Air forces: Greece will acquire 18 Rafale
A Rafale takes off from the base at Merignac, in the south of France.
July 27, 2020. V. Almansa / Dassault Aviation / AFP
Text by: Franck Alexandre
4 min
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotaki announced on September 12 a broad rearmament program to respond to the worsening tensions with Turkey.
Athens will acquire 18 Rafale fighters, four frigates, helicopters and ammunition.
The Greek army will also be strengthened by recruiting nearly 15,000 men.
By massively strengthening its defense capabilities, Greece is sending Turkey a warning.
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The Greek executive never ceases to hammer it: "
faced with Turkish expansionism, Greece will not agree to negotiate with a gun to its head
".
Thanks to this armaments contract, the amount of which has not been specified
, Athens aims to upgrade its armed forces.
The acquisition of materials will be spread over a decade and will bring military spending to 2% of gross domestic product.
Greece, determined to defend its sovereignty, is thus sending an unambiguous message to Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan.
Since August 10,
the Turkish seismic vessel Oruç Reis
, escorted by warships, has been maneuvering in the Greek maritime space in southern Cyprus and off Crete, in search of hydrocarbon deposits.
Athens fears that Turkey seeks to appropriate maritime corridors in the heart of the myriad of islands of the Aegean Sea and also fears to see Turkey take a foothold on islets belonging to it like Kastelorizzo, with an area of only 9 square kilometers, located less than 7 kilometers from the southern coast of Turkey.
A Greek possession which, according to international maritime law, deprives Ankara of a large exclusive economic zone.
Faced with an increasingly aggressive Turkish posture, Greece says it is determined to form a "
national shield
" by equipping itself with Rafale.
The Rafale, a "game changer"
The Greek air force has opted for the acquisition of eighteen aircraft, including six new and twelve second-hand.
This contract will be articulated in two stages.
The second-hand devices will first be taken from the French fighter squadrons to equip the Greek forces as quickly as possible.
This is not the first time that Greece has chosen Dassault Aviation.
In 1985, Athens had already ordered about fifty Mirage 2000s. By choosing the French plane, Greece is also sending a positive signal to France, which, in this showdown with Turkey, is increasing military signals for compel Ankara to cease its unilateral activities.
The French Navy has thus deployed the Lafayette frigate in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Air Force has pre-positioned two Rafales in Crete.
Paris and Athens also plan to sign a strategic partnership by the end of the year.
Finally, the Rafale is a combat aircraft "
which has demonstrated its combat capabilities
", underlines General Patrick Lefebvre, former pilot of the Air Force, now in charge of training within the Mediterranean Studies Foundation. strategic.
“
If we were to compare it to its current competitors, it demonstrates performance that few hunters have
,” he explains.
I have the feeling that the Rafales risk outclassing the Turkish F16s.
For the area of Greek influence, it's still a
game changer
.
The Turks will think twice before taking action in the face of combat aircraft of this generation, especially since the Greek pilots are very seasoned, very well trained.
And then, it is also a form of French victory to be able to deploy planes with partners of this level
”.
Thanks to this broad rearmament program, Greece can hope to rebalance the balance of power with its powerful neighbor and allow disputes over maritime sovereignty to be settled before international courts.
On September 13, the exploration vessel Oruç Reis returned to the port of Antalya.
"
A first positive step
", welcomed the Greek Prime Minister, perhaps the beginning of a de-escalation in the region.
► To read also
: Tensions in the Mediterranean: Greece on the alert in the face of Turkish "provocations"
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