Greece Under Pressure from France to Donate Mirage Jets to Ukraine

Greek Mirage 2000-5 jets are astir 19 to 22 years old. Credit: Hellenic Air Force

France is intensifying unit connected Greece to transportation its fleet of Mirage 2000-5 combatant jets to Ukraine.

While Paris seeks to bolster Kyiv’s aerial capabilities and solidify its relation arsenic a premier subject provider, Greece remains hesitant, navigating a analyzable scenery of determination security, home politics, and fiscal logistics, a study successful Kathimerini notes.

Greece ordered these jets successful 2000 and began receiving them successful 2004, with the last deliveries arriving successful 2007. This makes the Greek airframes astir 19 to 22 years old. In combatant pitchy terms, this is “middle-aged”—old capable to necessitate important maintenance, but young capable to inactive beryllium a potent aerial defence asset.

The Greece-France impasse implicit the Mirage fleet

A superior friction constituent successful the negotiations is the aboriginal of Greece’s 24 Mirage 2000-5 fighters. Athens has explicitly ruled retired a donation, seeking alternatively to merchantability the craft to money its modulation to the much precocious Rafale platform.

The concern is analyzable by respective factors, according to the Kathimerini report:

• Failed Buy-Backs: France precocious declined to repurchase the Mirage fleet—a woody Athens hoped would subsidize caller Rafale acquisitions.
• Support Expiration: The Follow-On Support (FOS) statement for the Mirage 2000-5 is acceptable to expire successful 2027. With manufacturers shifting absorption wholly to the Rafale, it remains uncertain if enactment for the Mirage volition continue, perchance turning the fleet into a “stranded asset.”
• Lack of Buyers: Despite past outreach to potential markets similar India, nary superior buyers person materialized, leaving the jets successful a authorities of limbo.

Incentives and diplomatic tug-of-war

To flooded Greek resistance, French officials person signaled a increasing willingness to connection additional Rafale jets astatine favorable prices. This marks a displacement from earlier French hesitation regarding compensation.

While Greece has already supplied Crotale missiles and assorted munitions to Ukraine, the authorities maintains that the Mirage fleet remains captious to nationalist aerial defence until a capable fig of Rafales are operational.

Furthermore, Athens is weighing its commitments against a US-backed money designed to facilitate arms purchases for Ukraine, adding a furniture of multilateral complexity.