Greek Premier Mitsotakis states that the Hellenic Air Force will not buy more Rafale Jets; the Air Force will be limited to 24 Rafale Jets.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke to Greek Journalist Antonis Schroiter’s “Autopsy” programme at Tanagra Air Base.
When asked about the Greek Armed Forces’ future procurement plans, Mitsotakis said, “There is currently no intention to exercise our right to acquire six more Rafales. We have 24, and we believe these are sufficient, combined with our decision to acquire 20 F-35 aircraft in the first phase. These are 5th generation aircraft, fully stealth, i.e. practically invisible to any radar. They are aircraft that work and cooperate well with the F-16s we already have, which will eventually be installed in Andravida. We are also starting very important investments to welcome them. We estimate that we will have them before 2030.”
Greece invests 3 per cent of its GDP in defence
Greece is a country that invests 3 per cent of its GDP in defence. This also puts us in a very important position of comparative advantage concerning our other European partners when the debate on strengthening defence is gaining new momentum in the European Union. I also want to remind you that after the fall of the Wall, many European countries practically stopped investing in their defence.
They invested 1 per cent of GDP. For our reasons, we always invest 2 per cent of GDP. We never reaped that “peace dividend” from which the rest of the European countries benefited. Consider that 1 per cent of GDP is over 2 billion euros, so money is missing from other government budget expenditures. However, the defence of national sovereignty is a condition for the nation’s survival. For us, it is a non-negotiable priority. Well, the issue is not only to spend this money on defence it is to take place it is to gradually develop something that we have not been able to do until now: domestic added value to support the ecosystem of start-up Greek businesses that are active in the field of defence.”
Greece to acquire the fourth FDI Frigate
We will always need our frigates, that’s for sure. We have three and are currently negotiating the option to acquire a fourth. We will receive the first in 2025. All three will have joined our Navy by late 2026. It is a very significant upgrade. Our fighter jets. These are long-term options. These planes will fly for 30 years. The same is true with the F-35.
Editors note: Hellenic Air Force’s new approach reverses plans to add more Rafales in F4 standard to the initially ordered fleet of 24 aircraft, which had been reported since May 2024. The 24 aircraft, all Rafales F3R, include second-hand sales and newly built aircraft from the French Air and Space Force. The fleet consists of 18 single-seat Rafale EGs and six two-seat Rafale DGs.
