#GreekAirForce
December 5, 2025 -
La Tribune
"I can tell you this as an F-16 pilot": Why the Rafale is so appealing to the Greek Air Force
The operational availability rate of the Greek Rafales is approaching 90%. Dassault Aviation will sign a new support contract for the Greek aircraft for the period 2026-2029 worth nearly €490 million in Greece.
In Greece, the Rafale is proving popular with the Greek Air Force in terms of operational capabilities and availability. And even beyond. The Chief of Staff of the Hellenic Armed Forces, General Dimitrios Houpis, stated on Monday before the Standing Committee on National Defense and Foreign Affairs of the Parliament that the operational availability rate of Dassault Aviation's fighter jets exceeds 85%, even approaching 90%. This is an unparalleled level for the Greek Air Force, which already possesses a fleet of F-16s currently undergoing modernization. Greece has ordered 24 Rafale fighter jets in two batches (18 in 2021 and 6 in 2022), including 12 second-hand aircraft transferred from the French Air Force.
According to Lieutenant General (Ret.) Demosthenes Grigoriadis, Chief of the Hellenic Air Force, the Greek Air Force "finally has superior aircraft. I can attest to this as an F-16 pilot with approximately 4,000 flight hours, an aircraft I still fly." I have dedicated my entire career to air defense and I recently flew the Rafale (...) This is a guarantee that we have an excellent aircraft, and I would like to emphasize that the Rafale has the necessary range to provide support and maintain a presence in #Cyprus. This is a considerable advantage that we only partially enjoyed with the F-16 until now.” The head of the Hellenic Air Force explained that the Eurofighter, 20 of which were ordered by Turkey at the end of October, “poses no problem if the adversary is equipped with it. We know this aircraft perfectly well and we have a much better weapons system as well as better pilots.” This could encourage Greece to purchase additional Rafale fighter jets, as it had considered doing in 2024.
A new contract for Dassault Aviation
These debates on the Rafale at the Standing Committee on National Defense and Foreign Affairs of Parliament took place in the context of a bill to extend support for the fighter jets sold by Dassault Aviation for the period 2026-2029 (FOS program for Follow On Support). According to the government rapporteur, support needs were estimated based on 13,000 flight hours for the Rafales over the next four years, compared to approximately 6,190 flight hours for the previous contract. In total, the 24 Greek aircraft will each have to complete 135 flight hours per year. Of the Greek Rafale fleet, twelve aircraft require increased maintenance, particularly on the M88 engines (out of a total fleet of 54 units, including six as part of a safety stockpile).
The value of this new contract amounts to €489.55 million, of which approximately €52.9 million is for 2025. Why? The initial support contract for the first 18 Rafale aircraft expired last March. It was valued at €127.39 million, to which an addendum of €63.68 million was added after the acquisition of the six additional aircraft. While the support contract expired at the end of March, the Greek Rafales maintained an availability rate close to 90% thanks to the responsiveness of the Team Rafale teams (Dassault Aviation, Safran, and Thales). Initially, the French side requested €700 million, but the Greeks reduced the bill, notably by drastically limiting the number of French technicians from the three groups to three (one per company, compared to the initial total of around twenty) and by giving more responsibility to the Greek Air Force.
The support contract includes an optional component to cover repairs for potential breakdowns, as is currently the case. The Air Force chief informed Parliament that a Rafale fighter jet had been damaged in a bird strike. He specified that a French support team was carrying out the necessary repairs on the aircraft, which should be back in service this week. /END
