France Orders 12 Rafale Jets to Replace Aircraft Sold to Greece

French Defence Minister Florence Parly today announced an order for 12 Rafale fighter jets to replace those of the French Air Force and Space (FAF&S) transferred to Greece.

The delivery of these 12 Rafale to the FAF&S is expected in 2025. This order will allow the French forces' Rafale fleet to be renewed: the replacement of second-hand planes and sensors purchased by Greece will allow the Air and Space Army to have new equipment at the latest standards, therefore at the best capacity level.

The General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) will be launching the first orders from Dassault Aviation, Safran and Thales in February. Following the sale of 12 second-hand aircraft out of the 18 sold to Greece, this order will enable the Air and Space Army to have, by the end of 2025, 129 Rafale with capacities operational changes, in accordance with the objectives of the 2019-2025 Military Programming Law (LPM).

It will complete that of the 28 planes already planned by the LPM 2019-2025 to be produced from December 2022. The manufacture of these 12 new planes to the latest F3R standard represents a year of deliveries to France.

This additional order will also ensure the maintenance of the Rafale production chain until December 2025 and the sustainability of its industrial ecosystem, weakened by the crisis in the civil aeronautics sector.

On January 26, Greece placed an order for 18 Rafale fighter jets including 12 used ones from FAF&S and six new ones to be built by Dassault Aviaton.

The 12 used aircraft will be delivered starting the middle  of 2021 and will be armed with missiles from MBDA