be replaced by an order for twelve new aircraft from Dassault Aviation by the end of the year.
Society
Paris: a fighter plane crosses the sound barrier and raises fears of an explosion
Army
Society
Gust