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Six French-launched Rafale fighter jets first flew over the Acropolis in central Athens, then landed at the Tanagres military base in the early hours of noon.
These are the first 6 Rafale planes, purchased under an agreement between the Greek and French defense ministers, which has further fueled tensions with Greece’s historic rival and NATO partner Turkey. Greece has ordered a total of 24 aircraft of this type to arrive by 2025, 12 used and 12 new, worth 3.37 billion euros, in a bid to modernize its armed forces amid a long-running dispute with Turkey over energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean.
“The new Rafale planes that landed today are ready to take off for a better, more peaceful future for the whole region,” Mitsotakis said.
Mitsotakis, who also announced tax cuts for members of the defense forces, police, coast guard and firefighters, stressed that the defense agreement with France last October under which the two countries would assist each other in in the event of an external threat, it also includes an order for three French frigates worth another € 3 billion.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Prime Minister of Greece
“After a decade of austerity measures, we are again in a position to improve our defense capabilities and the arrival of the first 6 Rafale – in record time since the political decision to buy them – signifies our commitment to “constantly invest in the capacity we have to prevent attacks,” said the Greek Prime Minister.
Both the 12 new aircraft and the 12 used are equipped with an armament of 3 types of latest generation missiles and 14 weapons capable of thwarting any enemy action. They have a range of 2800 miles, large fuel tank, two engines and powerful electronic radar, can analyze all the data from the available sensors, see up to 200 km, monitor 40 targets simultaneously and destroy 8 the most dangerous.
Following the recent tensions with Turkey, which during 2020 almost turned into military confrontations, official Athens believes that with the purchase of French aircraft and frigates, military balances in the Aegean Sea change significantly.
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