Greece boosts Air Force with advanced French jets

TANAGRA, Greece — French-built fighter jets roared Wednesday over the Acropolis as Greece races to modernize its military and flaunts new security alliances aimed at checking neighboring Turkey .

Six advanced Rafale jets, purchased from the French Air Force , flew in low formation over Athens before their official handover to the Greek armed forces at a nearby air base.

“The arrival of these Rafale aircraft signals an upgrade for our country operationally, technologically and geopolitically,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at the ceremony.

The event was broadcast live on private and state-run television. Fire trucks greeted the aircraft with a water salute at the base, where the local Greek Orthodox bishop led a blessing ceremony.

The multirole combat aircraft with a distinctive triangle-shaped wing were the first major delivery to result from multi-billion euro defense deals the Greek and French governments sealed last year. Greece has earmarked nearly €2.5 billion (U.S. $2.8 billion) to buy 18 Rafale jets, 12 from the French Air Force and six newly built by Paris-based military contractor Dassault.

Greece also plans to acquire six more Rafale jets at a later date and to spend an additional €3 billion to buy three new French-made frigates.

NATO allies Greece and Turkey have longstanding disagreements over boundaries as well as oil and gas drilling rights in the Eastern Mediterranean , a dispute that flared into a tense naval stand off in 2020.

Turkey and Greece mount competing air force patrols in the eastern Aegean Sea around Greek islands facing Turkey’s coastline. The tensions in the region prompted Athens to speed up its military upgrade program and strengthen defense ties with allies France and the United States.

Michael Tanchum, a senior fellow at the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy, said Greece had also developed military cooperation with Egypt, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

“Athens’ efforts are paying off big,” Tanchum said. “These relationships provide Greece with much-needed strategic depth.”

The delivery of the French jets to Greece will be completed in January 2025, military officials said.

Greek officials say the Rafale jets have advanced electronics and weapons systems that will give its air force an advantage while confronting Turkey’s much larger military.

“This was and still is a matter of addressing the strategic context in the Mediterranean. And in this context of tension, French President [Emmanuel] Macron decided to show full support to Greece,” Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier said.

Greek pilots and technical staff have completed the first round of training in France, lasting 10 months, Trappier said. One of them was Squadron Leader Panagiotis Tsoumanis who returned to Athens flying one of the new planes Wednesday.

“We are extremely lucky to have an aircraft that is so advanced in our arsenal,” Tsoumanis said. “In combination with the weapons it carries, I think the [Rafale] will certainly make a difference in the Aegean Sea and wherever else it is required in the eastern Mediterranean.”

Turkey’s air force modernization drive suffered a setback in 2019 when the United States dropped Turkey from its F-35 program over Ankara’s purchase of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system.

Other countries that have signed up to the Rafale program include the UAE, Qatar, India, Egypt, and Croatia.

Lefteris Pitarakis in Tanagra contributed to this report.

希腊塔那格拉——周三，法国制造的战斗机在雅典卫城上空呼啸而过，希腊正加速推进军队现代化，并炫耀旨在遏制邻国土耳其的新安全联盟。

六架从法国空军购买的先进阵风战斗机在雅典上空低空编队飞行，之后在附近的一个空军基地正式交付给希腊武装部队。

“这些阵风战斗机的到来标志着我国在作战、技术和地缘政治方面都得到了提升，”总理基里亚科斯·米佐塔基斯在仪式上说。

此次活动在私营电视台和国营电视台进行了现场直播。消防车在基地向飞机喷水致敬，当地希腊东正教主教主持了祈福仪式。

这些拥有独特三角形机翼的多用途战斗机是希腊和法国政府去年签署的数十亿欧元国防协议的首批主要交付成果。希腊已拨款近25亿欧元（约合28亿美元）用于购买18架“阵风”战斗机，其中12架从法国空军采购，6架由总部位于巴黎的军工企业达索公司全新制造。

希腊还计划在晚些时候再购置六架阵风战斗机，并额外花费 30 亿欧元购买三艘法国制造的新护卫舰。

北约盟国希腊和土耳其在东地中海的边界以及石油和天然气开采权方面存在长期分歧，这一争端在 2020 年演变为一场紧张的海上对峙。

土耳其和希腊在爱琴海东部靠近土耳其海岸线的希腊岛屿附近进行相互竞争的空军巡逻。该地区的紧张局势促使雅典加快军事升级计划，并加强与盟友法国和美国的防务关系。

奥地利欧洲与安全政策研究所高级研究员迈克尔·坦丘姆表示，希腊也与埃及、以色列、阿拉伯联合酋长国和沙特阿拉伯发展了军事合作。

坦丘姆表示：“雅典的努力正在取得巨大成效。这些关系为希腊提供了急需的战略纵深。”

军方官员表示，法国战机交付希腊的工作将于2025年1月完成。

希腊官员表示，阵风战斗机拥有先进的电子设备和武器系统，这将使希腊空军在与规模远大于自己的土耳其军队对抗时占据优势。

达索航空首席执行官埃里克·特拉皮耶表示：“这过去是、现在仍然是处理地中海战略局势的问题。在这种紧张局势下，法国总统马克龙决定全力支持希腊。”

特拉皮耶表示，希腊飞行员和技术人员已在法国完成了为期10个月的第一轮培训。其中一位是中队长帕纳约蒂斯·楚马尼斯，他于周三驾驶一架新飞机返回雅典。

“我们非常幸运，拥有这样一款先进的战机，”楚马尼斯说。“结合它所携带的武器，我认为‘阵风’战机必将在爱琴海以及东地中海其他任何需要它的地方发挥重要作用。”

2019 年，由于安卡拉购买了俄罗斯制造的 S-400 导弹防御系统，美国将土耳其从其 F-35 项目中除名，土耳其空军现代化进程因此受挫。

其他已加入“阵风”战斗机项目的国家包括阿联酋、卡塔尔、印度、埃及和克罗地亚。

塔纳格拉的莱夫特里斯·皮塔拉基斯对本报道亦有贡献。