Big threat for Turkey as its fierce rival gets advanced Rafale jets, it is not Israel, not Cyprus, it is…

Athens: Turkey’s fiercest rival Greece is now geared up with Rafale fighter jets. The Hellenic Air Force has officially performed the acquisition of 24 Rafale fighter jets. Greece bought the last Rafale plane at Tanagra Air Circulate on 9 January.

The last Rafale of the Hellenic Air Force landed at Tanagra Air Circulate in Greece after a non-stop flight from Dassault’s manufacturing facility in Bordeaux, France.

Geared up with narrate of the art abilities and superior fight capacity, Rafale fighter plane are now operational with the 332nd Squadron of the Air Force of Greece. Established in January 2022 after extensive coaching in France, the squadron is now in a position to completely project air missions. With the induction of those plane, Greece has firmly established itself as one of essentially the most advanced air forces within the arrangement.

The first contract of Rafale, signed in January 2021, incorporated 12 broken-down and 6 new Rafale fighter plane. The total cost was once about US$2.7 billion. These incorporated the worth of weapons, coaching and infrastructure at the Tanagra air contaminated, to boot to fighter plane.

After the acquisition of Rafale, Greece has now centered on the aquire of 20 F-35 Lightning II plane from the US, including an chance for a further 20 plane. That is anticipated to extra expand Greece’s air ability.

The US Notify Department accredited the sale of 40 F-35 fighter jets to Greece in January 2024, a deal valued at USD 8.6 billion. Total, the French Rafale is a part of a broader plot to give a boost to Greece’s air defense capabilities, as tensions proceed to upward thrust within the eastern Mediterranean, where Greece and Turkey are at loggerheads.

The completion of Greece’s Rafale fighter plane takeover has been hailed by the Greek media as a pivotal second, claiming that Athens now holds sure air superiority over Ankara.

Greece and Turkey hang a longstanding dispute over the islands of the Aegean Sea. These areas are primary reserves of oil and gas. Tensions escalated in 2020 after Turkey tried to drill within the disputed portion. Moreover, Turkey has also conducted a seismic phrase on an island in Greece.

Rafale fighter plane are of 4.fifth generation, which is ready to fire Meteor missiles. Turkey presently has the F-16, which would per chance no longer fire missiles admire the Meteor. Greek defense analysts argue that the acquisition of Rafale fighter jets has bolstered Greece’s strategic deterrence to extent. Rafale’s narrate of the art abilities, which contains advanced radar programs and sturdy weapons, puts Greece in a favorable income. Then again, some consultants warn that the operational and maintenance costs of those advanced jets may affect Greece’s defense budget.